This week we read the double portion Acharei Mot-Kedoshim. After the deaths of Nadav and Avihu we are told that only the highest priest can enter the innermost chamber of the Sanctuary and that can really only be done on Yom Kippur. In the Kedoshim section of this double portion, we are made aware of dozens of mitzvot through which we can be close to God. These mitzvot are about sexual morality, charitable giving, equality, Shabbat, and relationships.
We are pulling our inspiration from a BimBam video about this portion. This video highlights the passion that led to the deaths of Nadav and Avihu and how our passion to be close to and help others can actually be harmful to the people we are trying to help and ourselves. Jana Jett Loeb, the BimBam video’s narrator, tells us that Nadav and Avihu got carried away when they brought about “alien fire.” She reminds us that we humans sometimes do the same. “We get carried away, ignoring what people really want from us. Sometimes we love very strongly…but we don’t love very well.” She says that we need to have a “measured and patient engagement” with those we love and that the gift of the holiday of Yom Kippur is that we are supposed to show up when we are most vulnerable. Something amazing can happen in our relationship with God when we are vulnerable.
The idea of not loving very well can be seen in the current fight for social justice. We here at ModPop Torah are big supporters of fighting to end bigotry and oppression, as are many people across the globe. We love the idea of shining a light on historic firsts for people in marginalized groups and doing what we can to make sure marginalized and oppressed individuals are supported and fought for. However, sometimes fighters for social justice can get so wrapped up in the idea of wanting to do the right thing that they end up bringing an “alien fire.” They (we are also included in this “they”) can sometimes ignore what those marginalized individuals actually need. We need to listen to those individuals when they ask for our help and act in a way that will help them. We need to find a balance of educating ourselves and talking with those individuals to help them in the way that will most benefit them.
The idea of “white fragility” is that white individuals are not comfortable discussing race and often defend themselves by saying that they were “taught to treat everyone the same”. They are afraid of being “called out” and are afraid of having their ideas of racism and race challenged. However, to take some advice from this week’s portion, we should be vulnerable. The only way we can be helpful is to admit that those of us who aren’t a part of certain marginalized groups benefit from the systems that oppress those marginalized groups, even if we don’t realize it. The first step to being truly helpful in the fight for social justice is to acknowledge the systems that benefit us and to use them to our advantage in a way that honors and lifts up marginalized voices.
In media, we see this idea of trying to help but not quite helping in the correct way portrayed through the “white savior” trope. The “white savior” trope can be defined as “a narrative where a white person (usually the protagonist) fights either to save a non-white individual or group from an oppressive ruler or to morally redeem that individual.” This trope infers that the oppressed group would be nothing without their white savior, that they are unable to save themselves. It’s time for the “white savior” trope to be permanently retired. It’s both unnecessary and deeply problematic. Even in films and books starring BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) about BIPOC and their triumphs, writers still find a way to add a mediocre white character to also act as a “hero.” Even if the film is based on a true story, they will make up a white character to “save the day.”
The Help was the first movie to come to our minds when we started talking about the “white savior” trope. This movie, based on a book of the same title, is about aspiring journalist Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan (a white woman). She befriends two Black maids Aibileen Clark and Minny Jackson and writes a book about their experiences after learning about the atrocities they experience.
The whole movie (and book) sets up Skeeter as this hero and savior for these women. The telling of this story was so bad, inaccurate, and “embarrassing” that the real Ablene Cooper (who Aibileen Clark was based on) sued Kathryn Stockett, the author of the book.
Let’s also take a look at Hidden Figures. In this case, the whole movie isn’t an issue. We don’t want to take away from the amazing women and their accomplishments which inspired this movie. However, this is a movie which features a made-up white character who acts as a “savior” to our protagonists. There’s a famous scene where the character Al Harrison knocks down the “colored ladies room” sign and declares “No more colored restrooms. No more white restrooms…. Here at NASA, we all pee the same color.”
The thing is, this never happened. It was Katherine Johnson who stood up for herself and refused to use the “colored” bathroom. She stood up for herself and the movie erased this triumph. Theodore Melfi, the film’s screenwriter, defended the rewrite and said “There needs to be white people who do the right thing, there needs to be black people who do the right thing. And someone does the right thing. And so who cares who does the right thing, as long as the right thing is achieved?”
The thing is, it matters very much who is the one doing the right thing. When members of the group who are being oppressed, in these examples it’s BIPOC, do the right thing it has more of an impact. It teaches viewers that they are capable of taking matters in their own hands and help themselves. It teaches viewers, especially young viewers, that they don’t need to wait for some white knight to save them. They are more than capable of doing that themselves.
That doesn’t mean it isn’t ok to get help sometimes. We talk all the time about the importance of coming together as a community to help each other and lift each other up. However, it is important to make sure people are helping for the right reasons and are doing it in a way that helps, rather than hurts, the ones in need.
These are only two of many examples of the “white savior” trope. Some other films (and books) that use this trope are:
- To Kill a Mockingbird
- The Blind Side
- La La Land
- Freedom Writers
We also wanted to include links to some articles that talked about this a bit more in-depth and also offered alternative films to watch instead:
- 8 Films That Use A White Savior As A Major Plot Device
- Top 5 Most Cringeworthy White Savior Films (features explicit language)
- So You Want To Learn About Race? Avoid These ‘White Savior’ Films
- Don’t Watch The Help…Or These Other White-Savior Movies
- How ‘white savior’ films like ‘The Help’ and ‘Green Book’ hurt Hollywood
Next time you read a book or watch a movie and see this theme of the “white savior” trope, sit with how it makes you feel. Let it make you uncomfortable. You can both enjoy a movie and realize how problematic it is. It is your job to help work toward a day when media won’t be problematic. It is our job to leave this world better than we found it, and the first step is making sure that you know who needs help, and how to help them positively.
Until next time, stay safe, wear a mask, and wash your hands!
Love,
Amanda & Marissa
