Spike Lee Pride and Prejudice
Anyone who would dismiss Spike Lee as a racist is confusing pride with prejudice.
Sure, he's abrasive, blunt, unvarnished and maybe egotistical. But he's also got the self-confidence, fearlessness and knowledge of his personal mission that in past years, and some parts of Idaho today, would have gotten him called an uppity N-word, maybe worse.
This reaction to him, to him in America today, and on our campus this week, is an illustration of how far whites (yes, whites) in this nation have not come. Lee makes films about various aspects of the African-American experience in America. His debut in 1986, "She's Gotta Have It," was about the man problems and prevails of a young black woman in the big city. "Do the Right Thing," his 1989 incitement of racial strife was a warning flag of urban angers a full three years before the L.A. Riots.
"Malcolm X" was a stirring bio-pic about the slain black leader who preached a strident brand of self reliance in an age when most said looking to the government for help was the last best hope of African-Americans. It was also the best film biography since "Gandhi." "Gandhi" may be the best bio-pic ever. Are other filmmakers, like Martin Scorsese or Oliver Stone criticized for telling stories about exclusively white protagonists? Does anyone wave the flag of racism when Woody Allen makes his 100th film about neurotic Jewish men in New York? No, and they shouldn't. Creators work on what they know.
The very fact that Lee is labeled and thought of as the "black filmmaker" is an illustration of just how right Lee is when he talks about the largely lily-white nature of Hollywood, and the nation it entertains. And a lot of what he has said, even the supposedly racist comments, have plucked a tone of truth in areas where, frankly, most whites would prefer the strings go unplucked.
His most famous comment, that blacks by definition cannot be racist, was right. When he said that, he was talking about institutional racism (a fact adroitly cut from most news accounts of his comments). Blacks, by definition, can't be institutionally racist. They simply don't have the power. Maybe someday they will, but now, you can't point to any institution, and very few corporations, in which African-Americans have enough power to even exercise the thought of implementing institutional racism.
As Bill Hug remarks in his writing on the film, “Conventions governing the ethnicity or race of western heroes and villains are bluntly contradicted. Racist Whites become the bad guys; Blacks, an ethnic group not seen before in westerns before the 1960s, are now their victims.” By breaking this traditional view, Brooks is effectively setting an example for the brighter future that he sees. Rather than going along with typical and expected roles, he switches them, creating what we can interpret as the diverse, optimistic, future of film. Hug also makes the conclusion that no other genre would have served this role better, seeing as the western represents Anglo-American supremacy. Taking a classically white dominated genre and twisting it to include an otherwise overlooked subset of the population (in terms of film at least), Brooks adequately sets his film apart. This setting apart gets viewers’ attention and forces them to think on the changing social dynamic around
Regardless of that, he continued to make films that spoke of the true nature of the lives of African Americans and the struggles the face .One of his most successful films Do The Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989), the film that solidified his place as the leading African American director, explores racism in a neighbourhood in New York. ‘Spike Lee had done an almost impossible thing. He 'd made a movie about race in America that empathized with all the participants,’ (Ebert, 2001 cited in Leopold, 2009). Lee heavily exaggerates stereotypes of all the races shown within his film as a way to show the audience just how ridiculous stereotyping is. Although, another theme throughout the film is the representation of all the races relations with each other rather than the stereotypes given to
Spike Lee is brand name when it comes to the film industry. When you try to ask any group of people their opinion about this man, you will probably receive numerous positive responses from the film community as well as the African American community. Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989) is a film that illustrates how racial conflict can become a reality while showing the repercussions that come with racial segregation. Spike Lee uses a number of tools to write and produce the film in order to ensure the message reaches his intended audience in the best way possible. The use of location, soundtrack, and dialogue is abundant in this film. Therefore, this film analysis paper is for Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing (1989). It is a film in which racial segregation ignites riots in a neighborhood dominated by the black population. The heightened scene of this film analysis is where Spike Lee throws a trash can and it is from this that hell breaks loose and riots begin.
The movie Malcolm X was very well portrayed by Spike Lee. It is historically accurate in the life of Malcolm X. It showed many of the struggles that he faced in making black history. The movie Malcolm X showed all the emotion of the original events, and it made the audience feel like they were reliving history. Some may not agree with Malcolm's point of view. However, the movie is accurate, as well as thrilling, and it pulls the audience into it. There is superb emotion and feeling. In all, the movie Malcolm X is a historically accurate movie of the true life of Malcolm Little.
...g place for a long time now; blacks have went from not being banned from certain stages to dominating theater with actors and actresses such as Halle Berry and Denzel Washington. In modern day film, African-Americans have prevailed over all of the negative setbacks, and as the old Negro spiritual says, "We shall continue to overcome."
