By Ahmad El Moussaoui
“Do the Right Thing,” a Spike Lee film, follows the story of Mookie, a young Black kid, as he works at Sal’s Pizzeria in a poor Black neighbourhood. Following its release in 1989, America’s white audience scrutinized the film for its potential to instigate riots and protests. Spike Lee commented on the power that film as a medium holds, and the importance of Black creators reflecting their work through the medium by saying “I think Black people have to be in control of their own image because film is a powerful medium. We can’t just sit back and let other people define our existence.” “Do the Right Thing” accurately depicts the struggles faced by Black Americans, and can be thoroughly analyzed through Critical Race Theory and Marxist Theory. Critical Race Theory can be applied through Spike Lee's different manifestations of racism through Sal and Pino, and the relationship between government authorities and Black folks, while Marxist Theory can be applied through the director's treatment of gentrification. The film showcases this through use of dialogue, symbolism, narrative perspective, and mise en scene.
According to Danny Aiello, the actor who portrays Sal, the character is a “nice guy” who “ends up acting like a racist, even though he is not one.” Spike Lee wrote Sal to be a racist, yet there continues to be arguments on whether he truly is. In “Do the Right Thing,” Sal is continuously using distancing words with the Black folks and his customers alike as a way of othering them; words like “these people,” and “African music,” can be termed as microaggressions. The Italians never show respect for the neighbourhood, even though it is the place that allows them to make a living. Further, Sal’s son, Pino, is depicted as outwardly racist. He always calls Black folk the n-word with a hard r, which Mookie humorously calls out by explaining to him that all his idols are Black, thereby showcasing his fetishisation of Blackness. Some audiences fail to see Sal’s true racism because of his son’s outwardly racist actions (Pino’s insults are shown at a much larger scale than Sal’s). However, Sal immediately resorts to racial slurs when his beliefs are challenged. When Radio Raheem and Buggin Out tell him that they will be boycotting his store because of his refusal to put Black icons on his wall, he calls them the n-word. Danny Aiello continued his interview by saying that insults involving slurs were a part of the street culture he was raised in, although the Black customers become quickly frustrated when they hear Sal’s use of the slur by saying “Oh so we’re n*** now!” Spike Lee puts into question the morality of the usage of the slur through the different reactions of the characters, and whether one’s culture and hometown are excuses for racism. Kelli Marshall, a film Professor, notes that every term their white students question if Sal is truly a racist, but never their students of colour. The choice in ambiguity of Sal’s characterization challenges the white audience, as it is possible that they cannot comprehend his racism because they indulge in the same actions. No matter, Sal is the first character to use violence during the interaction by breaking Raheem’s radio with a bat. Moreover, Spike Lee uses the bat and radio as opposing symbols of the same social issue: the fight against racism. Sal always has a bat, a symbol of white-on-black violence, nearby in case of trouble. The baseball bat alludes to the 1988 Staten Island incident, where a Black man was brutally beaten near a pizza shop by six white men holding bats. The radio is a symbol of Black empowerment and Black unity because of the diegetic song that Raheem always plays – “Fight The Power.” Following the climax of the film – the protest – a pan from the burning bat to the broken radio emphasizes the difference between the two symbols. However, the director makes the choice to show Raheem’s broken radio continuing to play “Fight The Power,” through non-diegetic sound. Lee’s choice depicts the incessant fight against the system as long as hate and discrimination exists, thereby portraying the superiority of the radio over the bat. Spike Lee demonstrates the violence and discrimination faced by Black people even in their own neighbourhoods, illustrating the idea that Black folk will always struggle under such a system. A Critical Race Theorist might claim that Black folk, and the rest of the community of colour, must unite to break the system in order to live without prejudice and hate, thereby creating equal opportunities for themselves.
A tenet of Critical Race Theory is that race is a social construct with no relation to biology, and therefore an obstacle for Black people hoping to fuel higher achievement. Courts, work places, and most evidently through unfair treatment by the police force enforce this oppression. In “Do the Right Thing,” Sal refuses to put Black leaders and icons on his wall, even though his only source of income comes from the Black people in the neighbourhood. Sal’s refusal invokes a boycott led by both Radio Raheem and Buggin Out, causing a fight. Veto, a son of Sal, calls the police to stop the fighting, however the call is shown to be ineffective as the only thing the police accomplish is the murder of Radio Raheem. The officers only arrest the Black kids, yet fail to punish the Italians who are also part of the fight, which Buggin Out notices as he yells “Get off me! You ain’t taking Pino or Veto, or Sal!,” while he is handcuffed. Spike Lee portrays the officers’ biases and racism, as well as emphasizes the fear felt within the Black characters and Black audience when in contact with the police by depicting the long history of police brutality. Conversely, it is important to note the white privilege of the Italians in this scene. In a racist system, they do not fear the police because they understand that they reap the benefits, therefore the Italalians do not care to advocate for the Black kids as it would strip them from their high pedestal by opening up the doors for communities of colour. One might argue that the lack of advocacy of white people in these systems is an act of racism, more importantly an act of support for the system as it does not help dismantle it to create equal opportunities for everyone. Furthermore, Radio Raheem’s death shows the irresponsible power held by the officers. His death is caused by a chokehold from the hands of a white officer, where a fellow officer pleads to him: “Gary that’s enough!” The officers then accuse Raheem, now dead, that he is “faking it,” immediately removing blame from themselves. Moreover, they carry his body into a cop car as the crowd yells “You can’t kill us all!” Spike Lee uses the deaths of innocent Black folk at the hands of government officials, who are unlikely to serve any consequences, to showcase an accurate telling of the Black experience in America – in hopes that it will be a lesson for America’s audience unaware of this phenomenon. The reason behind the excellence in accuracy of the film is its storytelling. Through a lens of Critical Race Theory, many films are criticized for their tendency in creating false perspectives by making a white saviour trope in which Black characters are saved by white characters (oftentimes white police officers). Spike Lee goes against this trope by creating a true reflection of society, where there are no heroes, simply protests caused by anger of the quota. The Black and other characters of colour are left to fend for themselves as a community, because the system is built to oppress them. “Do the Right Thing” excels in its accurate storytelling as it gives white America a glimpse of the Black experience, thereby generating a narrative that is ahead of its time.
