A Reference to Capitalism
Recently, I was
thinking about all the different themes, references, and general interesting
facts about Sorry to Bother You. But
one of the things I was thinking about throughout the entire film were
references to the title.
The first time we encounter
the phrase “sorry to bother you” is when Cassius calls his first client at
Regal View. The last time is when Cassius is an Equisapien and bursts into Steve
Lift’s house (his last customer). When he says it the first time, he is very
timid and shy. He is genuinely sorry that he is bothering them and has to
continue with his message. The second time, he says it sarcastically and
mockingly.
How Cassius says
this phrase shows his progression as a character throughout the movie. He goes
from just trying to get through life one day at a time to having opinions on
issues and wanting to make an impact. I also did a little research on why Boots
Riley chose this title. According to Riley, it has a double meaning. The first
is referencing how it is used by telemarketers who tell people things they know
their customers might not want to here such as the socialist themes. The second
meaning is “when you’re telling someone something that is different from how
they view things, different from how they view the world, it feels like an
annoyance or a bother” (taken from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorry_to_Bother_You#Themes).
The second reason
for the title could be referencing many things we discussed today in class. I
personally believe it is referencing our capitalist society. People don’t like
to believe that we have organizations such as WorryFree. Through this movie,
they realize how these organizations are painted as slavery. There is also the
portrayal of Steve Lift and the message of success coming from being white or
white-like. The reason why Cassius becomes a power caller is because he speaks
in his white voice. After reaching the very top, he is able to drop the white
voice however is treated separately (when asked to rap and be the next MLK). Some
people (especially in America) don’t like to here that the capitalist society isn’t
the perfect way of doing things.
Feel free to comment
thoughts/various interpretations!
Nice post! I hadn't thought about how the title could (sarcastically) apply to bothering viewers with socialist themes but it's really cool. I think the blend of realism and wildness forces viewers to consider how the film applies to the world as they know it so it's cool that the title also implicates viewers.
ReplyDeleteGreat Post! I think that you are right in the title showing his character development. I also noticed how there was a great disparity between his first and last "customer". I also think there's a lot of references, both implicit and explicit, to capitalism. We have to remember that Boots Riley is an unapologetic communist, and as a whole Sorry To Bother You seems like an attack on capitalism, with the whole Worry-Free scheme.
ReplyDeleteNice post! I didn't think about the Capitalist undertone of the title. I feel like as the movie goes on, the title starts to lose its genuine meaning. As you said, at the start Cassius is actually sorry to be bothering people, but it quickly turns into a simple phrase that he uses mechanically. After all, it's just a part of the script that he has to stick to. The line starts to become cold and meaningless, just as Cash rises through the business ranks and gets absorbed into the world of high Capitalism.
ReplyDeleteCool post! I saw the capitalist undertones throughout the film but never thought about the title that way. I also think it is cool how we see Cassius transform from the person he is at the start to the leader he becomes in the end.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the capitalist references, as all throughout the movie there are economic undertones. From the name Cassius having a pronunciation like "Cash is," along with Regal View's powercaller promise resembling some sort of American dream in which one can make it if they work hard and rise up through the ranks is a very capitalist ideal. This contrasted by the socialist worry-free organization had my interests aroused in the beginning, and was made even more significant to me when we found out that worry-free is basically a capitalist institution also. I dont know, lots to think about.
ReplyDelete