Introduction
Consumer culture has become a norm in many countries around the world. Although it has advantages when done in moderation with humane considerations, this new phenomenon has led to far-reaching socio-economic problems for workers, especially in the United States. This has been captured explicitly by Boots Riley in his film Sorry to Bother You where he satirically critiques the aforementioned culture evident in sectors such as mass media, marketing, and housing (Riley, 2020). In addition, the film focuses on the degradation of labor by multinational corporations. Further, McDonald (208) expounds on Rileyâs production by asserting that it satirically tackles capitalismâs ills oblivion to Americans who remain ignorant. This paper delves into the above movie by looking at the degeneration of labor at corporations such as Amazon in the US as critiqued by Riley.
Film Review
Sorry to Bother You revolves around Cassius Green (Lakeith Stanfield), a desperate and broke young man who takes a telemarketing job in Regalview where he becomes a great salesman but it is problematic. Driving an old car given by his uncle (Terry Crew), Cassius lives in a garage as he has four monthsâ rent arrears while the bank is about to close Sergioâs house (McDonald, 208). Consequently, both the uncle and his nephew want to work for companies to change their economic predicament. While Sergio considers WorryFree; a cheap labor company started by Steve Lift (Armie Hammer) that offers free accommodation for lifetime workers, it is Cassiusâ job at Regalview that saves him from working in the above company. Further, he later learns the trick of changing his tone to that of white people such as Patton Oswalt and David Cross over the phone from Langston (Danny Glover) to make sales (McDonald, 2018). Surprisingly, it works and he rises in ranks, gets money, buys a new car, and moves to a high-end neighborhood.
Analysis of Rileyâs Message on Degeneration of Labor by Corporations
Big multinational companies have exploited the poor by offering employment opportunities to them and paying fewer wages as they make abnormal profits. Such is the case with the Amazon corporation in the United States. Sorry to Bother You brings out the full picture of exploitation through capitalism in the degradation of labor (McDonald, 2018). While the above film is satirical in nature, it deals with complex issues in a simple and rhetorical efficiency.
In addition, it brings an element of science fiction by creating an environment with technology but does not give details on the work of these entities. For instance, Riley highlights WorryFree which is a tech company as the epitome of capitalism as workers sign lifetime contracts in exchange for basic needs such as food and accommodation (McDonald, 2018). Perhaps this is expounded through the main character in the film who describes labor in the companies as âhorse peopleâ. As such, Sorry to Bother You can be likened to Get Out; a horror satire movie depicting racism and capitalism in America (McDonald, 2018). Moreover, Cassius discovers that he will make more sales if he imitates a white manâs voice over the phone and this comes true. However, the central focus for Riley in the film is the exploitation of workers by those in charge of the capitalist economy such as the Amazon corporation.
Various authors have voiced their concern about the advent of capitalism through the aforementioned company across Europe and the US. In The Cost of Free Shipping: Amazon in the Global Economy, Alimahomed-Wilson and Reese (2020) highlight that the company has many pending lawsuits for its poor pay and working conditions in many countries and the US. For instance, there have been protests in European countries as many workers complain about wages and workplace safety. However, the company retaliated by firing employees who were involved in the complaints. As such, the UNI Global General Secretary has hinted that the struggle against Amazon is not about one company but it is for democracy and the voice of the many workers who were mistreated by the giant corporation (Alimahomed-Wilson & Reese, 2020). Consequently, the growing wave in countries such as France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Poland was popular resistance to consumer culture promoted by Amazon especially in the degradation of labor as elaborated above.
Furthermore, it does not respect workersâ unions in the aforementioned states and their employees continue receiving poor wages. In the US, the story is the same as there have been continuous struggles. For instance, in 2019 the Transnational Social Strike called for a go-slow by activists and workers against Amazon in the United States and Europe (Alimahomed-Wilson & Reese, 2020). Sorry to Bother You portrays how Cassiusâ employers pay the workers meager salaries; telemarketers earn commissions while the owners take the rest of the profits. In addition, the workers are manipulated by a ridiculous bonus system aimed at making them believe they are rewarded highly.
On the other hand, WorryFree enjoys cheap labor and exports the same to other corporations; a replica of the Amazon corporation. In addition, the name of the above company is synonymous with the arrangements for its employee who are provided with free food and lodging hence becoming their properties. Further, there are concerns about the practices that represent a modern form of slavery to the employees while the company makes profits and has become successful. McDonald (2018) asserts that many films in the US portray the dystopia that awaits the US billionaires who are free while income inequality continues. Hotel Artemis shows a riot that destroys the Los Angeles venture as a result of the privatization of drinking water. Ready Player One forecasts the United States where poor people live in mobile homes suffering while they are all in debt (McDonald, 2018). The predicament from the above films sums up the challenges facing the workforce in the US as they are degraded in the labor market by capitalist corporations.
Conversely, Sorry to Bother You borrows a lot from other social reform philosophers. While writing on criminal justice in the US, Jouet (2022) depicts Michel Foucault who viewed the emerging rehabilitation and modern prisons as repressive and a means of social control. As such, people are meant to be free but not incarcerated. The aforementioned scenarios by Amazon from and around the globe show how the workers are poor and in unhealthy working conditions and hence can be likened to imprisonment. According to Jouet (2022), prisons can be humane as Foucault believed because punishment and discipline cannot offer solutions to the problems such institutions create in the first place. Consequently, the degeneration of labor by capitalist corporations has become a social problem globally as highlighted by Rileyâs film.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Sorry to Bother You portrays what is ailing the American public, especially the workers who are exploited under capitalism which extends to consumer manipulation by corporations. Riley uses the above film to satirically criticize multinationals that use consumer culture, especially in marketing, housing, and labor to take advantage of the poor. Both Regalview and WorryFree have one thing in common with Amazon; making profits at the expense of the workers. Further, while Ready Player One depicts abject poverty, Hotel Artemis foreshadows a riot by the exploited. However, no other film captures the socio-economic problems resulting from capitalist companies such as Amazon in the US like Sorry to Bother You by Boots Riley.
References
Alimahomed-Wilson, J., & Reese, E. (2020). Conclusion: Resisting Amazon Capitalism. In Jake, A., Ellen., R. (Eds.), The Cost of Free Shipping: Amazon in the Global Economy (pp. 275â284). Pluto Press. Web.
Jouet, M. (2022). Foucault, prison, and human rights: A dialectic of theory and criminal justice reform. Theoretical Criminology, 26(2), 202â223. Web.
McDonald, S. N. (2018). âSorry to bother youâ takes on capitalistic culture and how we ignore it in the most hilarious way possible. Andscape. Web.
Riley, B. (2022). Sorry to Bother You. Netflix – Watch TV Shows Online, Watch Movies Online. Web.