Do The Right Thing

During his acceptance speech for winning an Oscar Sunday night, director Spike Lee said, “The 2020 presidential election is around the corner. Let’s all mobilize. Let’s all be on the right side of history. Make the moral choice between love versus hate.”

Mobilize? Be on the right side of history? Make the moral choice between love and hate? That’s a very uplifting message only a righteous douchebag could get upset over. So…Donald Trump got upset over it and sent out a 6:50 am hate tweet.

Trump tweeted, “Be nice if Spike Lee could read his notes, or better yet not have to use notes at all, when doing his racist hit on your President, who has done more for African Americans (Criminal Justice Reform, Lowest Unemployment numbers in History, Tax Cuts,etc.) than almost any other Pres!”

Firstly, how is what Spike Lee said in any way racist toward Trump or anyone else? It’s not like he said he hates Oompa Loompas and doesn’t want any to move into his neighborhood. Second, all the positive numbers for African-Americans since Trump came into office is a continuance of an upward trend started during Obama’s presidency. Trump is continuing his trend of taking credit for “my” president’s accomplishments. Third, if criticizing someone of a different race is racist, then Trump’s tweet was racist. And fourth, Trump’s going to criticize someone else’s reading skills? Seriously?

Lee capped off his statement with, “Do the right thing,” the title of his 1989 movie. Lee is right in that we need to do the right thing and end this nightmare of a president who strives to always do the wrong thing. This is a president who chooses hate over love. He uses hate to feed his base and maintain his dwindling support.

BlacKkKlansman spoiler in the next paragraph: Lee won his first competitive Oscar, for best adapted screenplay for his great movie BlackKklansman.  In the film set in the early 1970s, two of the characters debate whether this nation will ever elect a person like David Duke as president. One of the characters explains that Duke was working to make his hate and racist agenda mainstream. The film ends showing the hate march of neo-Nazis in Charlottesville which killed counter protester Heather Heyer. David Duke endorsed Donald Trump. Trump endorsed the Nazis march in Charlottesville. We elected a man like David Duke.

In 2020, we have to correct this. When we vote in 2020, you and I have to do the right thing.

Be Complicit

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