Nothing frustrates me more than hatred cloaked in manners. Bryce Dallas Howard, as Hilly in The Help made me want to jump through the screen and choke her as she so smilingly justified her oppression of others.
Yet, as I continued to think about the characters, I became angrier at the other women than I was at Hilly. Hilly treated her mother horribly, her help horribly, her friend, Skeeter, horribly, and told terrible lies that altered other lives; all while grown women stood by applauding and supporting her. And, like the racial issues portrayed in the movie, this passivity is not a thing of the past or a phenomenon of the south. One voice, in one home, could have changed the course a life or a community.
I, for one, am vowing to mine my life for crimes of passivity. Am I ignoring hatred disguised as dinner conversation? Am I avoiding conflict just to belong? Am I standing up when I need to and speaking up when I should? Am I setting an example for the children who are watching?
I think we should all take a closer look. Are you in?
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