The Help and Why It' So Problematic...

[etherealtsuki]

The Truth about the Civil Rights Era
by Martha Southgate

I resisted the fictional and soon-to-be cinematic juggernaut that is The Help for quite some time. In an otherwise extremely positive review in 2009, EW summed up my feelings quite well: ''The backstory is cringeworthy: A young, white first-time author - inspired by her own childhood

Comments

[ms_mmelissa]

Even more troubling, though, is how the structure of narratives like The Help underscores the failure of pop culture to acknowledge a central truth: Within the civil rights movement, white people were the help.

The architects, visionaries, prime movers, and most of the on-the-ground laborers of the civil rights movement were African-American. Many white Americans stood beside them, and some even died beside them, but it was not their fight - and more important, it was not their idea.

*Applause*

My sister and I turned to each other after seeing the trailer and were like "Are you fucking kidding me?"

Way to literally make black people supporting characters in their own cultural movement.

[senkig]

Trailer is definitely problematic, movie is less problematic in that the maids are co-leads (and Viola Davis is the narrator).

[ms_mmelissa]

Good to hear that about Viola Davis. Still, at the Oscar prediction website I go to they have her listed under supporting actress. :/

That's definitely how they are marketing it too.

[senkig]

Yeah, the marketing is a huge issue, but if it gets more people in the theaters to see how great Davis and Spencer are I'm okay with it. And if white people feel warm and fuzzy about themselves after the movie, they have huge issues, because the majority of white characters in that movie were awful and only a few of them were completely sympathetic.

And yeah, Oscar campaigning is always dumb (category fraud still wins out) but I hope she'll be campaigned as lead, with Spencer in supporting.

[militsa]

Thanks for posting this, and the linked articles are really incisive criticism that get to the point of why this book is problematic. Until this I'd heard nothing but gushing praise for the book--from white women.

[senkig]

I saw the movie and it was definitely Viola Davis' character's story as much as it was Emma Stone's. Like she did the narration and the movie was more about her than Skeeter. I'd say there were three co-leads and two of them were maids and they had way more of an emotional journey than than the white character. I haven't read the book but I definitely didn't feel like they portrayed this as a "white lady saving the day" movie. There were very few sympathetic white characters (there was only one moment that I really felt like we were supposed to be like OH YAY WHITE PEOPLE FINALLY SEEING THE LIGHT - Allison Janney's character telling off BDH - and even then, it wasn't like she was completely forgiven for what the character did to her own maid). It certainly isn't a flawless civil rights movie, and I too want a movie where there doesn't have to be a white character in it to make white people feel better about themselves, but it's way better than something like The Blind Side. Also, anything that gives Cicely Tyson work is worthy in my

[firerosearien]

This comment pretty much.

[the_laugh]

I saw it and agree completely.

[roseofjuly]

I haven't read the book

Well, then. This is not the case in the book - Skeeter is most definitely portrayed as a crucial component to telling these black women's stories.

[thevelvetsun]

I don't think the white character in this book is quite as central as this article implies, and certainly nowhere near the level of Mississippi Burning. There are 3 main characters, 2 of whom are black. The book switches off POV between these 3, and the first 2 chapters are told from the POV of the black characters. And yes, in the story they do rely on the white woman, because they couldn't get their book published without her. They need her, but she needs them even moreso, because without them there would be no book

[etherealtsuki]

I think you need to read the link to the blog that criticizes the book.

And the issues they deal the maid deals with are issues of the Civil Right Movement.

And it's not like Blacks couldn't publish books back then, y'know. They didn't NEED her.

[thevelvetsun]

The one about how it is written by a white author? I also found that problematic.

And about not needing her, you're right, but in the story Skeeter is the catalyst for the writing. The fact that all the maids were suuuper reluctant to tell their stories shows that they wouldn't have written it without her. But, I realize that it is fiction, and the author simply could've chosen to write about black maids who were eager to write about their experiences. But then people would've called it unrealistic, I imagine.

[etherealtsuki]

Except she has a right to be hesitant on how Black people are written by a white author. The Help is full of stereotypes, unfortunately.

And I doubt it would be the same if a Black writer asked to do the same thing.

[thepuddingcook]

I tried reading this book after so many good reviews and recs from (white) friends---and I had to put it down because it made me cringe and twinge so bad. Hell, I don't think I got through the free Kindle sample. The idea and the premise are just so beyond appealing. Why do I need to hear about yet another white girl who is "different from all those other 'racist' white people" and the supporting character minorities in the film that "teach" her something and then she "saves" them?

[thevelvetsun]

That's an interesting perspective, because I wasn't reading it for the "white girl" at all. The chapters from the maid's pov were far deeper emotionally. Their plot was way more interesting, their characterization was more compelling, they actually had personalities and voices and friendships between each other. I am white though, so I fully admit that my opinion might be different if I weren't.

[thepuddingcook]

The point isn't who you were reading it for. The point is that the story is basically the same "nice white lady" storyline we've been fed for years, and that is problematic.