Semester #1

       I'm almost half way through my first semester and all I can think about is how different this experience has been than I thought it would be. For one, I have a massive amount of free time. I only take three to four hours of classes a day at most and so that leaves a lot of time for homework or spending time with friends or doing something physical. So in essence I need to be very conscious of how I use my time on a daily basis. At first this was very stressful. I didn't know how to juggle everything because I just took it all on a day to day basis. But now I have developed somewhat of a schedule that helps me get my work done and still be able to have fun and get out into the world.

       However, despite all this free time it can still be hard to manage the simple things. For instance, no one picks up my laundry off the floor or calls me downstairs for dinner. I have the capacity for all of these things, but now I am the only one who can remind myself to handle these responsibilities.
Having said all of this, I would like to think that I have developed a method to taking care of the things I need to. I have had enough time to find a nice niche in the day to day grind and it has started becoming less of a chore and more relaxed. I may just be getting the hang of this college thing.

To Fight or Not to Fight

        In terms of finding hope and possibility in Do the Right Thing, the obvious place to look is the scene between Mooky and Sal the next day, after the flames of the riot had been put out. I do find this to be a credible source in terms of looking for salvation for this Harlem community. However, if we are to look a big deeper at the real dilemma of this specific community, it would seem that the first sign of hope is the riot itself. 

        While this may seem ridiculous because this is-- on the surface-- the peak of the hatred and violence of the movie, it is also the first time when we see the racial tensions diminishing. The act of the riot is simply a release of tension that had been sitting right beneath the surface for the whole movie. As I have stated previously, Mooky making the decision to finally take action and throw that garbage can through the window is the climax, the turning point, the new beginning. While these acts of violence may be seen as antagonism, I would venture to say that the most harsh antagonism was more symbolic. I would say that the antagonist was the high racial tensions I mentioned earlier. At the point of the riot, everything was out on the table. The black people had their opportunity to get out their anger and aggression that had been built up from being the target of terrible racism for too long. At the point of the riot, everything was in a strange way, at peace; the community had corrected itself. From then on, it was back to the normal, more comfortable way of living in this particular Harlem neighborhood. 

       

       Before this riot scene, it seemed that the community was in serious trouble, something needed to happen. A man had been killed, there was a potential boycott, and all the different races were bickering constantly about concepts based on a lack of tolerance. Something needed to be done. And unfortunately for this community, the people simply weren't ready to move forward and develop a multiracial, tolerant community. So, the only solution for the salvation of this community was a violent act, that lead eventually to peace, for the time being. Taylor summarized the final result very well: "The climax of the film involved hate, violence and fire. The burnt down pizzeria was destroyed and indeed miserable looking, but not full of flames. The flames themselves, along with the hate and violence, were gone. Again, leaving a perfect path for rehabilitation for the community." Since community is most likely to take hold when the people in it can unite under one common cause, it is least likely to take hold when everyone is in constant conflict. So, with the dying of the raging flames that were that conflict, a more stable and functional community was born.

Communication in Do the Right Thing

        There are many times in which Spike Lee uses communication, or the lack of it, to make important points. I personally think that the most important time in which this method is employed is non-verbal communication. Throughout the whole movie people are taking action, violent or nonviolent, to underhandedly convey a message. I think the most obvious example of this would be Mooky throwing the trash can through the window of the pizzeria. He was hesitant. It seemed as though he didn't even want to do it, he was struggling with the decision. But in the end he does it and then sits back and watches the scene unfold. The message he was trying to send was clear, you are responsible for this and that is more important than the relationship of an employer and his employees.
      
       I think that Spike Lee is trying to show through these instances that there are sometimes choices that need to be made, hard ones, and in a time like that, people need to suck it up and make the right choice, violent or nonviolent. Im not sure what Spike's stance is on violent protest but the two conflicting quotes at the end made me think he was trying to simply set a forum for the conversation of what is appropriate protest. I think either way, the point he is trying to make is that we all have a choice, and we are responsible for the outcome no matter what.

We're all Buggin Out

       At first glance, there are very few characters to which one can relate in Do the Right Thing. Most, if not all, of the characters are filled with a distinct hatred for anything different than themselves. These people lived in a different time than we do now, one of racism and scapegoating. But the truth is, we are all subject to the same human condition: fear and the decision of whether or not to fight that fear by whatever means we find necessary. So while our initial issues may be different, I doubt there is one person who watched the riot scene where Radio Raheem was killed and felt nothing. Black, White, Hispanic, Italian or Jewish, we all have the capacity for empathy, which has no color.
       

       Therefore, despite the fact that few people, fictional or real, can put up with the character of Buggin Out, his righteousness inspires others to take some sort of action, to fight that ever so human feeling of fear. In his case, Buggin Out is fighting his fear of being insignificant, of being unrecognized and unappreciated. This is made clear by his conversation with Sal when he demands that there should be black people on the wall of fame. I personally agree with Buggin Out, I think that all of these people are intertwined more than they know. After all, they grew up on Sal's Famous Pizza.

       But by fulfilling this request, Sal would be consecrating the bond between the members of a new, multiracial community. And at this point in time, they are simply not ready for that because of fear and racism. Much like the weather throughout the whole movie, the racial climate in this community is too hot, and it is coming to its tipping point. There was a choice to be made, either put the pictures on the wall and take steps toward living in peace despite race or previous community bonds, or deny Buggin out his request, deny change.

