What The F*ck Don’t They Understand About Staying at Home?

In a time of crisis, logic often secedes into emotion and chaos. While this secession is completely and understandably normal, it can lead to actions that would not otherwise be taken.

As many of my regular readers know, I live in New York City. Anyone who does not have their head in the sand is aware that NYC is one of the Covid-19 hot spots in the United States. Since March, those of us who live in the city have heard the same three words countless time: stay at home.

Unfortunately, there are some fools who are putting their lives and the lives of others at risk. Over the last few days, there were three incidents in which I have to question if the participants truly understand what we are going through.

• Incident #1: In Bedford-Stuyvesant, a Yeshiva (religious school for Orthodox and Ultra-Orthodox Jews) was still open in spite of the order from the city to close all schools. Neighbors contacted the local police precinct when they saw students and teachers exiting the building. I am all for education and religious instruction (especially from my coreligionists), but would it hurt to use a little common sense?
• Incident #2: A party in Canarsie was broken up by police. After two months of staying home nearly 24/7, I am more than eager to see another set of four walls and my friends. However, there is a little thing going around called Covid-19. This virus attacks and kills its hosts indiscriminately. That last thing I would ever want on my conscious is knowing that I may have been the one to give Covid-19 to someone else.
• Incident #3: The weather this past Saturday was perfect. Last year at this time, I would have gone out for a drink without question. But not this year. According to news reports, several bars on the Upper West Side had a full house. Some patrons hung out on the sidewalk, unable to find seats inside. I am all for meeting my friends at a bar to relax after a long week, but not with the threat of Covid-19 hanging above us.

What the f*ck don’t they understand about staying at home?

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Flashback Friday-Do The Right Thing (1989)

Film sometimes has a way of illuminating the best and worst in society.

Spike Lee’s classic 1989 film Do The Right Thing takes place on a simmering summer day in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bedford-Stuyvesant.

25 years before the start of the film, Sal (Danny Aiello) opened his pizza parlor. He is not shy about his heritage.

But the neighborhood around him has changed. His son, Pino (John Turturro) would prefer if the pizza parlor was located in another neighborhood a little closer to home. What once was an Italian-American community has changed, with many of the residents being African-American or Latino.

When one of the customers, Buggin’ Out (Giancarlo Esposito) requests a minor change to the pizzeria decor to reflect the area residents, what starts as a simple requests spirals out into violence and naked prejudice.

I am not normally a Spike Lee fan. But, I am a native New Yorker and I appreciate the honesty that Lee brings to the film as both director and screenwriter. It’s not easy to create a film that not only entertains, but also forces the audience to take a hard look at an issue that many of us would prefer not to face.

The film also reflects a change in not just Bed-Stuy (shortened from Bedford-Stuyvesant), but in all of New York City.

Do I recommend it? Yes.