Cultural Analysis: White Men Can't Jump

In the 1992 comedy film White Men Can't Jump, Billy is a Caucasian male who goes to the inner-city basketball courts to con African-American men out of money by playing basketball. An African American, Sidney is the first to catch on to Billy's ruse. They strike up a deal to work together. Sidney quickly realizes that Billy has a betting problem and ironically cons Billy out of all his money. Billy's Puerto Rican girlfriend, Gloria, teaches him a valuable lesson when she leaves him due to his betting problem. There are many examples of stereotypes, racism, prejudices, and ethnocentrism throughout the film. Defining these terms and providing examples of each from the movie will help gather a better understanding of the culture. 

According to Samovar (2016), stereotypes are different from generalizations because they are not based solely on conjecture and because they invoke positive or negative emotions in others. The title of this movie is considered a stereotype in assuming that all white men are not able to dunk the basketball into the hoop. Another stereotype throughout the film is that Billy cannot play basketball well because he is white. This stereotype could bring about negative emotions in others with these inaccurate assumptions. Still, Billy used this to his advantage for financial gain. If Sidney had not stereotyped Billy as unable to play basketball, he would not have gotten conned out of money. This created destructive conflicts between Billy and Sidney because Sidney became vengeful. Billy stereotypes the African-American race as well. Billy says, "A white man wants to win first, look good second; a black man wants to look good first, win second." Puerto Rican women are typically stereotyped as small, loud, and crazy, so when Billy calls Gloria a "Psycho, Chiquita nut case," he confirms that stereotype. 

Racism, an extension of stereotypes and prejudices, is a belief in the superiority of a particular racial group over another. (Samovar, 2016). In correlation to stereotyping, the belief that white men are not as genetically endowed as black men to play basketball and dunk. This provides black men with a sense of superiority over white men in the sport of basketball. Sidney should not have made these assumptions and constructively asked Billy to play a game to evaluate his basketball skills better. In association with prejudice, when Billy makes a statement about how he is not allowed in Crenshaw because he is white, he is alluding to the fact that the people in Crenshaw are racist towards white people and do not want them there. 

Samovar (2016) states that prejudice is positive or negative deeply held feelings of a particular group. When Billy starts playing his Jimi Hendrix cassette, Sidney has a deep sense that Billy should not listen to Jimi because it is black music made for black people. Sidney tells Billy that he can listen to him, but he cannot really hear him, as in that Billy does not truly understand Jimi's music because he is not of the black race. Billy points out that Jimi may be black, but the rest of his band is white, so he can hear the music just fine. He switches the cassette to country music, which Sidney and Gloria do not like. Sidney could have started a conversation with Billy about why he liked Jimi's music while explaining the culture behind the music so that Billy could better understand it. After Sidney cons Billy out of his money, Gloria is on a mission to get their money back; Billy tells her that he cannot go to Crenshaw because they are discriminatory towards white people there. This gives the assumption that everyone who lives in Crenshaw is prejudiced towards the white race. 

Ethnocentrism is where you automatically assume that other cultures have the same standards and customs as your culture. Sidney's first interaction with Billy is making fun of his clothing and telling him he looks like a "chump." Billy's clothing was more drab and modest, whereas Sidney's was colorful and fitted. Billy even makes a negative comment about the value of Sidney's necklace. It was as if they assumed that others should dress the same as them. Sidney and Billy should have realized their cultural differences and learned that neither would wear the same garb. Billy should not have assumed that Sidney's necklace was expensive. He could have asked him if it were real. Sidney's wife, Rhonda, and Gloria are conversing in the kitchen of Rhonda's apartment. Rhonda tells her that she wants out of her apartment, almost accusingly, like Gloria and Billy probably live in a safer, more excellent place than she and Sidney. This is not the case; Gloria and Billy have been hopping between scuzzy motels because of Billy's betting

issues. 

Being mindful of the year and place where this film was made will give a better insight into how we developed or regressed as a culture. For instance, at the time of this movie, the only famous white basketball player was Larry Bird. Still, now there are many more white male basketball players. Understanding these terms will assist in being able to relate and communicate better with those of different cultures. If Sidney and Billy had just taken the time to communicate in any other way than insulting each other, they would not have been able to con each other or create a better relationship financially. It also would not have made this a comedy film if they had just been able to put aside their cultural differences and communicate properly. There were so many cocultures to all these characters that were portrayed with elements of stereotypes, racism, prejudice, and ethnocentrism. When Billy finally places a significant bet with Sidney that he can dunk in the basketball game, Sidney says, "Billy, listen to me. White men can't jump."

References

Samovar, L. A., Porter, R. E., & McDaniel, E. R. (2016). Communication Between Cultures (9th ed.). Cengage Limited.