Do The Right Thing

Last week in UW Meany Hall, the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity invited Spike Lee as a guest speaker. If you do not know who Spike Lee is I strongly suggest his wikipedia entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spike_Lee). He is one of the first black African film director to make it to the Hollywood despite the adversity. His first hit, Do The Right Thing, depicted the social scene in the streets of Brooklyn in hot summer during the 80's. He used his mastery to intertwine the reality of racial tensions in NY to his film in an outstanding fashion. Another blockbuster of his was the Malcolm X which stared Danzel Washington. Spike Lee is a prominent figure in not just the film industry, but in our social climate. His documentaries and insight into political and social injustices illuminate audiences.



Contrary to what I thought would be the topic of the speech at the event in UW, the main theme he shared was the importance of the education. Spike Lee who has been a professor in NYU filming school past 15 years, talked to the audience as if he talked to his students. He suggests that his vast success was due to the fact that he pushed himself as a student in Morehouse College and NYU graduate school. He revealed to the audience that his turning point from a C average student to an A+ student was the critical point in his career. As a professor, on the first day of semester, he can tell which students are serious and which students are "bullshitting", and that the students who are serious always continue that success in their career. He strongly urged the students to pick the career/major that they want to pursue, not what our parents want them to pursue. It might be a hard decision to disagree with the parents since many of the students get educational support from them, but there is nothing more tragic than doing the work that you don't want to for the rest of your life. "You don't want to go to your job every morning. Not only that, your co-workers don't want to see your ass either." He lastly emphasized the importance of having the right friends in your environment which is critical to your success. Spike Lee pointed his finger to the audience telling us to cut the link between you and the losers. Contrary to our beliefs, many people that you claim as friends won't have your back when "the shit goes down". Many people want to be around us for their behalf and benefits. On this matter, he suggested us to listen to the song called the Smiling Faces, and he claimed that the lyrics are very true. He agrees that the parties are fun, but the world especially with the recession is no joke. He yelled, "Have you heard of the recession?" Although such things he pointed out about education is something that I have heard all my life from my parents and grandparents, hearing it from Spike Lee hit me in a different way. I am more than satisfied that I attended this event despite the fact that I had to cut down some hours of studying since there was a huge exam the day after. Speech such as this one is carried on back of your mind for a while.