Melissa Harris-Perry on The Help

Okay, so I haven’t actually seen The Help, but that’s not going to hold me back from posting this clip of Melissa Harris-Perry discussing the movie! The reason why I didn’t go to see the film was because I have a slight aversion to that trope of Civil Rights movies bending over backwards to show the deep humanity of white people. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking white people — somebody make sure that we white people get to star in some movies, already! — and we should definitely remember and honor those who help expose racism, but why is empathy for whites such a crucial focus for many Hollywood films about race? Who’s at the center here?

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