Do the Right Thing

Today’s keynote speaker was Spike Lee. He was invited to speak because his last project was a documentary about post Katrina New Orleans called, "When the Levees Broke." My Spike Lee memories are of Mars Blackmon and MJ commercials, Reggie Miller dropping 8 points in 11 seconds on the Knicksand giving Mr. Lee the choke sign, and the lovable pizza delivery guy in Do the Right Thing.

It was immediately obvious that he is not a public speaker. He speaks through film. But he did give a few great sound bites:

In reference to President Obama, “…even if you didn’t vote for him, you gotta give the man respect. Give him some applause. You might as well get with the program it’s gonna be 8 years!”

“Our values system has been turned upside down. When I was a kid, (Spike Lee is now 52) we looked up to three types of people, athletes, the guys who could talk with the ladies, and the smart guys. Now, if you speak a whole sentence without cussing or using incorrect grammar, you are a sell out. If you are a drop out on the corner smoking a blunt, drinking a forty with your pants hanging down past your ass and your hand on your privates, you’ve made it. How the hell did that become what it means to be black?”

“1865 (the year slavery became illegal in the US) wasn’t that long ago. I’m only 4 generations removed from slavery. But the greater crime in our country’s history is all the land grabbing that went on from the Native Americans. You wanna see some messed up stuff, go to a Native American concentration camp. Yeah, I didn’t say reservation…”

“Reality shows have poisoned the mind of young people by perpetuating the lie of the overnight success. If you want to be successful you have to bust your ass.”

“Parents kill more dreams than anybody. In their supposed infinite wisdom, they think they know best.”

In reference to the digital revolution and Youtube – “I think its great, everyone has a voice now, but unfortunately not everybody has something to say.”