After my first viewing of Do The Right Thing, my immediate reaction was that the film itself offered very little in the way of perpetuating that piece of advice. Ironically, the neighborhood drunk, The Mayor, who initially gave the advice of always doing the right thing was probably the only one who really followed it. He jumped in front of a car to save a young child, he refrained from violence when the mob was burning down Sal’s Pizza, and he consoled those who were bystanders in the proceedings. Based on what the film says, social factors might inhibit us from doing the right thing. Factors such as racism, stereotypes, and violence are often overpowering and make it nearly impossible for every single person to follow moral guidelines.
The concept of “loyalty” takes on a rougher meaning with this film. Loyalty is seen in being affiliated with only your own race, such as black, white, Latino, etc. and is often blind to events that may potentially undermine that loyalty, for example when the young black man is killed by the police towards the end of the film, the black mob shifts blame towards Sal and his family, destroying his business in the process. Rage has the ability to block out critical thinking by enforcing group mentalities despite having a legitimate reason to be offended. Sal’s choice to only put up Italian-Americans on his “Wall of Fame” is a reflection of his love for his country of origin, and he wasn’t taking away anybody’s rights in the process. I think the reason eateries/restaurants are so often the target of public scrutiny is because people show their loyalty to a brand by buying their food, spending money there, almost in an investment type of way. So when something is revealed that makes customers feel as though they’ve been lied to, there is a harsh reaction.
In my opinion, the film offered an example of What Not To Do in almost every possible situation. The ease of the perpetuation of ethnic stereotypes, even within the group itself, is shocking as well as saddening. The film’s title offers an idealistic piece of advice that I saw being followed by only one character, and not even at all times. I’m still not sure that I fully understand what the deeper purpose of this film is, but my current understanding leads me to think that it is a form of cautionary tale.