do the right thing (1989)
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I wrote this a few summers ago, during the BLM protests, after watching the movie "Do the Right Thing" by Spike Lee.
Race should not be ignored. But, I’ve often heard (usually conservative) folks say that they, “do not see race.” They think they are saying that they:
- Are not racist.
- Judge others solely on their words and actions.
- Believe that everyone should be treated equally.
I think they try to treat everyone the same but they are unable or unwilling to see systemic differences that make life more difficult for those of a different race.
Do the Right Thing depressed me because it shows how entrenched racism is within ourselves and our communities. And how there is no straightforward fix. It treated racism (across many ethnicities) fairly and with nuance.
In 1989 Bed-Sty New York in a predominantly black neighborhood, the story centers around Sal’s Famous Pizzeria, a neighborhood staple for 50 years. Sal, ethnically Italian, views himself as a father figure of the neighborhood; a steady presence where his pizza has helped raise everyone. He watched these people grow up and, “the children grow old” and “the old grow older."
The penultimate scene could have happened during the protests and rioting this past summer. It is easy for me, a software developer living in the suburbs, to see the destruction of some of the BLM protests and feel unease. They destroyed property but their lives are under attack.
Perhaps they didn't see any other way that they could be heard.