OpEdNews - Quicklink: New Film 'The Help' Whitewashes the Civil Rights Struggle into a Heartstring-tugging Hallmark Card, by J.E. Shepherd of

August 15, 2011 Permalink
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New Film 'The Help' Whitewashes the Civil Rights Struggle into a Heartstring-tugging Hallmark Card, by J.E. Shepherd of

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Hollywood's compulsion for feel-good movies is annoying at best, but when applied to storylines that are ostensibly historical - particularly when they involve issues that people still don't seem to understand - they can be toxic. In The Help's case, the history of civil rights in the virulently racist Southern town of Jackson, Mississippi, is neatly packaged into a heartstring-tugging Hallmark card, set to a rousing Mary J. Blige soundtrack, and completely trivializes the suffering and hard work that went into making civil rights a reality. It also infers, perhaps inadvertently, that after the '60s everything was fine and dandy for non-whites in America, not to mention domestic workers.

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Julianne Escobedo Shepherd wrote the quicklinked article by GLloyd Rowsey on Monday, Aug 15, 2011 at 9:06:39 AM

My comment from when I read this the other day; by Daniel Geery on Monday, Aug 15, 2011 at 11:13:39 AM

Thanx for you for your comment, Daniel. by GLloyd Rowsey on Monday, Aug 15, 2011 at 12:57:07 PM

No, but I would like to. by Daniel Geery on Monday, Aug 15, 2011 at 6:50:37 PM

Was she an African-American? by GLloyd Rowsey on Tuesday, Aug 16, 2011 at 8:39:32 AM

The receptionist was not African American. by Daniel Geery on Wednesday, Aug 17, 2011 at 12:44:14 PM

Are we expecting any social messages by Mark Sashine on Tuesday, Aug 16, 2011 at 9:21:40 AM

Well- by GLloyd Rowsey on Tuesday, Aug 16, 2011 at 10:43:43 AM

They are depicted as suffering and harrassed by Daniel Geery on Wednesday, Aug 17, 2011 at 12:46:27 PM

Corporate Stranglehold on Movies and News by Steven G. Erickson on Monday, Aug 15, 2011 at 10:14:26 PM