Us and Woke Ableism
(spoilers ahead for Us and Get Out ) (content warning: lots of ableism, generational trauma, collective trauma, sexual assault, ableist slurs used in song titles, police brutality, government-mandated genocide) Foreword: I Actually Liked Us Don't take this the wrong way. Jordan Peele is one of the greatest directors working in Hollywood right now. His first two films as director, 2017's Get Out and 2019's Us , are bold statements on how we view American togetherness and, by proxy, the unwavering nature of the American Dream. Get Out tackles the issue of race - in particular, the cynical-but-seemingly-well-meaning efforts of white liberals to endear themselves to the black community (whilst alienating them elevenfold) AND how the police seem to ignore black victims because of course - whereas Us seems to tackle everything about America. Us tackles our collective skeletons in the closet - from how we use charity as a mask to shield ourselves from a...