Week 1 RCL Blog

Do the Right Thing is one of those films that one either finds an excellent piece of cinema, or a piece of trash. It is a film that has been praised by critics, even selected as “culturally significant” by the Library of Congress. I personally enjoyed the film. I loved the cinematography, the acting, even the incessant playing of “Fight the Power” by Public Enemy entertained me. However, I couldn’t help feeling confused during the whole film. Even the quotes at the end of the film caused me to scratch my head. Why would you put a quote of Martin Luther King Jr. (who advocated peaceful protest) and Malcolm X (who advocated “self defense” in the face of oppression) together at the end of a movie about race? Did the placing of the Malcolm X quote after the Dr. King quote have any meaning? And what exactly was the movie trying to say in the end? Was it trying to say that such riots and violence were inappropriate, or was it justifying that hatred? What about the destruction of Sal’s property? He ran a respectable business in a depressed neighbor simply for the sake of helping out those who were less fortunate. What did destroying the pizzeria do to make up for the death of an innocent kid? Nothing. It was simply causing more damage and resulted in more hatred between the whites and minorities in the neighborhood. I didn’t expect the film to be a “feel good” movie, but I didn’t believe that it would simply divide and cause more racial tension among people, as the post-film discussion showed. I believe if the film demonstrated anything, it proved that race problems in America may never be solved. Ignorant people will exist no matter what, and they will keep the rest of society from moving forward and coming to terms with what divides us. Lets just love each other man.

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