Melting Pot or Salad Bowl? How would you describe New York City?
When I was first asked this question, in the beginning of ninth grade, my response was immediately “melting pot.” Looking back, I think this response could be attributed to my innocent thoughts and genuine hopes that all people of different backgrounds and cultures would be able to co-exist in peace and harmony.
I asked myself this question again after watching Mad Hot Ballroom and Do The Right Thing, and quickly realized that an artist can force you to view New York, or any society, from his or her subjective point of view. These two films show that all art must be taken with a grain of salt, and an educated audience will be able to pick out what is fact and what is solely based on the artist’s perspective.
Let my preface my discussion about the two films with a quote that sums up the importance of studying these two films simultaneously. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “We must learn to live together as brothers, or we will perish as fools.” According to the two films, tolerance is taught in schools, and accepted by children; however, the “adults” of society are prejudiced against certain groups of people.
The film Mad Hot Ballroom, profiles the ballroom dancing program found in certain elementary schools of New York City. In these schools, children dance with children of different cultures, and they work together to win the championship ballroom dancing competition. Although the kids know far too much for their age regarding the problems in society, the children are depicted mingling with children of other races and nationalities. Additionally, the dances they learn are heritage dances of certain cultures, but all children are able to participate.
I believe the prevalence of tolerance in the movie is partially a result of reality, but is also partially attributed to the filmmaker’s goals in creating the movie. The filmmaker wanted to highlight the beneficial aspects of the ballroom dancing program in elementary schools, but more importantly, he wanted to make a movie that would appeal to New York City children and parents. Overall, the movie had a positive energy about it, and the inclusion of racial tensions, would have drawn attention to the negative aspects of society.
On the other hand, Do The Right Thing was centered on the cultural tensions of Manhattan. Radiohead and his friends barged into Sal’s pizza place because they viewed him as pro-white due to the fact that all of the photos in his restaurant were photos of famous white people. A fight erupted outside of the restaurant, and Sal was almost chocked to death by the boys, and the cops killed Radiohead. The cops didn’t have an issue going against Radiohead and his friends, but it could be argued that Radiohead and his friends were breaking the law by setting the pizza parlor on fire. When the mob turns to the other side of the street to attack the Korean store, the storeowners convince the mob that they are not white, and as a result, are able to save their store.
Each time Smiley came onto the set, the only emotion I felt for him was sympathy, and when Smiley appeared following the destruction of the pizza parlor, I actually began to cry. The character of Smiley reminds us to be grateful for what we do have in life and to cherish the little things. I think Mr. Man is the hero of the movie. If the use of the hoses to spray down the mob could be compared to the civil rights movement, then Mr. Man could be compared to Martin Luther King Jr. He tries to bring the community together, and he risks his life to do the right thing – he jumps in front of a moving car to save a little boy.
These two films show what the filmmakers want them to show about New York City. I personally am more familiar with the New York found in Mad Hot Ballroom. Although I did not attend a New York City public school, and therefore did not have the opportunity to participate in the Ballroom dancing program, I was a child living near the city, and had the opportunity to interact with children of all different cultures. We were kids…we didn’t judge each other, but happily played with one another, not worrying about the places we came from and the religions we practiced. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would have been proud!