       While I believe this to be the case, I think that Wendell Berry might disagree. He may say that the Italians are not a part of the community, but rather an outside influence, much like the media is to the modern communities Berry describes. I think that this may be based simply on different ideas of what community is. I believe that it is more based on day to day interaction, and not necessarily different beliefs or cultures. In my opinion, the Italians are just as much a part of that community as Mooky or anyone else. Berry may say that Buggin Out's response is simply the clash of two worlds far from each other. But similar to Mamet's theory, we are too human to be so distant from each other. For better or for worse, all of these people affect one another every day because, whether or not they know it, they are fighting the same human condition, trying to do what is right to live not in fear but in peace and, for most in this case, equality. The riot at the end was not a clash between two worlds, but rather one world correcting itself, adapting based on the fact that Sal wouldn't accept more positive change.

On Community Life

          While Berry's ideas and thought processes are stimulating and actually quite similar to mine, I think a cloud of cynicism blocks his ability to see one very important aspect of community. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
          At many points throughout the article Berry leans on community as what seems to be the last hope for any type of decency, mostly because he sees all other establishments as being corrupted. He even claims that the idea of the community is being slowly broken down. When referring to this process of attacking the community he says, "This process has been well established and well respected for so long, of course, because it has been immensely profitable to those in a position to profit." So according to Berry, not even our most sacred of constitutions is safe from money hungry, corrupt-- and to be completely blunt-- assholes. I, on the other hand disagree.
          Don't get me wrong, I hate the government and equally corrupt organizations and believe that they are responsible for many of our modern day issues just as much as the next guy, however, I still, for better or for worse, place much faith in people.
          I grew up in the quintessential Football oriented, elitist, shallow (the list goes on) town. Many people within this community were generally speaking, not very nice. So if there was a community to be classified as "being destroyed by the desires and ambitions of both private and public life..." it would be mine. And I personally accredit this to modern day issues brought on by media influences and skewing of morals. But somehow, my community keeps sending out good, well-rounded people into the world. So how is this? Like I said, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Every day everyone in every community has an overwhelming amount of influences coming at them and I, in my fantasy world, would like to believe the good, wholehearted ones sink in. Because after all, when I'm feeling the "self-consciousness, uncertainty, and fear" that Berry says is plaguing our communities, I don't switch on MTV to find solace and comfort, I go to the people around me: my friends, my family. While we live in an imperfect world with imperfect people, at the end of the day we do know how to "practice love when we don't feel it," and when we do. Face to face with someone in pain, we can't help but feel human, to feel love.
          This also turns out to correlate entirely with our new community we have all become a part of, Ithaca College. The first few days, us freshman walk around, dodging eye contact and feeling the pull of self doubt and anxiety. But somehow we all make friends. Somehow, within this unquestionably imperfect society of sex, drugs, and rock n' roll, people look up, reach out. The fear and uncertainty is without a doubt real, but we are stronger than that. Basic humanity is above all negative influence. Conscience is undying. And no bond is greater than one that is built from courage and genuine empathy. No bond is greater than community.

Digital Me

         How do you tell a whole generation, a whole culture, that the very devices that make their lives "easier" and more enjoyable are potentially contributing to the deterioration of certain higher brain functions? Furthermore, how do you get these people to care enough to make a change? Matt Richtell of the New York Times makes an attempt to use scientific evidence, but most likely it won't make a difference.
         These devices such as iPhones, BlackBerrys, televisions, and many others are not only cool, sleek, and appealing, but cater to a lack of patience and appreciation for the "micro-moments" that make up any given day. It seems as though these technologies fit perfectly in this modern world and are here to stay, and evolve. In an interview by the New York Times, Sebastien de Halleux, co-founder of PlayFish, said, "Instead of having long relaxing breaks, like taking two hours for lunch, we have a lot of these micro-moments... [Electronic Arts] have reinvented the game experience to fit into micro-moments." Because these new developing technologies fit so perfectly into our every day lives now, it makes them that much more desirable and accessible.
              Personally, I own a BlackBerry, a Mac Laptop, and many other devices that fall into this category. And although I use them as religiously as anyone else I feel remorse every time I spend hours on Facebook, or repeatedly check my phone while eating a meal with a friend. In my eyes, this is a never-ending conundrum. Every day I am faced with the option to reject such widely accepted and almost necessary behaviors, or to simply go with the flow and stay plugged in. Regrettably or not, nine times out of 10 I choose to stay connected, it is simply too easy. But at what cost?
             Too often I and many other people elect to live in what is essentially a fantasy world instead of the one right in front of our faces. At the risk of catastrophizing harmless practices, I think that technology is rapidly becoming the best looking, most appealing monster we know. Frankly, users of modern technology, including myself, have so much trouble unplugging and leaving cellphones behind that it borders on unhealthy. In an interview with the New York Times, Henry Chen said when referring to his newly acquired BlackBerry which is meant purely for business, "It's become a demand, not necessarily a demand of the customer, but a demand of my head." That sounds to me like addiction 101.
             Whatever it is, I strongly believe that technology is fine and can be very helpful, but in moderate doses and in a much more conscious manner than is generally practiced. So the next time you, I, or anyone else feels the subconscious pull to grab our phones out of our pockets, we should ask ourselves, how much is too much?