Racism In Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing

Racism is a prevalent issue that has plagued society for hundreds of years. In fact, racism and discrimination in the United States has been a major issue since the colonial era. Nonetheless, the Spike Lee directed film Do the Right Thing, released in 1989, explores the theme of racism in a masterfully juxtaposed and politically driven story about tensions between an Italian family and local Bedford-Stuyvesant residents on a hot summer day in hopes of illuminating New York City’s racial climate during the time. Analysis of the film reveals that police violence and animosity between races were at the forefront during this period, which relates to the social expectations theory and the accumulation of minimal effects theory. In summary, Do the

The social expectations theory states that human groups are governed by a set of rules, customs and expectations that we attain from family, peers, our communities, and school. However, in this modern era mass media also plays a significant role in how we act as a member of a group. In the film, many of the African-American characters took on over-exaggerated personalities in the film that served to emphasize the tension within the neighborhood. However, this also exemplified the social expectations of the black community by society, due to the fact that blacks were portrayed as loud, obnoxious, and crude. Many scenes in the film demonstrate this such as the trio “Sweet Dick Willie” and his friends chattering loudly as they discuss Mike Tyson, Buggin’ Out causing a commotion in Sal’s for something as minute as not having any famous African-Americans on the Wall of Fame, and one of the kids from the neighborhood yelling at Da Mayor for being a dead-beat drunk. Moreover, the controversy following the film’s release also exemplified the social expectations of African Americans because many public officials feared that the black community would riot in outrage after viewing the film, which establishes African-Americans as rowdy, quick to anger, and quick to resort to violence. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Spike Lee lamented on the controversy stating, “…my least favorite: the reviews of David Denby and Joe Klein saying that black people were going to riot after seeing this film. That they [black people] weren’t intelligent enough to make the distinction between what 's happening on screen and what happens in real life...” It is ironic that a film focused on racism and prejudice could conjure the same reaction from people that it sought to critically