What is the message in Sorry to Bother You?
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In the film Sorry to Bother You, Boots Riley portrays Cassius, a young telemarketer caught between social and workplace pressures after receiving an unexpected promotion. Immediately seizing upon the vertical mobility opportunity as an ‘escape’ from poverty, Cassius soon recognizes the negative trade-offs to the position. Similarly, in the novel Severance, Ling Ma depicts the Shen Fever apocalypse, whose aftermath compels former Bible product coordinator Candace Chen to reevaluate her past and present. Though Candace experiences a feeling of security under the control of both Spectra and Bob, she eventually realizes the limiting nature of both environments. Ultimately, Cassius and Candace’s experiences reveal the importance of decentralization in work environments. While a clear delineation of hierarchies and power structures can offer employees motivation and vertical mobility opportunities, it creates an artificially restrictive environment in the long-term.
In the short-term, the authority-driven nature of both work environments offers benefits; those who meet or exceed managerial expectations experience vertical mobility and inclusion. At RegalView, Cassius secures the Power Caller position largely due to his ability to use a “white voice.” By subscribing to the inexplicit yet prevalent expectations of the firm, Cassius ascends the corporate ladder. With Cassius’s intention and persistence directly correlated to a desired outcome, RegalView’s hierarchies seem to promote fairness and meritocracy.
Due to the promotion, Cassius experiences inclusion within the workplace culture. Characterized as a “genius” who can “comprehend the bigger picture,” he receives attention from both other Power Callers and prominent CEO Steve Lift. At this stage, Cassius conforms to RegalView’s expectations while failing to cross moral boundaries. Therefore, he experiences satisfaction from being included in the upper echelons of telemarketing. The firm’s power structures further appear to promote equity, appropriately rewarding ‘deserving’ employees.
Similarly, Candace’s adherence to managerial expectations lends her vertical mobility opportunities. Spectra, for instance, offers her significant monetary compensation for “overseeing day-to-day operations” during the pandemic. Here, Candace differentiates from peers through her willingness to meet job expectations despite untimely circumstances, resulting in increased responsibility and financial benefits. Similarly to RegalView’s structure, Spectra’s hierarchy seems necessary in order to fairly reward committed employees such as Candace.
Alternatively, Candace finds order and inclusion under the leadership of Bob. For instance, Candace claims to treat Bob’s instructions “like manna,” as she “needed to be told what to do.” Likely seeking a reversion to the sense of normalcy experienced under Spectra’s control,
Candace feels drawn to Bob’s paternalistic leadership style, notwithstanding the ‘red flags’ associated with it. Therefore, both Candace and Cassius initially experience the benefits of the hierarchy-based environments, unable to recognize their negative side effects.
Soon, as the artificiality of the work environments becomes increasingly pronounced, the characters experience isolation. At Steve Lift’s party, for instance, an unruly crowd compels Cassius to “bust a rap.” This illustrates the depersonalizing nature of ascending RegalView’s hierarchy. Beyond using a “white voice,” the prospect of success demands Cassius to ‘regulate’ nearly all facets of his identity at the will of customers and superiors. Despite his high rank, vertical mobility seems linked more with compliance than capability.
Further, depersonalization within RegalView translates into social isolation. Shocked by Cassius’s willingness to “cross the picket line” to sell “slave labor,” his friends and girlfriend cut ties with him. As Cassius’s reluctance to doing the Power Caller job gradually decreases, his corporate and personal identities merge, largely disuniting him from former social associations.
In turn, the ‘side effects’ to upward mobility become visible. Despite monetary benefits, Cassius experiences alienation both within and outside the workplace.
Likewise, Candace’s experiences reveal how deep-rooted workplace hierarchies can result in isolation. Despite lack of oversight by management, Spectra employees “compete” and “jostle” for vertical mobility opportunities during the pandemic, forcing Candace to separate herself from colleagues. This highlights how implicit hierarchies can combine with self generated competitiveness to create an alienating work environment. Though Candace’s ‘isolation approach’ works in the short-term, she may ultimately be compelled to subscribe to the competitive culture in order to ascend the corporate ladder.
