“The Help” Movie – Pre Civil Rights Breakthrough (“Shock Me With The South's Bigotry”)

 “Watch a documentary of the South in 1968?” Sounded interesting - “Sure!”

But The Help was very dramatic; it's not a lecture - surprise! It's a true-to-life, novel-to-film story of 68 in Jackson Mississippi - and "the help" was the reference title of black women who served as maids for high-class men-minded women in bridge cliques – who ASAP after high-school, wanted a wedding.

Black people were, quote, "separate, but still equal".

Equal with distance-kept bus seating?

And separate restrooms? "You're my equal, but I will protect my children from 'your diseases' …..and enrage my husband with the price of your outdoor bathroom." =)

One maid was fired immediately after sneaking into the indoors restroom during near tornado weather. She trudged home in the storm, and later fretted to a friend on the phone. When the friend heard screaming and pleading and an angry husband, she hung up shaking.

It suddenly scared me to think the police wouldn't've come.

"Equal! ...and you'll go to jail if you move textbooks between white and black schools. It's illegal."

Equal, and different restaurants.

Equal, and I-call-you-by-your-name-and-you-address-me-ma'am-if-I'm-white -"but you're still my equal."

One of the main characters, an against-the-quo singleton redhead, looking to simply publish the maids' stories of their treatment, quickly saw the anxiety and fear she was causing for the maids she tried to interview - even though they were friends.

It was prison-worthy if they were discovered sharing, that they sometimes felt like the personal belongings of the family they worked for;

some telling their opinion that the irresponsible priss of the house should not be having children - she was leaving her toddler in filthy diapers from the time the maid left - at dinner - till the time the maid arrived after breakfast the next morning.

One of the belles sugared-up that she was "as a Christian woman, paying a favor to her help" by not giving her a loan for a son's years-saved-for college - and the maid" would thank her one day" for being forced to find $75 herself.

That was normal life for African-Americans?

So recently??

It was pretty dumbfounding to me – maybe especially so because before I knew practically nil of what had gone on. And the Civil Rights Movement had been “back in an ancient time period” to me.

“Cuz it was right around wander-the-world hippie era – and THAT was …...ancient.”

But, “Um, wait. My dad was only born in '66!”

It makes even more sense to me now, that racism is a tough topic in the States - because the norm was only so recently flipped.

After the movie, my American friend S (interestingly, a history major) was explaining that we can't be “tsk”ing the nationals in this Middle Eastern country, for being prejudiced towards their maids from different countries.

Slavery was only “officially stomped on” 12 years ago in this area; in fact, the father of someone a friend knows, used to be a slave trader.

That sounds so alien to me - it's just normal for them.

30-50 years ago, before the Gulf became so rich, and these big cities were blowing sand with nomadic bedouins, S. said the families could feel much more trust and friendship with their maids.

At this point, since so many countries can fly these ladies anywhere, the employers generally have no history or relationship with their maid.

If they want to simply hide her passport and give a sparse boarding, she becomes a slave.

No pay, so no way to get back the probably thousands of miles home, can't even buy a $10 cell phone and SIM card to let family know you can't get out. [FYI, anyone and everyone can get a phone =)]

So, since seeing that movie, I'm understanding how important MLK Jr's dream was.

And I'm also now surprised at how much America has changed since the beginning of his dream...though S. recommended a book, “Black Like Me” written some time after the civil rights uprising, from the view of a disguised Caucasian man (he actually changed the color of his skin with a drug).

That is supposed to be shocking still!

If the Middle East, or any nation feeling superior, were to reach the point of equality that the West has (and equality is probably still a subtle struggle for some in the West), it will take maybe several hundred years for the same adjustment we've had since African-American slavery started about 350 years ago in the colonies.

That's a long time – unless the Middle East has a change of Heart... =)