“The Help”

I went to see “The Help” tonight. For those who don’t know, “The Help” is a movie based on a book of the same name that is about what it was like for African Americans in Jackson, MS during the early sixties from the perspective of the help, the women who worked in white households as the maids. I don’t want to give too much of the story line away in case you haven’t seen the movie yet but I did want to write a little about it nonetheless.

It is easy in 2011 to forget the strides that have been made in this country in the past 50-60 years. It is too easy to think that people have always been open minded and accepting. But it hasn’t always been this way. Not by a long shot. The movie reminded me of how racist and bigoted things were back then. People being treated as second class citizens, being forced to live separate yet equal lives (which was a laugh since it was far from equal) and being openly discriminated against just because they looked different. It was rampant and accepted as normal.

Granted things are not perfect now. There are still people who are discriminated against and treated differently because they look different or are from a different culture. But that discrimination is not accepted by people as a whole. The reaction of the general population to stories of racist acts is one of horror and disgust not acceptance. Fifty odd years ago, it was accepted. People’s reaction was blasé and cavalier. For them it was considered normal to treat people who were from a different ethnic group as less-thans and put them down as much as possible. It was not only culturally acceptable but written into the laws of some of the states.

I am so grateful for HUGE strides that have been made in the last half century. I am so thankful that we not only have laws to protect people but it is not socially acceptable to treat people differently. Just the fact that we have an African American president is a huge sign that we have moved passed the days of separate but equal.

If you haven’t seen the movie, I HIGHLY recommend it. It is moving, historically accurate and very, very well done. See it now, as soon as possible. It is so enjoyable to see a truly wonderful movie in a theater full of people, all reacting at the same time. It will be good on DVD but its so fun to see a movie with a huge number of people, especially a movie such as this.

Now to read the book. I hear that is as good as the movie. Looking forward to it!