That I shot the shit with Spike Lee?
No?
Interesting story...
But first, let’s talk a little about Spike. Being a ‘white guy’ and an ‘eye-talian’ there are times I hate Spike. There are times I think Spike is a little bit of a dick. Thing is, we’re all a little bit of a dick whether or not we’ re black or white.
See being a dick transcends color.
However, even a dick is capable of art. And let me tell you this is art. When I see this it makes me want to cry. It makes me want to cry because it’s so true and it’s so beautiful. This is a short portion of Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing which captures a lot of New York before it became Disneyfied. However, I find it to be one of the most beautifully eloquent things I have ever seen on screen:
Roll that one over in your head for a second. Realize too, if we are going to be at peace with one and other we need to understand each other and live together. As much of a Conservative as I may be I grew up poor and I grew up with people of color and they are good fucking people. We can’t act like we are their saviors but rather we need to accept people as equals and there is a big difference. We need to relinquish the past and embrace each other.
Maybe to some people that sounds hollow but it’s not, there are people who have been really important to me and a big part of my life who have suffered. It isn't fair. Yet, it isn't fair either not to stop and really be frank about issues of race and prejudice in this country and how they effect all of us.
We can’t have that discussion at the moment but I hope fervently that one day we will.
Anyway, I was working somewhere where Spike was going to be coming in to do some photo research for a new movie he was working on. It starred Denzel Washington of all people and before he came in we were all told in the office we should remain quiet and mum in his presence. Even though he would be there we were to act as if he was invisible.
It really was a load of bullshit...
Anyway, at the time I was a Yankee fan (I’m sorry I have since seen the light and moved from the dark side to become a Mets fan). Spike came in and he had a Yankee cap on.
I was sitting on the complete opposite side of the room as Spike stood there between the doors of office where they were doing photo research and the copier room looking out with those big ocelot eyes. Spike is not a tall guy but those eyes, you can’t miss them.
Anyway, we had ‘half’ partitions around our desks. I luckily had my back to a window (which looked out on street level and provided a show all its own). I stood up at one point getting ready to pull something from the printer and saw Spike staring over at me with his cap perched atop his head.
He had on a Yankees cap.
Except, it was Cardinal Red.
Now, if you’re a Yankee fan you know there is only one color a Yankee cap should ever be and that’s the ‘royal’ blue that is the Yankee’s signature color.
And of course at the time being a Yankee fan I wasn’t about to let that go so I looked at Spike and plainly said, “And you call yourself a Yankee fan.”
Well, to say that everyone in the room was holding their breathe would be an understatement.
But we wound up talking about the Yankees even as I razzed Spike about the color of his cap.
In essence, he’s a good guy.
Look at that video though when you have the time and really roll it over in your mind because if you can grasp those concepts, there is still hope for the future.
No?
Interesting story...
But first, let’s talk a little about Spike. Being a ‘white guy’ and an ‘eye-talian’ there are times I hate Spike. There are times I think Spike is a little bit of a dick. Thing is, we’re all a little bit of a dick whether or not we’ re black or white.
See being a dick transcends color.
However, even a dick is capable of art. And let me tell you this is art. When I see this it makes me want to cry. It makes me want to cry because it’s so true and it’s so beautiful. This is a short portion of Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing which captures a lot of New York before it became Disneyfied. However, I find it to be one of the most beautifully eloquent things I have ever seen on screen:
Roll that one over in your head for a second. Realize too, if we are going to be at peace with one and other we need to understand each other and live together. As much of a Conservative as I may be I grew up poor and I grew up with people of color and they are good fucking people. We can’t act like we are their saviors but rather we need to accept people as equals and there is a big difference. We need to relinquish the past and embrace each other.
Maybe to some people that sounds hollow but it’s not, there are people who have been really important to me and a big part of my life who have suffered. It isn't fair. Yet, it isn't fair either not to stop and really be frank about issues of race and prejudice in this country and how they effect all of us.
We can’t have that discussion at the moment but I hope fervently that one day we will.
Anyway, I was working somewhere where Spike was going to be coming in to do some photo research for a new movie he was working on. It starred Denzel Washington of all people and before he came in we were all told in the office we should remain quiet and mum in his presence. Even though he would be there we were to act as if he was invisible.
It really was a load of bullshit...
Anyway, at the time I was a Yankee fan (I’m sorry I have since seen the light and moved from the dark side to become a Mets fan). Spike came in and he had a Yankee cap on.
I was sitting on the complete opposite side of the room as Spike stood there between the doors of office where they were doing photo research and the copier room looking out with those big ocelot eyes. Spike is not a tall guy but those eyes, you can’t miss them.
Anyway, we had ‘half’ partitions around our desks. I luckily had my back to a window (which looked out on street level and provided a show all its own). I stood up at one point getting ready to pull something from the printer and saw Spike staring over at me with his cap perched atop his head.
He had on a Yankees cap.
Except, it was Cardinal Red.
Now, if you’re a Yankee fan you know there is only one color a Yankee cap should ever be and that’s the ‘royal’ blue that is the Yankee’s signature color.
And of course at the time being a Yankee fan I wasn’t about to let that go so I looked at Spike and plainly said, “And you call yourself a Yankee fan.”
Well, to say that everyone in the room was holding their breathe would be an understatement.
But we wound up talking about the Yankees even as I razzed Spike about the color of his cap.
In essence, he’s a good guy.
Look at that video though when you have the time and really roll it over in your mind because if you can grasp those concepts, there is still hope for the future.
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