Do The Right Thing Analysis

Do the Right Thing “When we open our eyes today and look around America, we see America not through the eyes of someone who has enjoyed the fruits of Americanism, we see America through the eyes of someone who has been the victim of Americanism. We don't see any American dream; we've experienced only the American nightmare. We haven't benefited from America's democracy; we've only suffered from America's hypocrisy.”
Malcolm X Spoken in 1965, these words still ring true for people of color in this country. The hypocrisy of our policy and attitude in America can easily send the message to minorities that equality is an impossibility. The pure struggle of existence against the system makes philosophical discourse in daily life seem like a distant dream, reserved for scholars and students. However, even scholars and students can be blind to the subtleties of
The nervous laughter and, frighteningly, people's somewhat positive reaction to the racial epithets, exhibits the problem in America today: racism is unfortunately built into our society. Even characters such as Vito and Mary, who dimly support ethnic equality, unintentionally stir up more confusion and emotion within the minds of those that feel polarized, either black or white. Lee builds characters that everyone can identify with; all of the actions taken in the film can be understood within the context. One of the more subtle ways Lee shows people's ingrained racism (or carelessness) is with Sal and Radio Raheem. The audience is so shocked to see Sal's pizzeria destroyed, while seeming to almost forget the loss of a human life that led to incite that violence. Mookie yelling “HATE” while smashing Sal's window symbolizes the breaking point of the struggle between “The right hand, love, and the left hand, hate.” However ruinous blatant racism can be, the subtler forms can cause the most