“Do the Right Thing” Needed Now More Than Ever
Spike Lee’s telling story continues to ring true
What does it mean to do the right thing? Does it imply always lending a hand to someone in need or is it something more complex that requires superhero-like action? In Spike Lee’s controversial film, “Do the Right Thing,” the outspoken director tackles this question.
By no means are the answers clear when watching the film.
Lee is no stranger to creating films that contain forthright and powerful topics—films that force conversation. “Malcolm X,” “BlacKkKlansman” and “4 Little Girls,”—just to name a few—all depict reality-based stories that offer little room for comfort. Plenty of these films may have a clear message, in terms of what Lee wants the viewer to gain,, but what about “Do the Right Thing?”
Well, let’s talk about it.
There is no backstory, there is no main character and there is no true “good” or “bad” guy. “Do the Right Thing” combines theatrical and comic book styles to tell a story that takes place in the matter of a day.
Under the sweltering summer sun, on the hottest day of the year, “Do the Right Thing” begins on the Bedford-Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn.
Uniquely, Lee starts the film with scenes of unity, togetherness, and overall happiness among all the members of the community. Depictions of neighbors playing around and cooling off with water from a fire hydrant showcase the community aspect of the neighborhood and the familiar comfort of it. It’s fun yet calm, and all appears well. This evokes a sense of serenity within the neighborhood.
Despite the comfortability shown in these initial scenes, as the film continues, the day gets hotter and tensions rise. Characters begin to have altercations with each other due to cultural and racial differences.
Sal, an Italian-American pizzeria owner, has a “Wall of Fame” filled with famous Italian-Americans, which becomes the center of the conflict. A regular at the restaurant, known as Buggin’ Out, questions Sal’s motives for having only Italian-Americans when all of his customers are Black. Both Sal and Buggin’ Out couldn’t meet eye to eye on this topic, resulting in Buggin’ Out boycotting Sal’s.
Enter Radio Raheem, another regular at Sal’s, characterized by his big boombox that he carries just about everywhere. When he goes to Sal’s, Sal complains about his loud music and refuses service until Radio Raheem turns it off.
Upset with Sal’s hostility, Radio Raheem leaves and joins forces with Buggin’ Out, and together they plan to put Sal in his place.
Initially, these contretemps don’t seem to be that bad, but tragic consequences soon follow when the police become involved. In the “Fight the Power” scene, Buggin’ Out and Radio Raheem walk into Sal’s late that night blasting Public Enemy’s, “Fight the Power” on Radio Raheem’s boombox. Soon after, they begin to argue about Sal’s lack of inclusion of influential Black Americans on the “Wall of Fame.”
Essentially, why is Sal biting the hand that feeds him? All of his customers are Black, yet he won’t acknowledge them. As the argument escalates, Sal spews out racist remarks and smashes Radio Raheem’s boombox, resulting in a physical fight that calls for police involvement. The involvement leads to the police choking Radio Raheem to death. This act of injustice ultimately leads to the chaos and destruction of the community.
The weight of this injustice persists even after the film ends.
Just as Eric Garner and George Floyd died by being choked by police, the same happened to Radio Raheem. The cops discriminated against Radio Raheem because of his race and killed him for it, which directly correlates to today’s society and what is going on in the realm of police brutality against Black Americans.
A film released over 30 years ago that so closely coincides with what’s occurring today is indicative of continued injustice and intolerance.
The film is a reflection of what happens when the individual is not taken into account. When stereotypes are used as justification for the treatment of an entire race, rather than judging people individually. A perfect example of this is represented in the “racist stereotypes” scene, where each member of different ethnic backgrounds states blatantly racist remarks to the camera about another ethnic group. Analyzing the way this scene was shot, each character in this scene is looking directly into the camera; they're not talking to one another. By shooting this way, the characters are essentially breaking the fourth wall and are no longer in a film, but speaking directly to the audience. This scene is a call to action showing how hate festers when biases feed thoughts.
At the end of “Do the Right Thing,” quotes from Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X are displayed providing two different perspectives on handling this situation: peacefully fight for justice or use violence when necessary.
“Violence as a way of achieving racial justice is both impractical and immoral….It destroys community and makes brotherhood impossible,” Martin Luther King Jr. once said. “It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue. Violence ends up defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers.”
-Martin Luther King Jr.
"I think there are plenty of good people in America, but there are also plenty of bad people in America and the bad ones are the ones who seem to have all the power and be in these positions to block things that you and I need. Because this is the situation, you and I have to preserve the right to do what is necessary to bring an end to that situation, and it doesn't mean that I advocate violence, but at the same time I am not against using violence in self-defense. I don't even call it violence when it's self-defense, I call it intelligence.”
- Malcolm X
These contrasting quotes show that there is no clear answer to fighting injustice. Despite this, it’s necessary to think about the societal implications of the film and recognize that change needs to be made. Unification through acceptance, diversification and correct action is what is required.
“Do the Right Thing” isn’t supposed to be an accurate depiction of reality, rather, it’s a story of it. Lee is offering an open invitation to the audience to join a table of conversation and reflect on the love and hate deeply rooted in society.
It goes without saying that Lee’s invitation is definitely worth accepting.