# Get Out Sunken Place The Sunken Place is a meme and cultural metaphor drawn from Jordan Peele's 2017 horror film *Get Out*, where it describes a dark void that traps the consciousness of hypnotized Black characters. After the film's release, "the Sunken Place" became widely used online shorthand for Black people perceived as out of touch with or working against their own community's interests, with Peele himself popularizing that interpretation on social media. ## Origin Jordan Peele wrote and directed *Get Out*, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2017 and hit theaters on February 24, 2017[1]. The film was made on a $4.5 million budget and grossed $255 million worldwide[1]. The Sunken Place scene became the film's most iconic and memed moment almost immediately after release. Peele conceived the Sunken Place as a metaphor for the silencing of Black voices. Within weeks of the film's release, he began using the phrase on Twitter to comment on real-world situations, applying it to public figures and political moments. This gave the online community a clear template: if a Black person appeared to be siding against Black interests, they were "in the Sunken Place." - **Platform:** Jordan Peele's *Get Out* (source material), Twitter (meme spread) - **Creator:** Jordan Peele (writer/director) - **Date:** 2017 ## Overview In *Get Out*, the Sunken Place is a hypnotic state where a person's consciousness sinks into a dark, paralyzing void while their body is controlled by someone else[1]. The scene shows Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) falling through blackness, watching reality shrink to a tiny screen above him as tears stream down his face. That visual, a Black man trapped and silenced while appearing outwardly calm, gave the internet a perfect metaphor. The meme typically uses stills or GIFs from the hypnosis scene, or simply invokes "the Sunken Place" as a label applied to Black public figures who make statements perceived as dismissive of racism or overly aligned with white conservative politics. ## How It Spread The meme took off on Black Twitter in early 2017, right alongside the film's theatrical run. Users began posting the Sunken Place scene with captions directed at celebrities, politicians, and public figures. The format ranged from simple text posts ("\_\_\_ is in the Sunken Place") to edited images placing specific people's faces into the falling-through-darkness visual. The film's massive commercial success, becoming the tenth-most profitable film of 2017[1], meant the reference point was nearly universal. *Get Out* received nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor at the 90th Academy Awards, and Peele won Best Original Screenplay[1]. That awards-season visibility kept the meme in circulation well into 2018. By mid-2017, "Sunken Place" had moved beyond meme pages into mainstream political commentary. Pundits and journalists used it in opinion pieces. The phrase became a go-to shorthand on platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit whenever discourse about racial politics heated up. ## How to Use The Sunken Place meme works in a few common ways: - **Label format:** Simply call someone or something "the Sunken Place" or say they're "in the Sunken Place." This is typically applied to Black public figures making statements perceived as disconnected from Black community interests. - **Image reaction:** Post a still or GIF of Chris falling into the void, often with a caption describing a frustrating situation where you feel trapped, silenced, or powerless. - **Broader metaphor:** Use it for any situation where someone appears conscious but unable to act, or where surface-level calm hides internal distress. This version extends beyond racial commentary into general relatable humor about feeling stuck. The tone ranges from pointed political critique to lighthearted self-deprecation ("me in Monday morning meetings" over the sinking GIF). ## Cultural Impact *Get Out* put Jordan Peele on the map as a filmmaker and injected horror-as-social-commentary into mainstream conversation[1]. The Sunken Place became one of the most recognized metaphors to come out of a 2010s film, functioning as political vocabulary rather than just a movie reference. Peele's Oscar win for Best Original Screenplay made him the first Black writer to win in that category[1]. The cultural weight of the film gave the Sunken Place meme an unusual level of legitimacy. Unlike most memes, it was regularly used in serious editorial contexts, not just shitposts. The phrase appeared in discussions about Kanye West's political statements in 2018, various celebrity endorsements, and broader debates about racial identity and public performance. The American Film Institute and National Board of Review both named *Get Out* one of the top ten films of 2017[1]. ## Fun Facts - The entire film was shot in just 23 days[1]. - Principal photography took place in Fairhope and Mobile, Alabama[1]. - The film made $255 million on a $4.5 million budget, a return rate of over 5,500%[1]. - The teacup-and-spoon hypnotic trigger from the film also became a minor meme, with the clinking sound used in edits[1]. - Daniel Kaluuya was nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars for the role, and the film also received Best Picture and Best Director nominations[1]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the Get Out Sunken Place meme? It's a meme based on a scene from Jordan Peele's 2017 film *Get Out* where the main character's consciousness falls into a dark void called "the Sunken Place." Online, it became a metaphor for feeling trapped, silenced, or out of touch[1]. ### Where did the Sunken Place meme come from? It comes from *Get Out*, which premiered at Sundance on January 23, 2017 and was released theatrically on February 24, 2017[1]. ### What does the Sunken Place mean? In the film, it's a hypnotic state where a person is conscious but paralyzed. As a meme, it's most often used to describe Black public figures perceived as being co-opted by or complicit with systems that work against Black interests[1]. ### How do you use the Sunken Place meme? Post a GIF or still of the sinking scene with a caption about feeling trapped or powerless, or label someone as being "in the Sunken Place" when they seem disconnected from their community's concerns. ### Is the Sunken Place meme still popular? The meme peaked in 2017-2018 but the phrase is still widely understood and gets revived during major cultural or political moments. *Get Out* won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, keeping it in the cultural conversation[1]. ### Who directed Get Out? Jordan Peele wrote and directed the film as his directorial debut. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay at the 90th Academy Awards[1]. ### How much money did Get Out make? The film grossed $255 million worldwide on a production budget of $4.5 million, making it the tenth-most profitable film of 2017[1]. ### What awards did Get Out win? Peele won Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars, with additional nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Daniel Kaluuya. It also earned nominations at the Critics' Choice Awards, Golden Globes, BAFTAs, and Screen Actors Guild Awards[1]. ### Why is the Sunken Place associated with Kanye West? After Kanye West made public statements supporting conservative political figures in 2018, Twitter users widely applied the Sunken Place label to him, creating edits and memes placing him in the scene. ### Is the Sunken Place a real psychological concept? No. It's a fictional creation by Jordan Peele for the film, though it draws on real themes of hypnosis, dissociation, and the historical silencing of Black voices[1]. ## References 1. [Get Out]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/get-out-sunken-place Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library