Post reflections on the films above here. Re: Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing and Operation Small Ax, what themes do they share and what do this say about privilege, entitlement, disenfranchisement, racism and police brutality?
Think about classics West Side Story, Romeo and Juliet and themes that make the stories evergreen. What is unfortunate about this notion? Where is the hope for peace and justice? I remember in the final episode of the Matrix, Neo when asked what he wants, says, "peace." The Oracle says when asked for how long, says, "as long as it can." A rainbow appears in the sky as the curtain closes.
Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing is based on the events that happened at Howard Beach in 1986 and the hottest day in NY at that time when Lee began to write. Set in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, the community's changing demographics are at the heart of a story where those who are left, those who carry the history are not allowed to share it or refuse to change.
It is also a story where once again, police serve those who are privileged, the property owners--Sal, the Italian pizzeria owner. This is also the Brooklyn which still reels from the 1987 Tawana Brawley rape allegations. It's a keg ready to explode.
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