What does it mean to “do the right thing?” Being “right” can have a different meaning person to person. While watching the film Do the Tight Thing by Spike Lee so many different ideas were going through my mind. I was forming my own opinions on what was right and wrong the more the movie went on. This sparked an idea knowing I was a searcher for this week to look up opposing viewpoints as my own and compare them. This movie can definitely get controversial so I knew it would be an interesting task.
Responses found: https://www.quora.com/Did-Mookie-do-the-right-thing
Question: Was it the right thing to do for Mookie to throw the trash can through the window of Sals Pizzeria?
MY VIEW: In my eyes there wasn’t a right thing to do in that situation. So Neither! What Mookie did could be seen as valid of course as he felt a need to stand up for his friend who had just gotten murdered. Sal is the one that was involved in the altercation and physical fight with Radio Raheem in the first place, which might have been the reason for his outburst on the Pizzeria. This act of starting a riot was a symbol for justice and frustration for the systematic racism. On another hand, what Mookie did ruined the shop of Sal, someone who throughout the movie gave him the opportunity to work and make money. He almost to me seemed as though he was a kind of father figure in a way as he cared about Mookie’s work ethic and life. So, throwing the chair in Sals business seemed as a kind of betrayal of some sorts. Mookie’s action created an escalation of the violence that had already happened at that scene and caused for a riot destroying the entire restaurant. Then again, I see why he did it, as it was a reaction to the injustice. So no, it was neither right or wrong.
After searching for a while I found a website Quora which contains opposing opinions to my own. Rather than giving Mookie any validation for his actions, they thought that Mookie was extremely wrong for what he did.
OPPOSING VIEWS: On Quora Oren Shafir states that “I think it’s giving him too much credit to assume that he did it to redirect the people’s anger and save Sal. As a witness to what had happened and a member of the community, he had a chance to diffuse the situation. The Mayor is the one who originally told Mookie to do the right thing. His sister also keeps telling him in different words to do the right thing. The mayor is also the one, I think, the writer wants us to look up to. He is a drunk due to circumstances that seem to be out of his control. But we’ve seen him treat everyone he meets with respect, risk his own life to save a young boy, and he also tries to diffuse the situation at the end of the movie. That is the right thing to do. Mookie is of course carried away by the situation of Radio Raheem being killed, but he doesn’t step up and do the right thing.”
After hearing what Shafir has to say about the situation, I see where hes coming from but don’t necessarily agree. What exactly would be the RIGHT thing to do in that situation? He had already seen so much injustice happen to his friend, which certainly wasn’t right, so although yes he could have protested in a more peaceful way, I don’t think there is necessarily a right thing to do in the situation. I think its really easy to say that what he did was wrong and shouldn’t of happened without putting yourself in his shoes. My opinion is that the different viewpoints from different people stem from their own personal experiences, identities, and beliefs. A certain individual who’s been through or has had loved ones go through situations adjacent to this injustice before might have more sympathy for Mookie and why he did what he did. Which stems to the overall view of this movie and the controversies surrounding racism, more specifically systemic racism and peoples opposing views on this.
Another thing interesting that I found in a video entitled “Why Mookie Broke The Window” is this quote from Spike Lee himself, who played Mookie in the film and also was the creator of the film. He stated that Mookie “threw the garbage can through the window because he just saw one of his best friends get murdered in cold blood.” This quote kind of relates to what I said before of putting yourself in Mookies shoes. Lee clearly also had sympathy for Mookie and his opinions, without saying really if it was right or wrong which I thought was interesting. In another video I saw Spike Lee explains that the point of the movie is to raise questions. It certainly did raise lots of questions for me and other viewers, kind of proving that in society there are so many different viewpoints and arguments that are never ending about being “right” or being “wrong”.
Extra credit comment:
I completely agree with your reflection on the complexity of “doing the right thing” in Do the Right Thing. The film presents a situation where any action taken could be seen as both right and wrong, depending on the perspective. Mookie’s decision to throw the trash can through the window of Sal’s Pizzeria is hard to tell whether it was right or wrong. On one hand, he reacts out of frustration and a sense of justice after witnessing the brutal murder of his friend Radio Raheem. In the scene I thought that Mookie’s actions symbolized the anger and pain of the community in response to systemic racism. He may have felt that his own involvement in the violence was just a necessary expression of that frustration after witnessing so many injustices.
However, I also can see the other view that Mookie’s actions were reckless and also contributed to the escalation of violence. In the heat of the moment it’s definitely easy to see how Mookie might have been overwhelmed by his emotions and the injustice around him. However, it’s also important to think about how his actions directly impacted his relationship with Sal, who was someone who had given him an opportunity to earn a living. The idea of betrayal you mention is very real because Mookie’s reaction alienates him from someone who supported him economically.
Spike Lee’s decision to leave the question of whether Mookie was right or wrong unanswered reflects his intention to raise these kinds of moral questions. The movie makes us confront how we see justice and the complexities of responding to injustice. As you mentioned, different people will have a different viewpoint based on their experiences but I think that is what Spike Lee is trying to explore with this film.