Do The Right Thing

I want to start by saying this was my favorite movie of Art of Film this year. I thought it was unique how Spike Lee was able to not just push one side of the issue of racism, but rather to show a possible real life conflict from both sides.

The question I have thought about is whether Sal is a racist. On one hand, he has providing a business in a very tough neighborhood, and is subject to tough conditions. Though, Sal doesn't have any pictures of African Americans on his wall. This for me does not make him a racist. I believe Sal is a racist because of his idea that he is superior than African Americans. He has every right to run his business the way he wants to. At the same time, I really believe Radio Rayhem's death was not Sal's fault. Radio Rayhem entered his business blaring music. Sal took it to the next step by smashing his radio. Radio Rayhem then took it took a physically harmful level when he threw Sal over the table. After the brawl was sorted out, the cops killed Radio Rayhem. I don't think it is right to blame Sal for Rayhem's death. It was a fight that had been brewing up for a while, and escalated fast. Sal was a racist, but was not responsible for Radio Rayhem's death in my opionon. In terms of the cops, there is never an excuse for what they did.

The Battle of Algiers

I listened to the NPR audio review of The Battle of Algiers. I think Kenneth Turan accurately describes the Battle of Algiers as amazingly realistic. He talks about how the movie is respected by both ends of the political spectrum, which is a great accompishment in my opionon. In listening to this review of The Battle of Algiers I began to think about torture in our day. It is common to see candidates, senators, and representatives to attack this administration for the use of torture in Iraq. Why shouldn't they - the adminstration is an easy escape goat. If you someone if torture is okay, the most common anwser will be no. Torture doesn't sound good. But the fact is that many of the congress men and women did know interrogation and torture was happening. Lets step back for a minute and phrase the question this way: Now keep in mind the men and women in the World Trade Center that faced the decision to burn to death or jump from 80th floor of the building. If the CIA definetively had the masterminds behind the 9/11 attacks in custody, and they withheld usable information regarding the terrorist organization, members in the organization, and future plans of the organization, how sympathic would you feel for them? I don't sympathize with them. If a poll ran for the public with 3 options: 1) interrogate these men and let the public knows the details, 2) interrogate the details but don't tell us, 3) leave them alone. I have a suspicion that a majority would fall in the first 2, and primarily the second. Isn't that why we have the CIA - to do the dirty work to protect us?