Candace also experiences isolation under Bob’s leadership. After disobeying Bob by visiting Ashley’s house, Candace faces a lengthy confinement in the Facility. This emphasizes the dangers of centralized power. Bob’s rank within the group allows him to physically and emotionally isolate the ‘lower-ranked’ without immediate repercussions. Just as how the depersonalizing effects of working at RegalView isolate Cassius, the deeply-ingrained hierarchies upheld by Spectra and Bob alienate Candace. Ultimately, both characters realize the short-term nature of the benefits their environments offer.
Realizing the inhibitive nature of the highly centralized environments, the characters escape them in attainment of long-term prosperity. After receiving Lift’s ethically dubious job offer, Cassius humiliates himself on a game show to reveal Lift’s unsavory actions. His willingness to resort to such extreme measures reflects his desire to ‘redeem’ himself from the perceived immorality of the Power Caller position. In turn, Cassius rejects the observed effects of centralization––most notably, the accumulation of wealth and power at upper echelons, with little regard for lower-ranked employees.
Ultimately, Cassius’s actions result in social prosperity. Though jeopardizing his future job prospects, Cassius restores his former relationships after “switching sides.” Here, we see the long-term potential of decentralization. While RegalView offers significant economic mobility, Cassius realizes the unsustainability of this offering. With his value as an employee linked directly to compliance, he operates at the whims of customers and superiors. Escaping this environment, he experiences greater security. Unlike his relationship with RegalView, Cassius’s friends and girlfriend are personally invested in him, which allows for long-term well-being.
Alternatively, Candace strives for decentralization both at Spectra and in Bob’s group. With “no one left in the office” during the pandemic, Candace begins posting on NY Ghost. Reigniting her ‘true’ passions during work hours, Candace breaks away from everyday routine, if only temporarily. After the apocalypse, frustrated with Bob’s leadership, Candace opts into stalking Ashley’s house. Though eventually punished for the offense, Candace’s brief subversion of Bob’s power reinforces the tendency of ‘subordinates’ towards decentralization when operating within a restrictive environment.
Similarly to Cassius, Candace’s actions prioritize social well-being. At Spectra, exercising self-agency by re-exploring her interests, Candace values her innate preferences over the productivity-focused expectations of the workplace. Likewise, by defying Bob’s expectations, Candace––and her group members––share power and self-regulate, removing the need for an overseer such as Bob. Ultimately, both Cassius and Candace experience freedom after undermining the workplace expectation of conformity. Letting natural curiosity guide their decision-making rather than artificially-imposed directives and structures, the characters regain the capacity for self-determination.
On the other hand, one may argue decentralization creates stagnation through lack of mobility, rendering the power structures in the texts necessary for workplace motivation. After leaving the Power Caller position, Cassius must return to work as a “regular telemarketer.” Through this reversion, he fails to experience the benefits of his former career––except perhaps his leftover, ever-diminishing wealth. In fact, with a lack of job prospects combined with his transformation into an Equisapian, Cassius has not only suspended his path to economic prosperity but also brought upon himself a range of permanent negative consequences.
Similarly, Candace reverts to routine despite her final act of decentralization. Despite escaping from Bob’s leadership, Candace reminisces about the “schedule” and “rhythms” of city life, expressing a desire to relive this experience. Candace’s nostalgia mirrors symptoms of the Shen Fever, as she seeks routineness despite the newfound opportunity to exercise self-agency. Considering this effect of decentralization, one could argue Candace maximized productivity and opportunity under the well-defined structure of Bob and Spectra. Therefore, Candace and Cassius both may best experience purpose and motivation while working within centralized structures.
