After finishing the script of "Do The Right Thing" the racial undertones are evident as well as the outright blatant remarks some of the characters make as well. Throughout the script there were many situations that some of the characters could have taken the high road and let the situations go, or other times when the path chosen led to conflict. Like the situation with Buggin Out and Clifton or even Buggin Out and Sal. The conflict Radio Raheem and Sal have in the pizzeria was a major event that leads to the riot at the end because it makes Radio more susceptible to teaming up with Buggin Out. This duo that we see go into Sal's at the end of the movie we see leads to Radio's death. Some arguments and situations eventually ended and were never brought up again but many of the scenes of confrontation give foreshadowing or even shed light onto how certain characters really behave. For example Sal being quick to grab his bat when Buggin Out asks about the pictures, or when Buggin Out is easily influenced by the other characters egging him on when he's arguing with Clifton
One scene in particular when Ahmad opens the hydrant and eventually gets Charlie's car wet. When the cops come and defuse the situation one of the cops make a few offensive remarks, first by telling Charlie " getting in your car quick before these people strip it clean" and then an exchange between both officers where officer long says " Break it up go back to your jobs " then Officer Ponte sarcastically says "What jobs?".
As we know at the end it is the officers who put Radio Raheem in the strangle hold and end up killing him.This scene gives a glimpse into what the officers really think about the people their policing, as multiple times you can hear towns people saying "Your Killing Him!" .This can also be seen as reference to how many other black communities felt at the time or maybe even still feel. The movie hypocritically is given the title "Do The Right Thing" but throughout the movie in my opinion no one does the right thing when the situations are presented. From Sal to Buggin' Out and even Mookie. If Sal or even Buggin Out would have just left the situation alone in the pizzeria about the pictures Radio Raheem wouldn't have been killed. What's interesting to think about though is that Sal is the main cause behind the major issues that happen throughout the movie. He gets in confrontations with Raheem and Buggin out which is why the riot starts. But at the end of the movie what really struck me was that Sal realized that maybe he was the cause of all of this. He tells Mookie "Doctor , Always try to do the right thing". This by the way is the exact same thing Da Mayor told Mookie as well. This could mean that Sal is going to try to settle down and be friendly with everyone just like the Da Mayor tried to do. Or that for the rest of his life he's going to try to make significant changes in his life. He also says he was going to the beach that day and that he had not been there in 15 years which is another reason why I believe he wants to make a change. So although Sal is mainly the reason why the riot and all those events take place at the end I think the movie is trying to show that no matter how bad things get the right thing can still always be done. Maybe Sal realizing that he needed to get out of Brooklyn was the right thing.
Spike Lee does a good job at fine tuning his characters to a point where they are all different and all have conflicting personalities. Although some of the conflicting personalities get along it was a good job on Lee's part to contrast all the characters so conflict shoots up all of the place. With the characters all being different. it gives room for you to decide as the viewer whether or not the right thing was done with the title of the movie being "Do The Right Thing". Lee knew that for the movie to be as impactful as it was all the characters needed to be exactly how they were written.
According to the script the right thing to do would have been to just let things go. All of the little conflicts that implode and turn into things bigger than they are, obviously are not worth it and that when faced with conflict you should take a step back and think about if the consequences to your actions are really worth it.