The Great Depression was the worst economic slump ever in U.S. history, and one which spread to virtually all of the industrialized world. The depression began in late 1929 and lasted for about a decade. Many factors played a role in bringing about the depression; however, the main cause for the Great Depression was the combination of the greatly unequal distribution of wealth throughout the 1920's, and the extensive stock
The Great Depression was the longest American slump in the economy to ever occur. The Great Depression lasted for about a decade between 1929 and 1939, the dates of the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the starting of World War II. A number of factors actually caused the Great Depression. One commonly known factor said to have caused the Great Depression is the Stock Market Crash of 1929, although this is not directly correct. The market crash was only a symptom of, as well as a transition into, the Great Depression. Other symptoms and causes includes, wealth inequality, overproduction, stock speculation, excess loaning, deflation, unemployment, and no profits.
The great depression started on black Tuesday, October 29, 1929 and lasted until 1939. Some of the main causes of the great depression were that there was overproduction of food and also industrial parts, banks gave out too many loans and at the end people could not pay them, and also the stock market crash of 1929. Farmers in the western world produced more food than Americans needed. Farmers then couldn’t sell the food and then lost their farms. Industrial workers produced too many things. Workers couldn’t buy goods. Banks made bad loans to people. The banks wanted to expand. But people couldn’t pay for the loans.
The Great Depression occurred from 1929 and lasted to the early 1940’s. It was a deep and tragic period of time where everyone was affected in some capacity. This period marks the longest most widespread depression in American History. It has devastating effects to both the rich and poor. Cities all around the world were hit hard by this crisis.
What he was claiming was that African Americans slaves were born in the United States so they should be entitled to same American values given to the white Americans. He also goes ahead to bash the government for the attitudes towards his people and goes on to explain how he feels they are be exploited. His impact that he intended to have from this speech had been to bring freedom to African American’s by letting proper democratic ideals decide who is entitled to what rights. During the time of the speech he said black American’s should be ashamed to celebrate this holiday due to the misdeeds and unfair enforcement of these laws. His main take away from this was that the slavery going on in America was harmful and illegal because they violated the founding father principle rights. Throughout him speaking he goes on to undercut many powerful institutions in America that are simply letting slavery go on and not doing anything about it (Church). He is a very faithful man and believes looking back at his sentiments will ring home and show that he was inevitably correct in due time. In conclusion this ties to the ideas that African Americans should not have to celebrate this holiday until they feel like they are being equally treated under the same law are the white
Shelton Jackson Lee was born in Atlanta, Georgia March 20, 1957. Born to teacher Jacqueline Carroll and jazz musician William James Edward Lee, Shelton grew up in Brooklyn, New York where he was provided with a rich cultural upbringing that included plays, movies, and music (Gale 1). At a young age, Lee was nicknamed “Spike” by his mother who noticed his rough nature and the nickname stuck well into his adult life. He attended Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia where he gained an interest in film and then graduated with a Bachelors degree in Mass Communication. Lee went on to attend New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts where he created his first student film and graduated in 1982 with a Master of Fine Arts in Film and Television. Being one of the few black students to attend Tisch School of the Arts, the aspiring filmmaker’s first year at New York University was a particularly difficult one. Lee’s experiences, race, and upbringing have all led him to create controversial films to provide audiences with an insight into racial issues.
As I watched another Oprah interview with Lady Gaga, I was again struck by how totally together she seems. Despite Lady Gaga's experiences as an outcast and the victim of bullying as a teenager, she has become the most famous pop star on the planet right now. But unlike other pop stars that find themselves all over the media lately, Lady Gaga's notoriety and fame are strictly a result of her immense talent and dynamic stage presence.
The Great Depression was a period of first-time decline in economic movement. It occurred between the years 1929 and 1939. It was the worst and longest economic breakdown in history. The Wall Street stock market crash started the Great Depression; it had terrible effects on the country (United States of America). When the stock market started failing many factories closed production of all types of good. Businesses and banks started closing down and farmers fell into bankruptcy. Many people lost everything, their jobs, their savings, and homes. More than thirteen million people were unemployed.
The Crimean War was a conflict that lasted through out Europe from October, 1853 - February, 1856. This war involved Russia, France, Britain, the Ottoman Empire, and Sardinia. They all had one main ambition, to fight for the Holy Land and the Middle East. Orthodox Russia and Catholic France wanted the Holy Land in the Ottoman Empire, this was a major factor and dispute between the two countries. Problems started when France and Russia became embroiled in a dispute over control of religious sites near Jerusalem. Russia wanted control over the territories bordering both nations near the Ottoman Empire, including Constantinople. When the Ottoman Empire gave the Roman Catholics equal rights with the Greek Orthodox Christians in 1852, Russia responding by deploying military and political pressure on the Ottomans.
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanott, famously known as her stage name, Lady Gaga, is a present day, modern pop artist. She dabbles in other music genres such as jazz, folk, country, dance, rock, and electronic music, but still remains as a pop legend. Her known influences ranged from Queen and Elton John to Andy Warhol and Rainer Maria Rilke. Gaga was born on March 28, 1986, in Yonkers, New York, to Italian-American parents, Cynthia and Joseph Germanotta. Joseph, an Internet entrepreneur, and Cynthia, a Verizon executive, raised Gaga in Upper West Side Manhattan where she learned to play piano at the age of four. Her parents encouraged her music talent and she became skilled in classical piano and took a full day of acting classes every Saturday