Black Nationaleesm
Wpisany przez mgr Aldona Witkowska
poniedziałek, 14 czerwca 2010 22:17
Black Nationaleesm
"… To revolutionize make a change nothin's strange; People, people we are the same; No
we're not the same; Cause we don’t know the game…Elvis was a hero to most; But he never
meant, shit to me you see; Straight up racist that sucker was; Simple and plain; Mother fuck him
and John Wayne; Cause I'm Black and I'm proud…"
These rough words of Public Enemy song "Fight the Power" perfectly express the spirit of black
nationalism. The main word which specifies this movement is the distinction which strongly
separates it from guidelines of Civil Rights Movements and the Martin Luther King's aspirations.
King advocated the banner of equality and breaking the walls between whites and blacks. This
equality did not sound right for many black people. Probably they asked themselves: "Why do
we have to adjust to the whites." For them it was still the view of white people.
The natural after-effect of that atmosphere was the creation of a movement, which goal was
"the propagation of black identity and opposition toward assimilation in dominated by white
people American nation. Black nationalism was using the banners of: "Black Power", "Black is
Beautiful" and inculcate the sense of proud into black people."
Of course black nationalism live to its more radical form by the figure of Malcolm X and his
Nation of Islam. Malcolm X encouraged African Americans to look their distinction in Islam.
What is more he called on them to fight with US culture and ideology and allowed the use of
violence.
Another obvious thing was the creation of film about Malcolm X. It was hard to imagine better
candidate for that undertaking then Spike Lee. In that time, in 1992 Lee was the most known
black filmmaker, who was politically engaged and courageously presented the problem of racial
conflicts in USA .
For the black audience that film was the object of proud, but many critics fund it biased and
dangerously balancing on the edge of racial hate . The picture confirmed the earlier existing opinion that, in his films, Lee evidently accompanies the views of the main leader of African
American liberation movement.
Everything started in 1989 when on the screens appeared Do The Right Thing.
In this film Lee presents one, extremely hot day in black sector of BrooklynBedford-Stuyvesant. Growing frustration of blacks resulted from overwhelming existence and
the feeling of inferiority, was vented in the act of aggression towards Italian emigrants. Squabble
between blacks and whites ended with one of the characters death and destroying of Italian
pizzeria. The eruption of violence in Spike Lee's picture is the consequence of social position of
blacks, their lack of belief in better future. Not accidentally emigrants fall victim to their
aggression. African Americans live in USA for many generations, and still are treated worse
than European or Asian emigrants. This bitterness is perfectly expressed by three street corner
philosophers in one of the scenes. One of them says: "Look at those Korean motherfuckers
across the street, a motherfuckin year and they already have a motherfuckin business in our
1/5
Black Nationaleesm
Wpisany przez mgr Aldona Witkowska
poniedziałek, 14 czerwca 2010 22:17
neighborhood, a good business…Neither them Korean motherfuckers are geniuses or you black
asses just playing dumb." Then the other answers: "Is got to be because we are black, ain't no
other explanation."
The anger which comes from powerlessness has to give vent. One of the ways is the violence,
which in Lee's is not only opposition towards social inequality, most of all is the manifestation of
distinction.
Lee in Do the Right Thing emphasizes the cultural differences between blacks and whites on
many ways. The distinct, possessing its own rules, language, hip-hop music, gesticulation, the
way of walking, characteristic way of dressing even jewelry presents the act of rebellion toward
white culture.
The slang is a symbol of solidarity and closed world of blacks. This is something that belongs
only to them and is inaccessible for white people. Even the names of the main characters like:
Buggin' Out, Radio Raheem, Mookie, Smiley are specific and show the exceptionality of black
people.
Spike Lee underlines this "exceptionalism" also by the characters appearance. Buggin' Out, the
most annoying character of the movie, wears yellow African kente shirt and Nike Air Jordan
shoes. His other attributes are: specific hairstyle, gold tooth and of course gold chain to
collection. His colleague Radio Raheem and him are connected not only by the same type of
shoes but also the same radical views. Distinct from Buggin', Raheem is enormously respected.
Unlike other characters he does not speak much, instead of mouth he uses jewelry and ghetto
blaster, from which come out the words of Public Enemy songs .
