As I was watching Do The Right Thing I couldn’t help but notice the neighborhood stereotypes which crowded the streets of the Brooklyn neighborhood, and I noticed how some of them still exist today. I can relate to some of the experiences that Mookie had, and it’s almost uncanny how much the characters in the movie mirror those in real life.

Living in an apartment complex, I’m exposed to my fair share of characters, and I’ve seen many archetypes that are represented in this movie. There are the kids who rebel against authority, the elders who try to know everyone’s business, the man who relays the news to people, the drunk who tries to look out for people, the well-meaning mentally disabled person, and the opinion leader who supplies everyone with guidance and information. Tensions arise, of course, but they are not as heated as they appear in the movie. Often times there are disputes between different neighbors, but it seldom comes to the point of racial slurs and gang warfare.

This movie, however, does do a good job of showing the unstable nature of the Brooklyn community in the 80’s. The cultural groups are clearly delineated and segregated seemingly by choice, and no one group can seem to peacefully coexist with the other. Mookie presents an interesting character because he seems to be the only one who gets close to being able to interact with more than just his own group. His job as a pizza delivery man allows him access into the different cultural groups of the neighborhood, mainly the Italian-American group, as noted by his friendship with Vito.

Though the movie is only halfway done, I predict that there will be some huge culminating event that will cause the tension between the groups to come to a head, and I’m sure that there can be nothing good to come from it. That being said, I’m sure it will be interesting!

-Jon Farrell

Being born and raised in Brooklyn, Do the Right Thing offers me a nostalgic yet sad view of the place I call home. All the various cultures are what defines Brooklyn as one of the most unique and interesting boroughs in NYC, but the hatred and prejudices between these cultures is the dark shadow that used to predominantly haunt Brooklyn. Now, although racism and prejudice is not completely extinct, it is less profound and rarely results in such strong strong hatred and violence. The most interesting relationship to me in Do the Right Thing, is the relationship between Mookie and Vito. Although they are culturally different, Mookie and Vito are friends and accept each other without prejudice. Mookie and Vito’s friendship to me, stands for the possibility of cultures mixing and growing in “love” instead of opposing each other in “hate.” On the other hand Pino and Buggin Out stand for extremes from both cultures, where they like certain parts about the others culture, but can never fully accept each other due to prejudices. Do the Right Thing seems to be an exposition of the biggest cultural problem in the world at that time, and is simply calling for people to give up their unfounded prejudices and accept each other as equals.