However, I believe the centralized environments restrict mobility, rendering decentralization optimal for workplace flexibility. At RegalView, Cassius experiences ‘limits’ to his success. To ascend beyond the Power Caller position, he must make the irreconcilable decision between his moral inhibitions and economic prosperity. Through decentralizing RegalView’s power over him, Cassius reclaims agency and control over his day-to-day life. Now feeling empowered to be “part of something important,” Cassius’s improved well-being can compensate for his lack of economic prosperity.
Candace also gains flexibility through decentralizing workplace hierarchies. Alone in the Spectra office, Candace breaks open CEO Michael Reitman’s office to “secure a proper bedroom.” Here, by taking unauthorized action for the sake of autonomy, Candace breaks out of routine and subverts Spectra’s underlying power structure. Sleeping in the CEO’s office, Candace even notices the “skylight” for the first time. Liberated from the rules and expectations of a centralized work environment, Candace can more freely explore her preferences and opportunities.
In addition, the hierarchy-based stratification in Cassius and Candace’s work environments offers relevance to the contemporary era. When shoe retailer Zappos implemented “holacracy,” an operating method reliant upon self-governance, 1 in 7 employees quit immediately (Hartmans 2020). Similarly to Cassius’s initial reluctance to quit the “fattest job he’s ever had,” some Zappos employees rejected decentralization in favor of a familiar power structure. This highlights the highly-ingrained nature of traditional hierarchies. With centralized power being the ‘norm’ in most modern organizations, workers may be unwilling to adapt.
Similarly, Candace’s acclimation to routine initially deters her from leaving Spectra. Citing an inability to “escape the realities of this world,” Candace fails to resign from her position despite wanting to. Similarly to some of the Zappos employees, Candace is unable to embrace decentralization, choosing the path of normalcy over that of autonomy. Ultimately, given the disconnect between employee preferences and outcomes often seen in the workplace, Candace, Cassius, and the Zappos employees chose the path of ‘least resistance.’
On the flip side, several corporations have successfully rejected hierarchy in favor of holacracy. Environmental organization Extinction Rebellion (XR) expects to involve “3.5% of the world population” in the climate movement by 2025 using a decentralized structure (Groth 2019). Just as how Cassius strengthens his social ties after quitting the Power Caller job, XR has built a movement through its dismissal of traditional power structures. In turn, this illustrates the team-building benefits of decentralization. With employees on a level playing field, collaboration and morale can improve substantially.
Candace also experiences empowerment by escaping centralized structures. After being locked in for months, she steals Bob’s car and “keeps driving and driving.” Similarly to members of XR, Candace experiences freedom and autonomy by rejecting the underlying hierarchy in favor of self-regulation. Though the decision to avoid reliance on external regulatory structures can be risky, Candace assumes this risk in order to exercise free will. Therefore, while the shift to decentralization presents uncertainty, Cassius, Candace, and several modern-day corporations experience its benefits.
In Sorry to Bother You and Severance, Riley and Ma, respectively, depict work environments. Largely built upon the presence of hierarchies and power structures. As the restrictiveness of these environments becomes increasingly visible, Cassius and Candace take substantial action as a step towards self-sufficiency. Ultimately, these lessons apply to our own lives. Whether in the corporate world or in day-to-day interactions, we may feel limited by underlying structures of authority––decentralizing this power may serve as our best option.
Works Cited
Groth, Aimee. “Extinction Rebellion Is Using Holacracy to Scale Its International Movement.” Quartz at Work, Quartz, 29 Dec. 2019, qz.com/work/1776861/extinction-rebellion-is using-holacracy-to-scale-its-international-movement/.
Hartmans, Avery. Tony Hsieh, the Former Visionary CEO of Zappos, Has Died. Here’s How His Radical Business Philosophy Transformed Zappos and Made Him ‘a Pioneer of a Company Culture.’. 30 Nov. 2020, www.businessinsider.com/tony-hsieh-zappos holacracy-company-culture-visionary-2020-11.
