Film Analysis Essay on Do the Right Thing: Racial Tension in the Business World

Introduction

The film "Do the Right Thing" centers on how social class and race between the characters affect how they interact with each other. This effect can also be reflected in the modern business world in regards to how employees behave towards each other. The social commentary of this film in regards to race relevantly plays into today's corporate world, which encourages diversity among the employees. In the movie, the characters begin their day as usual, but the film climaxes with a riot in the neighborhood after officers restrain and kill a young black man (Radio Raheem) for fighting an Italian American owner (Sal) in his pizzeria as well as outside on the street.

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In the movie, the factor of racism plays a vital role in how the characters behave with each other. "Do the Right Thing" highlights how dangerous it is to react to others based on race. The different races of the characters are portrayed in a stereotypical fashion such as Italian American characters are depicted wearing tank top shirts and crosses. The difference in ethnicities plays an essential role in such a way that the characters recognize their difference in ethnicities, which, in the end, creates a power struggle. Similarly, employees from different races behave differently due to the various moral rules that apply to different races as well as cultural groups. The difference in races also attributes to separate roots and upbringing, which eventually results in different behaviors among the employees. The race may also result in a power struggle within an employee whereby he or she feels like he or she needs to do something more to be recognized. This struggle primarily occurs if the individual is from a minority group.

Another factor that plays a vital role in the behavior of employees is the social class. In the movie, one character (Buggin' Out) verbally attacks a white man for running over his new shoes and then asks him what he was doing in "his neighborhood." This scene explains that a character in a poor neighborhood psychologically feels that he has to compete economically with an individual from a well-off community. Similarly, in an organization, an employee may feel the need to compete with a colleague who seems to be in a higher social class than him. This competition may result in negative behavior towards colleagues as the employee may subconsciously feel as though he is being judged for his social class.

Numerous scenes in the film identify the wrong decisions that the characters made, which only fueled the ethnic rivalry in the neighborhood. After the death of Radio, the people in the area were not pleased with the pizzeria. However, Sal had an employee, Mookie, who was always on his side because Sal had given him a job. Nevertheless, the death of Radio makes Mookie realize that his loyalty to Sal was present only through employment and even though Sal was his employer, Mookie was not happy with the events and therefore, left his work and helped the people to vandalize the pizzeria. This scene is critical as it identifies the "should" trap where employees who are not happy with their job often chose to stay thinking that it is the right thing. The trap is mostly created through unspoken norms within an ethnic group. For instance, the black people value loyalty and thus, the reason why Mookie had always taken Sal's side before the riot. However, what unhappy employees who are stuck in their jobs because of this trap are unaware of is the fact that doing what you should do and not what you want to may cause more harm than good. For instance, an employee who is not happy with her current job will not perform their best. Therefore, the overall productivity of the company is reduced. Eventually, ow productivity will demotivate other employees and, in the end, break a business.

Work Cited

Do the Right Thing. Directed by Spike Lee, Perf. Spike Lee, Danny Aiello. 1989. Universal, 1989.