ebolaisafraid As a proud White American I must say that this movie is a powerful structure that requires a tremendous amount of understanding for another culture while swallowing a little pride of my own.For those who think this movie is racist only proves that more movies like this one need to be made. You can't tell a race of people to just move forward if they are not sure where they come from. You can't just say, "Slavery is over! Now go out and be successful," without understanding the conditioning slavery left behind. Economically and internally. Not to mention when African Americans try to reconnect with their past they are constantly bombarded by some of the same Whites who at times, seem a little bit too concerned with keeping this connection at bay, as if it were a threat of some sort. Meanwhile our toddlers are at school learning about their distant past great leaders like Caesar. Thus, encouraging them to be great leaders. While the black toddlers are learning about slavery and their minor, more modern American accomplishments like the creation of peanut butter or the civil rights movement, making their steps of stride smaller, surviving from day to day, check to check, with hopes of purchasing an apartment or a car as a major accomplishment.Why are we afraid for African Americans to learn they're history? Is it because there were some Black leaders greater than Whites. Is it because most of our history might be tainted with a lot of lies and cover up? If we Whites really want to be Equal (and not just announce it all the time) then we will encourage more Blacks to become one with their distant past. And if it puts some of Europeans most powerful parts in history to the background then so what? We didn't have a problem when we where in the forefront, so why would it matter now if we're in the background? If we truly aren't racist, it shouldn't matter at all. One thing Hollywood and our school system shows us is that Europeans have done great things. But not all great things. And maybe, not even the greatest. But that in itself proposes a powerful question. What if Africans have done greater things, would we be willing to accept that? The truth is, we all know we won't. Does the psychological scar of racism really cuts that deep?

Nick Zbu You know, I want to like Lee. One of the great things about movies and literature is the ability to shock people. It's a childish impulse at heart, but great when you're deconstructing philosophies. In satirical cases, the childish impulse is justified by the purpose of the deconstruction. The need to expose the hypocrisy is much more than the jollies of the person doing the ripping.Unfortunately for Lee, satire requires a deft touch. Being too coy and the satire fails as a justification for the subject of the satire in the first place. Being too blunt and the satire comes off as preachy and self-serving. Lee and his work fall into the latter; he does not have the touch to do effective satire because he is too close to the subject matter. Lee has some valuable insight into matters of race (in that he never fails to remind us) and we take him at his word. Sadly, he is so bitterly one-sided that his preaching. Given his lust to bash all sides as a battle between him and THE WORLD, his movies often come off as diatribes that are disconnected from reality. The power of cinema is to put a person in a differing standpoint through prospective, and Lee doesn't grasp that. To him, it's a bigger stage for his ego and himself and we are 'fortunate' enough to pay only a meager fee to finance his house to hear this Great Oracle of the Nike Commercials speak his wisdom..which is about as intelligent as a thirteen-year old Goth girl talking about death and cutting herself.The racial politics behind Drop Squad are so pathetic--rich equals white and poor equals black--is that it makes a mockery out of Lee's MLK love. Lee never really grasps the idea of racism has a solid element of class-ism behind it. If you're black, you're poor yet humble. If you're white, you're rich and morally bankrupt. And if you're black and rich, then you're white and need to be knocked back down into being black. And with this, Lee's world of racism is complete according to this movie. And that idea is so self-hating and overly simplified that it defies logic. Are we watching an examination of race relations, or are we watching a poor little rich boy deal with his unresolved racial/class issues by endorsing the same idea of Crab Theory--see "The Corner" for more on this in a much more mature way then Lee could ever imagine or wants to--that tortured him as he was growing up? In fact, why doesn't Lee grow up and make movies a bit more textured instead of playing the game he was forced to as he was growing up? In short, Lee's "Do the Right Thing" was the alpha and omega of his career. He would never show the same maturity or grow above it ever again. In a sense, he sold out himself, and the world is lesser for it.

gurochuck I believe this film was made w/ its creators knowing that it would be shot down by various "types" of people who'll just simply refuse to look at it objectively. In my opinion, it is a "must see" for everyone aimed particularly at the Black bourgeois. I like the fact that not only does the DROP Squad address the problems of Blacks self-exploiting racial stereotypes for personal financial gain, it also questions the tactics that must be enacted to solve these problems. The aim of the DROP Squad is very provocative but I especially like the human aspect whereas the "Rocky" character debates w/ "XB" and "Garvey" on how to deal w/ the captive individuals to be "dropped." Rocky has a more diplomatic approach that seems to have been more effective back in earlier times around when the group was founded. Seemingly as time has passed and the situation has evolved to crazier proportions, XB and Garvey have resorted to more drastic tactics in order to "get their attention first." I believe what many people fail to realize is that this picture is asking the question "Which, if any, of these methods are more appropriate to addressing this problem?" The tone of the film gets "crazier" as time moves on and the problem gets worse, thus developing the drama where the Squad questions itself altogether. Whether you like this movie or not, you've got to admit that it serves its purpose and that's to "incite dialogue" and not racism.

Brendan3 What's the lesson the film makers are trying to get across? 1. If a black man tries to succeed, he is betraying his roots. 2. All white people are bumbling dunderheads with no sense of rhythm or street savvy. 3. All white people are racist whether they realize it or not.This is the most thick headed racist film I've ever seen and the only reason it hasn't been labelled as racist by the press is that it's anti-white and many people are afraid to label that racist. Racist is racist, whether anti-black or anti-white and films like this only encourage ignorance.