Do The Right Thing

            In the film, Do the Right Thing, director Spike Lee presents the audience with the theme of racism. The title itself represents the choices everyone has. Do the Right Thing allows the viewers to decide for themselves what's the right thing to do about racism. Everyone has the choice to be accepting of cultures or people different from them.
             The film opens with Senor Love Daddy speaking over the radio. We see that his desk has hats from many different cultures which symbolizes that he is a person with open views. When the camera zooms out, we see that the front of the station has "we love" painted on the front of it. This is foreshadowing of what is to come. .
             The tension between the predominate black culture and the Italian American's that own the pizzeria is first apparent to us when the argument breaks out about the absence of blacks on the wall of fame. This is also symbolized by the use of red and orange, colors that represent heat. These colors show that the tension is building. The two cultures in the film do not want to compromise with each other. They want everything to be there way. .
             Smiley, an impaired man, is standing in front of a church saying that we need to change our views of racism before it is too late. He is holding a picture of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr. Smiley seems to be the perfect character to advocate the acceptance of different cultures because his appears to be of mixed cultures himself. Even still, no one listens to him because of his speech impediment. .
             In the climax scene or the fight scene, we see that the majority of the characters seem to have stereotype of the other cultures and they come to a screeching halt with the death of Radio Man. The fight breaks out when other members of the community hear Sal refer to them in a derogatory manner. After everything is said and done, the characters realize that everyone isn't exactly as we think they might be.