"The Help": a Thoughtful Inspection

"Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves."  Philippians 2:3 ESV

Just finished watching "The Help", set at the beginning of the 60's Civil Rights era in Jackson, Mississippi.

It touched me in a way that is difficult to describe. The author in me loved it, because it focused on a young women who aspired to be a journalist and novelist. Through this journey, that's exactly what she became. But it took compassion, courage and determination. Do I have what it takes?

Source

"The Help" put so many things into perspective. The Civil War, Civil Rights, and the viewpoint of the "upper crust" who hired the help. It should have been titled, "Disgraceful Me".  The truth had to be told, and of course, we suspected it all along.

 Blacks were misunderstood and mistreated; all because of the color of their skin. They poured their lives into children of the 60's, laying aside their own. In many instances, the help had raised the parents of those children. But something went wrong between generations. The parents respected the help, but the children in the next generation grew to take advantage of them.

Why? I asked myself this question after the movie. Was it because the second generation were so spoiled, both economically and emotionally? The Help excelled at listening to woes, kissing wounds and attending to wardrobes. Did this contribute to their insensitivities? I wonder.

It just proves once again that hardships build character. And I have to tell you that these women (the Help) had character! And talk about local color. Unfortunately, with that local color, came  language which was indeed "colorful". Other than that, I would deem "The Help" a stellar movie.

Have you seen "The Help"? What were your thoughts? As a writer, person of color, or otherwise?