The Irony of America

Chidiebube Nwadiogbu

English 1100
September 17th, 2017
Prof. Young

The Irony of America

On August 26th, 2016, Colin Kaepernick, a football player for the 49ers, gained the attention of viewers during the national anthem. A picture of him sitting down was posted on social media causing his story to quickly spread across the nation. The confirming statement released by the 49ers that he did sit down sparked a plethora of questions within the country. People reacted quite differently when it came to the story. Some were furious, some were happy and others were stuck in the middle on whether to support him or not. Overall, what the population wanted to know was "why?" It definitely seemed strange for an athlete who played the most popular sport in America to not acknowledge the power of the national anthem. When asked about it, Kaepernick gave a well resounded statement saying "I am not going to stand up to show pride in a flag for a country that oppresses black people and people of color" (Gregory 39). With this statement, people understood his motive and formed their opinion to either condemn or support him as seen in the video below. 

Although some might say it was "disrespectful" and completely wrong for Kaepernick to bring his political views into his job, he had every right to raise awareness and speak up for the injustice in the communities for people of color. 

Kaepernick's critics condemned his actions due to the reason that he was a public sport figure. They expressed their concerns that they did not want any political view to ruin their entertainment and leisure time. What seems to be slipping people's mind is the fact that even though Kaepernick is a public figure, he is still a human! He is not a robot that just plays football games and then powers off when the game is over. He has a life outside of football and he as well as everyone else face struggles and tribulations that are thrown everyday. Another thing people fail to realize is that he is an American citizen. With that being said he is entitled to Freedom of Speech that every other American is entitled to. For people to take away that right because he is a public figure goes against the American values that this country was built on. It is simply ironic. 

This also further perpetuates his point that black people are oppressed in the country. This is an endless cycle that we see each time. Look at the "Black Lives Matter" movement for example. When the movement started, it was a response to the police brutality and racial profiling that was happening around the nation against blacks. African Americans were getting killed while they were defenseless and the police that were killing them were not getting the justice that they deserved. It was a cry for help and to raise awareness against the injustice that was going on. That movement was quickly suppressed by the "All Lives Matter" movement. The All lives matter movement painted the BLM movement in a negative light by trying to display blacks as "selfish" and "inconsiderate" for only caring about their race. Not only did that misconstrue the main point of the BLM movement, it took away the focus. By taking away the focus, blacks still have to deal with the problems that they were complaining about in the first place.

Critics also claimed that him not standing up was disrespectful to the military veterans who go out and fight. What they fail to realize is that these vets went out to fight for other countries and other people to have freedom. It's simply ironic. You cannot go out there fighting for others to have something that you deny another in the so called "land of the free". People need to learn to practice what they preach. They need to stop using the idea of "respect" to take away from the injustice that is still going on. Kaepernick even changed the way he approached his protest and started kneeling down instead of sitting down to honor those who fought. Yet, that was not enough for some who couldn't fathom someone not standing up while a song is playing. Ignorant comments such as the one seen in the picture below are, again, the epitome of why Colin is doing this. To tell someone to "leave" the country because they are standing up for the mistreatment of a group of people, emphasizes Kaepernick's point even more. Instead of people trying to help fix the problem, they are telling him to leave the country and to also leave the problem brewing because it doesn't directly affect them. 

What really bugs my mind is that people would fight for whether someone is standing up or not to a national anthem but won't have that same energy when it comes to someone's LIFE being taken away in an unjustly manner. If people would keep that energy up when they see the injustice going on in minority communities then maybe, just maybe, Kaepernick wouldn't have take a kneel. 

This all goes back to the topic of Indifference. Just like Wiesel warned us about the danger of looking the other way, we see that happening here. The fear and concern that those critics brought up about politics interfering with leisure time just shows how ignorant they are. Do people actually believe that when they avoid talking about these injustices they simply just go away? Kaepernick chose not to be ignorant. He chose to take a stand to express how he felt in this society. He chose to use his platform to show everyone that these problems are still present and that was the right thing to do. 

Now the question some might ask now is, "did the protest actually have an effect in helping with the injustice that is going on?" My answer to that is a solid yes. With Kaepernick's help, more and more people are following in his footsteps and also kneeling down during the national anthem. "So on sept. 9, one day before Woodrow Wilson's first game of the season, the coach stood in the field and announced that he planned to follow Kaepernick's lead and kneel during the national anthem to protest racial injustice" (Gregory 38). People like Preston Brown (coach) and many others mentioned in the "Perilous Fight" article were influenced by Kaepernick and what he did. With more and more people protesting, no longer could the injustice in this country be ignored. No more are people keeping quiet and biting back their tongue to express how they feel. With this push from Kaepernick no longer are we indifferent. 

I'll leave you all with a quote that I found was pertinent to this movement:

Chidiebube Nwadiogbu

English 1100
September 5th, 2017
Prof. Young

Violence vs. Non-violence

Through out the movie, Do the Right Thing, the binary theme of violence vs. non-violence was present within the characters' minds. They were faced with several scenarios where they could have used their words or used their fists. To talk about this in more detail, I brought in some examples.

#1: Vito vs. Pino

We all know Vito to be the shy kid in the Italian family while Pino is the outspoken bully. Throughout the movie, Mookie and Jade make comments to Vito to stand up for himself and to not let Pino bully him around. And by "stand up" I mean hit him back. Vito, however, rejects the idea of hitting Pino back because he doesn't like to fight. Vito shares a very close resemblance to Martin Luther King who did not believe in violence. "It leaves society in monologue rather than dialogue. Violence ends by defeating itself" (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. ) Although some people like Mookie and Jade may see violence as the solution to problems, MLK describes it as an endless cycle that leads to nothing better. The main thing he tries to get at is that there is no progression with violence.

