Racial Tensions In Do The Right Thing

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Martin Luther King, Jr. said “the old law, an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind”, represents this film and the way in which there were no winners, only losers in the end. Spike Lee released this film during a time that was volatile and filled with racial tension between black communities and cops. Fresh on the heels of Michael Stewart’s death and others before him like Eleanor Bumpurs, Michael Griffith, Edmund Perry, and Yvonne Smallwood, this was a story playing out far too often in places like Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. In 1989, films depicting these types of social injustices was the best way to have the masses experience life as a black person in America.

As the film opens, we get a surprisingly good sense that we are dealing with the 1980’s, hip-hop culture and fighting against complacency and oppression. The evolution of the hip-hop movement, documented in Tina’s montage of dance moves and style changes, completely morphs into boxing attire and boxing gloves as “Fight the Power” continues playing as the theme song for the film. New York City is known as the birthplace of the hip-hop culture and Do the Right Thing takes place on one block in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn on what is notably a sweltering day.

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This Brooklyn neighborhood has a rich history, where generations have lived and died. Sal and his two sons, Vito and Pino and his Pizzeria has been a staple in the community for 25 years and takes pride in his role in keeping the community fed. He employs Mookie to deliver pizzas and looks at him like a son. However, Mookie is friends with a self-proclaimed activist, Buggin’ Out, that confronts Sal about his choices on the Wall of Fame, specifically that only Italians were represented. After 25 years of serving the community in the same way, what caused Buggin’ Out to lead the charge into battle on this sweltering summer day? But then, at the same time, Sal has a relationship with community members as we saw in the heart to heart conversation he had with Vito about being part of the community and by the empathy and generosity he showed to Da Mayor art the beginning when Sal gave Da Mayor money and a broom to go sweep the sidewalk. Sal does clearly care for the community, so it leaves the audience perplexed as to why he was so stubborn about including black role models in his pizzeria. If Buggin’ Out did not worry about what Sal’s business or if Sal had shared the same empathy towards Buggin’ Out that he extended Da Mayor, the ensuing altercation would have been averted. Instead, Sal gets sucked into the world of hate and despite his love for the community members, at this climatic apex we see Sal engage in a verbal screaming match with Radio Raheem and Buggin’ Out in which Sal loses all control and spews racial epithets, “telling Radio Raheem to turn off that “jungle music” and hurls profanities”. This exchange brings out the worst characteristics in Sal and exposes his heart to the community causing the once loyal Bed–Stuy community to turn their back on Sal.

Meandering throughout the film, Radio Raheem antagonizes everyone along the way. Each time Raheem is about to enter the scene Fight the Power leitmotif gives warning to all those in range of his gigantic boom box. The obnoxiously loud Fight the Power entry into Sal’s Famous Pizzeria compounded by the vocal escalation of Buggin’ Out and his unsolicited demands was the match that lit the fire. As Vito is screaming profanities and racial slurs, he does so with a cross necklace dangling from his neck. The symbolism of Christianity or for many Italians, Catholicism, is the cross. The cross is a symbol of love and forgiveness, yet Vito is wearing it while inciting hate.

Although they all originate from Bed–Stuy, the neighbor’s perspective about how their Bed–Stuy block should look were in stark contrast. Mookie, Jade, ML, Ella, and friends were content with Sal and his place in the neighborhood; they accepted him as is. On the contrary, Buggin’ Out had no tolerance and chose to create chaos. Likewise, we see that Sal and Pino enjoy being part of the neighborhood, while Vito looks to create conflict every chance he gets. The difference we see between Vito and Pino is originally confusing when we see Sal as an integrated member of the community, but Vito’s disdain for blacks becomes clearer when we see Sal lose control and smash Raheem’s boom box.

Throughout our back and forth journey of Bed–Stuy, we are witness to the elders in the community keeping watch. Mother Sister watches from her window looking down over the block. Her interaction with Da Mayor and eye trace gives a feeling of how she values him as a human; as someone she sees as beneath her as she sits perched up in her window. However, as the film progresses, Da Mayor slowly reveals little bits and pieces of himself that help to connect to his character. Realizing he has experienced shame in not being able to support his hungry children, and that he has suffered pain, and hurt, his story unfolds, the way in which Mother Sister begins to empathize and even respect him. This is reflected in the eye trace being equal, no longer dominant over Da Mayor. Unfortunately, even with the elders keeping watch, the racial tension is too much and becomes hostile with the altercation turned riot between Sal, his sons, and the black community. The social and political climate in which Do the Right Thing was released was a time in which racial tensions were running high and accounts of police brutality toward the black community in New York was making national headlines. This heightened emotions on all sides and is represented in the scene progression in which police enter to break up the riot. The brutality used by police against Raheem resulting in his death is a common theme woven throughout our history here in America.

Spike Lee knew that this story needed to be heard in order to bring light to a real problem that is embedded across this country. People sit on their stoops or up in their windows looking down judging others without really knowing their story and are quick to make assumptions. But this is also a story that the black community needed to hear, specifically the men. A realization that if a man is not going to get up and do for himself, someone else is going to come along and take up shop. Being upset at the success of others is futile and gets your nowhere.

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