Gentrification is the displacement of working class citizens in poor neighbourhoods because of wealthier people moving in and the creation of new businesses as a result. In America, African Americans have the highest rates of poverty, therefore they are the biggest victims of gentrification. Intersectionality plays a big part in situations like these, as Black people not only struggle because of racism within the system, but the system also denies them of good-paying jobs thereby causing them to live in poverty. Although gentrification in “Do the Right Thing” can be evaluated through Critical Race Theory, a Marxist Lens is apt as well. In “Do the Right Thing,” there is a harmonious feel to the community as every character knows one another, but it is fractured during the interactions between the rich white folk who have no business living in the neighbourhood. Spike Lee first portrays gentrification with the fire hydrant scene through mise. As the community, mostly Black and Hispanic, play with a fire hydrant, a white man intrudes with his expensive car and tells them to stop in order to protect his capital. He shows entitlement as he tells police that he wants the Black youth jailed, as if soaking his car with water is a commensurate offence. The man clearly values his property over the livelihoods of the people, similarly to the rich placing higher values on profit while workers and their labour are expandable. Another depiction of gentrification is through Clifton, a white man, who bumps into Buggin Out without excusing himself. When Buggin Out tells him to apologize, he chuckles, displaying total entitlement and obliviousness to the situation. Buggin Out questions the white man as to why he is living in a Black neighbourhood. Clifton responds with “I own this Brownstone.” Brownstones are historic buildings, meaning they have a significant value ascribed to them yielding a solid investment. The white people moving into the neighbourhood show no respect or understanding of its culture or the struggles of its people. Rather, they purchase buildings and create new businesses in hopes of attracting new customers. Consequently, this will ultimately result in the displacement of the Black and Hispanic folk because of the increased rental costs and taxes increases that follow the proliferation of big business. Gentrification has only increased since, leading to the displacement of three million people because of it. In the film, unity between the proletariat is already reached, yet they are unable to stop issues like gentrification because wealthier folk are too powerful, and are supported by government and businesses. Spike Lee effectively demonstrates the economic issues that communities of colour face, and the need for protective care of the neighbourhoods that can fall prey to the wealthy.
To conclude, “Do the Right Thing” accurately portrays the struggles faced by Black people in America like racism, police brutality, and gentrification. Spike Lee effectively demonstrates these issues through various film techniques that support the evaluation under both Critical Race and Marxist theories. While “Do the Right Thing” may be a relatively old film, the problems showcased therein still hold up today. Black people still face racism through use of slurs, the death of George Floyd parallels the one of Radio Raheem, and gentrification is still a concerning phenonemon. For these reasons, directors like Spike Lee need to continue making films that comment on their own experience, because film is indeed a powerful medium; directors of colour need to be given a voice, and must share their experiences with the world to achieve unity within different communities.
Works Cited
“Basic Statistics - Talk Poverty.” Talk Poverty, 2017, talkpoverty.org/basics/.
Do the Right Thing. Directed by Spike Lee, Universal Pictures, 1989.
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Marshall, Kelli. “Forming a Critical Sense of Race with Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing | JSTOR Daily.” JSTOR Daily, 23 May 2018, daily.jstor.org/forming-a-critical-sense-of-race-with-spike-lees-do-the-right-thing/.
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Tajima, Renne. “Looking Back on Danny Aiello’s Star Turn in “Do the Right Thing.”” The Village Voice, 13 Dec. 2019, www.villagevoice.com/2019/12/13/looking-back-on-danny-aiellos-star-turn-in-do-the-right-thing/. Accessed 29 Dec. 2022.
Terry, Don. “6 White Men Attack Black Man with Bats and Sticks on S.I. Street.” The New York Times, 23 June 1988, www.nytimes.com/1988/06/23/nyregion/6-white-men-attack-black-man-with-bats-and-sticks-on-si-street.html. Accessed 30 Dec. 2022.
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