I used my best “white voice” to interview Boots Riley about “Sorry to Bother You”

If you’re not white, odds are you’ve used a “white voice” on the phone.

It’s pretty useful. The “white voice” can convince the person on the other end to treat you like an actual white person — which means that previously difficult-to-obtain things like bank loans, good customer service, and even prompt responses from 911 are at your fingertips. With a white voice, the world is your oyster.

The “white voice” is also the main premise behind Boots Riley’s debut film, “Sorry to Bother You,” in which a telemarketer played by Lakeith Stanfield discovers that he’s got a very convincing white voice. This voice helps to launch him from just being another black dude at a desk into the upper echelons of the company — and that’s when things get weird.

But in real life, Lakeith has a slightly different take on the white voice. For him, it’s not race-specific — even white people can use a white voice.

To see Boots and Lakeith dig deeper on the meaning of the white voice, check out the video above.

This segment originally aired June 12, 2018, on VICE News Tonight on HBO.