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