Lee chose the most politically radical race group in USA. In the 1990 Public Enemy's leaderChuck D accused the media and government of discrimination and creating negative image of
African Americans. In the same year the group got into FBI report about the influence of rap
music on national security. Public Enemy was regarded as dangerous group for the sake of its
radical political disposition .
It was not a coincident that Spike Lee chose that group and picked Fight the Power for the
movie theme song . Public enemy lyrics it is nothing else then the reflection of black community
feelings. They represent the black point of view. Public Enemy songs talk about the need of
rebellion against all forms of racism, personal freedom limitations and the media hypocrisy. This
is not all. The most important thing is that the group convinced black people that they have the
power. Thanks to it everybody can hear their anger . By The Lee's Do the Right Thing
everybody can see it and feel it. The whole movie is like a longer version of energetic rap clip
which expresses the tension and growing anger.
The most telling example of those feelings is the character of Buggin' Out. Even his way of
speaking and gesticulation is very aggressive. He is getting angry almost on everything like to
small amount of cheese on the slice. When the white neighbor destroys his symbol of cultural
identity, meaning his brand new, beautiful Nike shoes, Buggin' Out goes crazy. His anger
reaches the apogee when he realizes that on Sal's pizzeria "Wall of Fame" there is no African
Americans. He cannot understand the fact that black people spend much money in his pizzeria
2/5
Black Nationaleesm
Wpisany przez mgr Aldona Witkowska
poniedziałek, 14 czerwca 2010 22:17
and still Sal does not consider them as people deserving this honorable. That thought kept
nagging him and finally led to tragedy.
Black icons like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, whose pictures sells Smiley, and even
simple radio are very important elements of cultural model stressed by Bed-Stuy inhabitants.
The direct reason of the violence in the movie is the critic of it (Sal smashed Radio Raheem
boom box).
After Radio Raheems death Mookie, played by Lee, takes the garbage can and throws it
through pizzeria window. That scene can be read in two ways. We can think of Mookie as Sal
and his sons' savior. He directed the anger of the crowd toward place, not people. On the other
hand it can be received as rejection of Martin Luther King's nonviolence philosophy . After
pizzeria vandalize, Smiley puts the pictures of King and X on the "Wall of Fame"- the victory.
The symbol of white oppression is destroyed, "good master" Sal is devoid of his power.
At the end of the movie Lee presents two different ideologies- quotes of Malcolm X and Martin
Luther King. He makes the audience to understand that he is somewhere in the middle. Lee's
dilemma is included in the three street philosophers attitude. Two of them just seat on the
corner and make virulent commentaries, but the third one irritated by their complains finally
says: "I'm tired to hear all that excuses you always talking 'I'm going do this, do that', you ain't
going to do a god them thing."
The audience can watch Spike Lee's irritation in every element of his another movie,
Bamboozled. This film is an angry satire, in which Lee criticizes almost everything and
everyone, especially the entertainment industry, their methods of working and presenting black
people: "It’s the same bullshit. They bring us back, dress us up differently. Same old, same
old…", says Lee .
"The term bamboozled was used by Malcolm X to illustrate white corporate American
management. In one of the scenes, which presents the fragment of Lee's Malcom X, his voice is
clearly heard: 'You have been hoodwinked…bamboozled.' This film centers on the 'bamboozled
effect'."
The main character of Bamboozled is Pierre Delacroix, the only black writer in big television
studio. The characteristic feature of "Dela" is his fancy way of talking, sophisticated way of
walking and dressing. Earlier stories made by Delacroix did not succeeded, that is why he
decides to take a chance and invades controversial show- "Mantan-The New Millennium
Minstrel Show." He uses to it two homeless, street entertainers and his trusted assistant- Sloan.
In Bamboozled Lee refers to popular culture, both contently and visually. This film is like a
mosaic of many different elements by which Spike Lee satirizes the world of prejudices and
hypocrisy . He does not spare anyone. He jeers at white-blacks, black-whites and all kind of
media people, from fashion designers to Hollywood stars. The blade of his critic also reaches
black nationalists represented by the character of Sloan's brother- Julius and his rap groupMau Maus.