If Vito would have hit Pino, it could have been an even worse predicament cause Pino would hit him harder in order to let Vito know that he is superior. Instead of violence, why don't people use their words? Vito actually stood up for himself when Pino told him not to trust Mookie. "You don't listen to me, never have. Just run your big fucking mouth always playing big brother. You don't listen, but Mookie does" (Lee, Do the Right Thing). When I read that part I was like:

That was such an iconic moment because Pino got put in his place with WORDS and not the hands.

#2: Buggin' Out Vs. Clifton

So picture this, you pull out the new hot  Jordan's that are all white and fresh out the box and they get stepped on by someone who didn't even show a bit of care. If that was me, hell yeah I would be mad, and from the way Buggin' Out was acting, he was mad too. From the character analysis we all know Buggin' Out to be short fused. So when Clifton stepped on his shoes, he was salty af because that is just plain disrespectful. your face was probably like this: 

People around him like Ella and Ahmad were even egging him on to fight because they thought it was disrespectful too. However, Buggin' Out surprised everyone by deciding not to use his fists. "You're lucky the Black man has a loving heart, Next time you see me coming, cross the street quick" (Lee, Do the Right Thing). Although he does end it with a threat, the lack of violence that is used in this part is quite powerful because in the media, black people (especially males) are seen as aggressive and violent people. Blacks are portrayed to have anger within them and to act carelessly in situations. The fact that Buggin' Out added that the Black man has a loving heart is really important because this can change how others like Clifton view us. This goes back to what Martin Luther King was talking about with how violence just perpetuates more violence and how it ends up benefitting no one at the end. "It destroys a community and makes brotherhood impossible" (MLK). If Buggin' Out would have hit Clifton, the cops would have came and maybe the same thing that happened to Radio Raheem could happen to him. 

#3: Mookie & The Mob Vs. Da Mayor and Sal

This scene was definitely the climax of the whole movie. After the police just killed Radio Raheem, people were irate and needed to express their anger in some shape or form. Thanks to Mookie who threw the can to break Sal's window, people followed suit and started wrecking the place, even lighting it on fire. In my opinion, that was not the right thing to do. I understand that they were angry and they felt hurt for what had happen to their fellow community member. However, just like MLK said violence ends up defeating itself. After all that, what was the profit or the benefit? What was gained from the chaos? 

When I read it, I was like wow things went from 0 to 100 real quick. All these events did not repair the damage that was lost. Instead, it created more damage that the community as a whole had to deal with. Radio Raheem is still gone and now the Pizzeria where people get food is gone too. The only person that made sense in this part was Da Mayor. "If we don't stop this now, we'll all regret it. Sal and his two boys had nothing to do with what the police did" (Lee, Do The Right Thing). Da Mayor is obviously more experienced with these kinds of racial situations even though he's a drunk. He also brings up a great point about how the mob is directing their anger towards Sal and not the police. Sal didn't kill Radio Raheem, the police did. Not only are they using violence, they are also using it towards the wrong people. 

Overall, violence does not lead to anything better in life. As they always say, "two wrongs don't make a right". Although it might be a longer process, words do have a better effect than using your fists. If society would stop the violence, wars could be avoided and the death and casualty rates would decrease also. I'll leave y'all to think about if violence is really important with this interview session with MLK.
https://youtu.be/EnoH2psiDhY

Chidiebube Nwadiogbu
English 1100
September 3rd, 2017
Prof. Young

Do the Right thing

The character I related to the most was Mookie. because I understood where he was coming from with being broke and not being appreciated. Everyone like Jade, Tina, and Sal would call Mookie a bum and not take him seriously when he is genuinely trying his hardest and trying to make a living off of being a pizza delivery guy. Although I do not deliver pizzas, I do know how it feels to be broke and not having the emotional support you need from others around you. Just like Jade, my mother always gets at me for not being able to support myself and always depending on her for money. Even through all this, I still know she loves me, just like how Jade loves Mookie. Although I don't have a love interest like Tina that calls him a bum, I do have other people in my life that think I do not try my best to be there for them even when I am honestly just busy. I have been through many situations where my friends and family feel like I am avoiding them when I just do not have the time to be talking to them.
The character I relate to the least is Da Mayor, I did not understand how he was so calm after Radio Raheem got murdered by the police. If I was in his shoes, I would be right next to the angry mob causing a ruckus. It is crazy how letting go for him is easy especially coming from him who probably went through the Civil Rights movement. Also, I do not see myself as someone who is brave enough like he is. He is always jumping in to save the day. For example, when he saved Eddie from the car. I also do not believe in drinking. However, I do believe that he has his reasons to. He has been through so many trials and tribulations that I understand how drinking can help him cope with his daily life. Overall, he has been through struggles that I do not think I can face.
I honestly, did not understand the ending of the script. It is hard on deciding what the right thing to do is. I do not believe the script out rightly said the answer. The answer is determined by the reader and what they believe. In my opinion the right thing to do is to be as non-violent as possible. Violence did not solve anything, rather, it made things worse. When Sal used the bat to hit the radio, all hell broke loose. If he would have used his words instead of the bat, maybe things would not have gotten as heated as it did. Although the mob had every right to be angry, they had no right to destroy Sal's place because he was not responsible for Radio Raheem's death. The cops had no right in being violent with Raheem because that led to them accidently killing him.