In Spike Lee’s “Do the Right Thing” it is evident that he was trying to portray the social tension of a Brooklyn neighborhood between not just black and whites but all groups within the community, as well as the unrest between the people and the police. Also, another goal of the film could have been to show how quickly conflict can arise, even over simple things in a community where tensions are high. An example of this would be when Sal draws a bat on Buggin’ Out simply for asking that Sal put men of color on his wall of fame. In fact, the majority of the scenes in the movie revolve around the characters disrespect for one another. Such as the encounters between Da Mayor and Mother Sister where she continually insults him through the film for no apparent reason, how Sal’s two sons never get along, and other altercations between characters. Most of this conflict in the film regardless of who is involved is the result of lack of communication/understanding among people, and it could be ...
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Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing as a whole portrays a message that encourages acting appropriately by "doing the right thing" as characters say to each other occasionally throughout the story. The story uses the environment, such as the summer heat, to show how tension in a community can quickly boil over even in small conflicts. The title of the story is interesting in itself as many of the characters throughout the story do not do the right thing when faced with a problem. For example, Sal threatening Buggin' Out after he mentions the wall of fame in the pizzeria can be seen as over dramatic on Sal's part as he could have simply avoided the confrontation. Another example of this is at the end when Mookie, while being rightfully angry over Radio Raheem's death throws the first blow to cause a riot. The movie provides many instances where individuals can choose to do the right thing or not, but never provides an answer to what doing the righ...