Richard Delgado and Jean Stefancic (2001) describe critical race theory as a movement that considers several issues taken up by conventional civil rights as well as the discourses of ethnic studies. The movement is responsible for questioning the foundations of liberty, legal reasoning, equality theory and the element of the neutral principles that exist in constitutional law (Delgado &Stefancic, 2001). At the heart of the theory is the negative response to colorblind meritocracy. In this case, the theory calls for making conscious race decisions that are not only non-deviant but also subscribe to the permanent norm that should be used in the distribution of power, wealth, as well as prestige. This theory informs the assessment of the film “Do the Right Thing.” The film could be considered as culturally significant since its main theme focuses on the elements of stereotyping, racial issues and the portrayal of cultures.
The film contains a consistent theme of the competition between peace and conflict. The movie opens up with a scene that portrays an empowered female dancing on a sidewalk in Brooklyn. The dancing sets a violent tone but embraces and delivers an urban black culture to the society. This scene is contrasting to the opening dance that could be considered peaceful and accepted by individuals in the society. However, the dominating culture in the movie is hip-hop. For instance, the African American peers of Radio Raheem enjoy hanging out with him on the staircases and the sidewalk. They also seem to enjoy shouting at each other from apartment windows. Even though this behavior is seemingly normal for the people living in the community, the Caucasian people find it irritating. They find it more irritating when the black people act in the same way in their pizzeria.
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The only focus of Mookie is to be paid, in spite of his lack of ambition or respect for the business, especially due to Pino’s racism. He is seen as a happy individual that expresses his happiness when he counts his money. He also uses his philosophy to neglect some of his responsibilities, which are incisive of taking care of his son and girlfriend. On the other hand, Sal believes that he has the capability of making all his problems to disappear by dishing out money, as can be seen when he gives Da Mayor and Smiley some money to enable them to go away. Such actions exemplify the notion that Americans are influenced by capitalism.
The tensions that are gaining ground at the pizzeria as well as the neighborhood influence Mr. Senor Love Daddy to act as an overseer of the social as well as the racial events that are taking place in the neighborhood. At the same time, Radio Rakeem contracts his personality when he blasts his music, which is an element that does not only condone anger but violence as well. For this reason, it is possible to consider him as a source of tension as well as violence in the film. Such considerations are likely to exemplify the situation of the minority individuals, most of whom experience various issues that include domestic violence, police brutality, and poor schools. Delgado and Stefancic (2001) argue that the situation characterizes the life of the liberals, most of whom are disdainful in exercising their civil rights as well as remedies of the same.
The cultural wealth of the community, which is based on the critical race theory, challenges the interpretations provided regarding cultural capital (Yosso, 2006). In this regard, the theory shifts the lens from the deficient notion of the community of color, consequently placing the cultural poverty disadvantages as well as the abilities and contacts of the socially marginalized groups as unacknowledged issues. In this regard, the movie acknowledges some of the incidents that are likely to push the different races apart. It includes some of the nice people in the neighborhood, incidentally using Da Mayor to demonstrate extreme bigotry when he says that the Korean couple owning a convenience store does not have Miller Lite beer. The lack of the beer and the stereotyping that comes with it, in the sense that he insinuates that American stores should have the beer in their stock, is an indication that the element of stereotyping is essential to the plot, leading to the story’s tragedy.
An interesting point to consider from the movie involves the incessant battle between the concepts of love and hate. These concepts could be derived from Radio Raheem’s narration when he explains his knuckle of love and hate. For this reason, there is a possibility of viewing his explanation from the point of Sal and the black individuals. Pino, a bigot who wears white, informs his brother that the black people are not individuals that could trusted, submits to his beliefs through the symbol portrayed by his wearing of the white clothing. During the riot, hatred wins, even after Mookie trashes Sal’s window with a trash can. At this point, an individual is likely to question whether the people are doing the right thing, which is a reflection of the movie’s title.
The critical race theory considers a variety of injustices that occur in the society. For instance, the theory focuses on elements such as the outrage of the minority races and the justification of violence (Chandler, 2015). However, the theory questions whether there is a right thing that should be done. The initial credits begin with Public Enemy’s song, “Fight the Power.” The people dancing are mimicking a sequence of fighting, which is a portrayal of the rage that many of the people have. However, the closing sequence, indicated by Malcolm X and MLK’s quotes, might be used to question whether the rage is the most suitable path to take. In this regard, the quotes might influence an individual to consider whether the rage can assist in solving the racial problems, which is an aspect that was covered well in Spike Lee’s movie.
This movie also challenges the viewers. For instance, it rams together some of the ideologies that Malcolm X subscribes to, such as the idea that violence should be used when necessary and for self-defense. It also portrays the ideologies held by Martin Luther King, Jr., who did not support violence. These ideologies are essential for informing a spectator to consider the best choice. At first, a colored student is likely to identify with Mookie. The reason for identifying with him is based on the idea that he is the movie’s lead character. However, the white audience can relate to Sal. Even though the relation could be considered as simplistic, these two characters can influence an individual to relate to the two ideologies, that of Martin Luther King, Jr. or Malcolm X. A spectator of any race is likely to connect with the character of a different race, sexual orientation, or class.
A considerable number of forms of capital could be nurtured through cultural wealth. The forms of capital are inclusive of navigational, familial, linguistic or aspiration capital (Yosso, 2006). The identified forms of capital depend on the knowledge of students with color, consequently drawing them from their communities to the classroom. This critical race theory approach to the educational needs of students factors in their commitment to the development of schools that could acknowledge the different strengths of the students of color. The need for such developments is a derivative of their struggle to achieve racial justice, as could be witnessed by the black character’s struggle in the movie. For this reason, an individual is likely to subscribe to Daniel Solorzano’s (2010) argument that some academic scholars are likely to feel that their professors have a lower expectation of them, while some of them felt that they were out of place in their academy.
The questioning of the critical race theory is likely to bring forth the argument that the persistent internal critique of the actions from different races is a portrayal of their materialist foundation. However, such concerns apply to the middle-class minorities. The individuals in this category account for elements such as discrimination, macroaggressions, as well as the affirmative action that occurs in higher education (Delgado & Stefancic, 2001). These elements lead to the identification of the idea that racial oppression, as depicted in the movie, has material and cultural roots, leading to the attack on its ideation or its linguistic expression. In this case, the expression of the same does little to the underlying structures that characterize elements such as equality and the plight of the unprivileged racial minorities in the society (Viruell-Fuentes, Miranda, & Abdulrahim, 2012). The movie focuses on the emerging issues of the contemporary society, which raises the idea that sources of outrage are inclusive of racial issues. In this case, the theme of the movie focuses on the elements of stereotyping, racial issues and the portrayal of cultures, which are experiences that people relate to this period.
References
Chandler, P. T. (2015). Doing race in social studies: Critical Perspectives .Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing.
Delgado, R., & Stefancic, J. (2001). Critical race theory . New York and London: New York University Press.
Solorzano, D. (1998). Critical race theory, race and gender microaggressions, and the experience of Chicana and Chicano scholars. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education , 11 (1), 121-136.
Viruell-Fuentes, E., Miranda, P., & Abdulrahim, S. (2012). More than culture: Structural racism, intersectionality theory, and immigrant health. Social Science & Medicine , 75 (12), 2099-2106.
Yosso, T. (2005). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth. Race Ethnicity and Education , 8 (1), 69-91.
