Reactions to Do The Right Thing Film

"1989 the number, another summer..." These are the beginning of the lyrics to Public Enemy's "Fight the Power", the anthem thats prominently played throughout Spike Lee's film Do The Right Thing.  Do The Right Thing is a critically acclaimed film and a cult classic amongst the rap and hip hop community. The film takes place on the hottest day of the year in Brooklyn, New York, in the year 1989. Spike Lee uses the film to demonstrate the racial tension in the area during that time period.

One of the most interesting aspects about Do The Right Thing is the culture that is represented throughout the film. Spike Lee was able to perfectly capture the essence of the city at that time. The film features tons of creative art work, classic Air Jordan sneakers, and essential hip hop music for the time period. As someone who is a fan of all of these various subjects, this movie was a perfect representation of the hip hop culture.

Another important aspect of the film is the various themes and battles that are fought throughout the film. A few of these themes are black vs. white, youth vs. old, and cops vs. civilians, and love vs. hate. These are generally touchy subjects and Spike Lee does a masterful job of intertwining one another to send his message. The racism aspect throughout the film is explained beautifully through the various characters and their respective viewpoints. One of these important characters is Radio Raheem. Raheem is a strong figurehead in the community, who always has his boombox blasting Public Enemy. He is always sporting the Love and Hate finger rings and trying to spread his message of love and peace.

I thoroughly enjoyed the film and the many different aspects of a community in which I never had a chance to experience. Being someone from an all white community, I never had to deal with many of the injustices that many African Americans portrayed in the film had to experience. The most telling scene of the movie is when Clifton steps on Buggin Out's shoes, and Buggin Out asks Clifton why he moved to Brooklyn, and Clifton responds with "It's a free country." But it's not a free country for all, and Do The Right Thing does a great job of showing that.

Martin Luther King Jr. & Malcolm X in Do The Right Thing

Martin Luther King Jr. was someone who advocated for pacifism. He did not believe in physical altercation in order to send a message. One theme throughout Do The Right Thing and also in Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech, is the theme of young vs. old, youth vs. the older generation. Martin Luther King is saying that the old ideology of an eye for an eye, equivalent exchange, is outdated. Instead of trying to change the ignorant's thoughts and actions and making real change, most people would rather use violence, which King describes as "impractical and immoral." The second recurring theme that King brings up is this idea of peace vs. violence. As previously stated, MLK did not believe in violence as a way of bringing upon change, and promoted pacifism instead, unlike his counter-part Malcolm X.

Malcolm X was another civil rights activist who had different ideals from Martin Luther King. He believed in using violence when necessary and did not shy away from it. In comparison to Do The Right Thing, Malcolm X's quote represents the theme of white vs. black. Racial tension during Malcolm X and Martin Luther King's time was at an all time high. When he's speaking about the bad people that are holding him and other African Americans' back, he is referring to white people in positions of power. Malcolm X was never a pacifist like Dr. King, however he believed in self defense. This shows another theme well represented in Spike Lee's film, police vs. citizens. Police are given so much power, and at times that power can be misused or mishandled. Many African Americans were being attacked, injured, and in some cases even killed by police officers. If the community of people that Malcolm X is talking to don't stand up for themselves, they are only risking their own lives. Malcolm X refers to using self defense and violence in these situations as "intelligence."