Lee introduces his character in the scene of meeting with his sister. The figure of Julius does
not leave any doubts- the way that he talks, looks and what he says is very obvious. He starts
3/5
Black Nationaleesm
Wpisany przez mgr Aldona Witkowska
poniedziałek, 14 czerwca 2010 22:17
the conversation with words: "My sister working hard for the man on plantation." When Sloan
calls him Julius he feels offended. Even though this name was given him by his parents, Julius
considers it as slave name and demands to call him- Big Black Africa. Of course, he remembers
to mention Muhammad Ali and Malcolm X.
All discussion about names refers to Malcolm X ideology. His real name was Little. The X letter,
that he was using instead of official name, symbolized the forgotten African names and their
stolen identity .
Julius very clearly underlines that- Big Black Africa it is not only a name, this is something that
describes him, "my own identity", he says. Unfortunately for Sloan the conversation goes on
and BBA just gets started. He tries to convince her to make a meeting between his rap group
and Sloan's employee- Delacroix. He talks about revolution, throws in words like: USA KKK, but
this all does not make any sense, it sounds like a gibberish and Sloan makes him aware of it
saying: "You are retarded". It is obvious that Julius uses qualifications which are nothing more
than common slogans. Finally he totally vanishes and calls his sister a "nigger house", after this
the conversation is over.
Lee does not stop ridicule black nationalism. In another scene he presents Mau Maus as group
of young black people spending time on, smoking, drinking large bottles of malt liquor and
stimulating their "blackness".
That characteristic large bottle of liquor( "Da Bomb") is like a symbol, symbol of perceiving
blacks as idlers and losers. Lee shows it also in the scene of commercial, which presents the
stereotypical images of blacks. The commercial is stylized on rap video, not without reason. Lee
in Bamboozled criticizes music industry, especially gangsta rap groups, which are considered
by him as 21st century minstrel show .
In Spike Lee view most of current rap and hip-hop groups maintain the stereotypes instead of
destroy them. He also noticed that there are only few figures who try to change that. One of
them in Lees opinion is rapper Mos Def, who plays the character of Julian .
Ironically by his figure Lee satirizes two groups: foolish and ignorant militant black activist and
gangsta rap subcultures . Lee shows them as people, who focus too much attention on being
black, emphasizing it by fancy names and signs on shirts. The problem is that they only talk a
lot and when they do something, it is something that make the situation worse. By opposing
stereotypes they strengthen them.
At the end of the movie Lee presents Mau Maus preparing to revolution, meaning kidnapping
and murdering one of the "Mantan" show stars. Another time we are witnessing theirs
thoughtlessness, which is illustrated by repetition of the expression: "You know what I mean."
Their prattle about "global blowout" becomes completed with the picture of black nationalism
symbol-black tighten fist.
Bamboozled is a typical Lee's work. He raises difficult subjects, makes controversies and does
not give the audience simple answers. Neither Do the Right Thing nor Bamboozled is about
4/5
Black Nationaleesm
Wpisany przez mgr Aldona Witkowska
poniedziałek, 14 czerwca 2010 22:17
good black people against evil whites . Of course he presents the "black" point of view, but
definitely he does not call to race hate, rather tries to open people's eyes, both black and white.
Spike Lee's movies make the audience think. He achieves that by controversial content,
interesting visual settings and meaningful music. In the case of Bamboozled on the attention
deserves song "Misrepresented people" by Stevie Wonder:
In 1492 you came upon these shores; Seven hundred years, educated by the moors;17th
Century- genocide and the gun; Middle Passage blessed to market the Africans; In the so called Land of God; My kind were treated hard; From back then until now; I see, and you agreeWe have been a misrepresented people…19th century- slavery destroyed; Soldiers who fought
and won; What's known as nigger- boys; 20th century-with freedom in my hand; We invent
ideas; Which helped us save a land...1969-Black power's at the door; 1982- Hop-hop was on
the floor; 1992-Gangsta crack prevailed;1999-Our colors filled the jails; From back then until
now, We see our destiny; To never be misrepresented people; No you must never be a
misrepresented people… By listening those words nobody is wondering if Lee is an "angry black man", people's thoughts
are going in completely different way.
mgr Aldona Witkowska
5/5