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Do the Right Thing has clear racial themes. In this movie, Spike Lee displays both fictional racial tensions and alludes to real historical incidents and people. While it is presented in a comical and dramatic way, the movie spirals into a serious conversation and urges the audience to question the concept of race itself. What makes all of these characters so different? How do we define race and how does it change over time?

Do the Right Thing is both an expression of critical race theory and a marxist analysis of race. Before delving into these topics, they need to be defined. Critical race theory and marxism are both politically charged buzzwords that are frequently misunderstood. According to Education Week’s article “What is Critical Race Theory and Why is it Under Attack?” Critical race theory is a long-standing academic concept that race is socially constructed. Critical race theory seeks to understand history and current racial struggles through that lens. According to Britannica’s page on Marxism, Marxism is a theory developed by German philosopher Karl Marx. This theory claims that struggles are caused by financial inequality and advocates for a classless society. It is not communism; it is a complex compilation of theories and perspectives on financial inequality, dialectical materialism, class struggle, and imperialism. Communism is developed from this theory, but it’s important to recognize they are not the same thing. Marxism criticises capitalist and feudalist systems. Capitalism is the system that runs the modern-day economic world. It focuses on freedom of companies and consumers to make decisions within the free market. It also creates different social and financial classes. 

The article “How ‘Race’ Came into Being” from UC Berkeley News discusses how race became a concept due to financial pursuit and inequality. Although most societies have always had systems of hierarchy and inequality, we didn’t start seeing this on a global scale until European colonialism became widespread. It was a justification for slavery and imperialism. The entire concept of race was based on the idea that some people are lesser than others, or that some groups aren’t “human” at all to justify selfish and inhumane acts in the pursuit of financial gain. Do the Right Thing shows a variety of racial and ethnic groups, African American, American Italian, and Hispanic. Regardless of this racial difference and the dominance of African American characters in this neighborhood, all characters are portrayed in a similar way. They have similar perspectives, emotions, interests, and passions. Each racial group is struggling with the intense summer heat on the day of this movie, and the heat alludes to many other things. It references the ways in which racial tensions can boil over, and it also serves as a metaphor for capitalism and financial inequality. When people struggle with finances and hierarchical struggles, their desire to hate and dehumanize others increases. In other words: race, racism, and hatred is a direct product of struggle and greed.

There are several unifying concepts between the racial groups such as music, possessions, love, and hate (As Radio Rakheem’s brass knuckles tell us.) All characters display a love for music they connect to socially. Radio Rakheem consistently plays music from his boombox, often using it to speak for him. He also has a boombox battle with the Hispanic group in the neighborhood. This scene displays that, even when people argue over something, we are not as different as we think. They also have things they value, which represent something larger. The scene where the white biker moves into the neighborhood and runs his tire over Buggin’ Out’s shoes is part of a bigger picture. It is not just a shoe to this man, it is a symbol of his identity and pride. His shoe gets ruined by a white man invading his neighborhood. This scene speaks to how gentrification ruins an area’s uniqueness and value (that is not financial). Similarly, Charlie sees his car getting sprayed by the fire hydrant as an attack on his identity. These scenes connect two opposing sides and display how oppression, capitalism, and inequality affect everyone. 

The movie also frequently points to MLK and Malcom X through the means of Smiley. Everyone is familiar with these revolutionary leaders. However, less people are aware of the beliefs they actually stood up for. Martin Luther King Jr.’s beliefs have been particularly polished to exclude a lot of his anti-capitalist beliefs. However, he was an advocate that capitalism was a source of many other social struggles, and that true change will come from redistribution of power and wealth. The proceeding quotes are collected from Speak Out Socialists: 

 “The problems we are dealing with are not going to be solved until there is a radical redistribution of economic and political power.” (April 1967)

“There is something wrong with capitalism…The evils of capitalism are as real as the evils of militarism and racism.” (August 1967)

The true beliefs of Malcom X were a lot more well-known. He was frequently shamed or discredited in comparison to MLK because of his more radical perspectives. As for his anti-capitalism, Malcolm X was very open that he believed that racism and capitalism had a symbiotic relationship, and that these ideas uplifted each other. 

“Most of the countries that were colonial powers were capitalist countries and the last bulwark of capitalism today is America and it’s impossible for a white person today to believe in capitalism and not believe in racism. You can’t have capitalism without racism.” (January 1965)

“It is impossible for capitalism to survive, primarily because the system of capitalism needs some blood to suck… it’s more like a vulture and can only suck the blood of the helpless… You show me a capitalist and I’ll show you a bloodsucker.” (December 1964)

Spike Lee urges us to pay attention to Smiley, even when the other characters don’t. Smiley is frequently overlooked and ignored, and we are shown a very surface-level representation of this character. He represents how often we overlook social issues, and how the modern perspective on MLK and Malcom X have become very polished, inaccurate recollections of their beliefs.

Movies like this are incredibly important today because they make audiences think about race. What is it? How does it affect human behavior? How has race and racial perceptions changed since this movie was made? We don’t like to ask these uncomfortable questions and we don’t like to face the uncomfortable realities of race and racism. In the past 10 years, we have experienced rapid culture shifts: From the era of cancel culture and performative social justice, to a new age of conservatism and rampant antiintellectualism. Both are incredibly harmful as they shut down real, nuanced discussions of social justice. Do the Right Thing discusses these nuances openly, and doesn’t take away from the gritty reality of race and experiencing race in America. While critical race theory stands behind the idea that race is not “real” in a biological sense, it is still a social product that affects people’s lives.  

Works Cited

Chambre, Henri. “Marxism | Definition, History, Ideology, Examples, & Facts .” Britannica. Britannica, 1 May 2026. Web. 11 May 2026. 

“Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. – in Their Own Words.” Speak Out Socialists. 13 Sept. 2016. Web. 11 May 2026.

Moradi, Erfan. “How ‘Race’ Came into Being.” UC Berkeley News. 29 Sept. 2020. Web. 11 May 2026. 

Sawchuk, Stephen. “What Is Critical Race Theory, and Why Is It under Attack?” Education Week. Education Week, 6 Jan. 2026. Web. 11 May 2026.