Stereotypes have a great deal to do with our culture. Stereotypes are taken from our own personal experiences and applied to an entire broad group of people. John explains that black people are better at dancing because “it’s our music.” It is his music because he grew up around it, not because it is in his blood. Growing up around a certain type of music influences your ethnicity and culture within a certain group. The reason the stereotype of the sixties was that black people dance better was because they grew up around it. Of course, they are going to be more educated in the rhythms and how you dance to the music. It could be that that group gravitates toward that type of music because the rhythms are similar to those in Africa. In many cultures, ancestry is a big part of a person’s identity. An education in one’s ancestry often includes learning the history and music of where you are from. It is a broad statement, but that could be the case. The black children may have been exposed to that kind of music for longer because it is what their families played, and white children may have not been exposed to that kind of music until peers introduced it to them. If two people were exposed to the same music for the same amount of time, they would dance with the same amount of skill and rhythm. The black people in the movie identify with the music more because they have been socialized to see that type of music as who they are, their heritage. It has more of an identifying pride aspect than what is in your blood, and why should a person not be proud of how they were raised or where their family comes from? aardvark123
In this scene in Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner, Dr. Prentice and Mr. Drayton are stereotyping white and black people. Mr. Drayton is saying that white people have no rhythm and can’t dance on television while black people can dance very well. Dr. Prentice says it’s because black people made those rhythms and can therefore perform those dances. Though that is true, that explanation is not completely correct. The reason why a subculture can perform certain dances very well is because it is apart of their culture. By growing up around it and taking part in traditional dances, it becomes very easy for them. One can also learn the same dances from a different cultural group by interacting with that specific culture regularly. It just takes time and practice. I think it is similar to when a person experiences culture shock. A traveler must adjust to another country’s culture by interacting with that culture on a day to day bases. We have to learn and adjust while experiencing it all. Mr. Drayton also mentions in the scene that his sports editor said that colored people will never be able to play baseball. Baseball at that time was seen as a white man’s sport. It was not that colored people were not able to play baseball, it was because they were not allowed to and did not have access to it. It is similar to how we view basketball today. Sometimes people say that white people can not play basketball. Though we may see a lot of black people playing basketball, it is because they had more access to it growing up. Like we said in class, we often don’t see a lot of black people in hockey. It all relates to how we grew up and what our culture was like. Often times, in low income neighborhoods, you often see kids playing basketball because it only requires a hoop, a ball, and concrete. In low-income neighborhoods, there is often more black people. Other sports, for example golf, requires a lot of expensive equipment and a special location. Typically, high income cultures play golf, which normally contain white people. I think it sad that these associations can be found in our culture. I don’t think having the access to play certain sports should be based on money. Check123
This clip starts off with Mr. Drayton telling John that he thinks colored kids can dance better that white kids. In this era dancing was extremely popular and it seemed that everywhere you looked someone was dancing. John countered back saying that African Americans brought dancing to America. In this clip, there are a lot of stereotypes going on between the blacks and the whites. They just simply aren’t true. I think that if someone wants to dance, it does not matter what their race is, they can learn to dance. Anything can be taught, but some may pick it up better than others. Or some people may be able to find the rhythm easier than other people, but if you truly want to learn how to do something and you spend time practicing it anyone can learn anything. That goes for sports too, basketball for example. Many people think that just because your black it automatically means you practically a pro at basketball. Or, just because your white there is no way you can shoot some hoops. But that is a generalized stereotype between the races. It makes me wonder if white people just aren’t interested in playing the sport because they think it is a black dominant sport. I just did a quick statistical research on the racial differences from 2015 in the NBA and found that 23.3% are white, 1.8% are Latino, and 0.2% are Asian, and the rest of the players are African American. I think that organizations that are heavily populated with a specific race try to get differing races to participate so that they look more diverse. I believe they call this the diversity quota, and many organizations on college campuses have this. People are trying not to be racist by creating these rules and regulations, but is it really being openly divers if it’s in the handbook that you have to have certain percentages of differing races? sunflower123
In the film, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner", we see all kinds of stereotyping. In this particular seen we see the stereotyping of white people and black people and their ability to dance and play sports. Matt argues that the colored kids are better than the white kids. John agrees with Matt but argues that the music that they are dancing to is their own blood. They have been born into what they are doing and that is why they are so good at it, not because colored people have any kind of biological advantage. I do somewhat agree with John and Matt but there is more to it. The people that are born into something like dancing or playing a certain sport are definitely going to be better than anyone who starts doing the same activity later in life. This does not mean that white people cannot be as good as the colored people at some point. People are always taught to do things, there are not people who just know how to do something at birth. I agree that colored folks may be better at something that white folks but that is not concrete, it is not the same all across the board. Everyone has the same potential to be good at anything. This just requires time dedicated to the activity you are doing. Some of these kids grow up only playing basketball, sometimes ten hours a day. Anyone who plays basketball ten hours a day is going to be pretty good at the sport. Everyone has their own niche. People are going to do what they enjoy and what makes them happy. You should never not allow yourself to do an activity because you have a disadvantage because you really don't have any disadvantage. You have just as much potential as the person next to you. Scuba123
This entire movie is made up of different stereotypes until the very end. The movie was made and based off of an entire stereotype to begin with. If a white man and a black woman should get married. They should not to everyone in the movie because of the different stereotype's created for each of the characters skin color. However this one in particular is based on dancing. It is between a white man and a black man talking about an African American's ability to dance compares to a white man's ability to dance. I do not think skin color decides if you have the ability to dance or not. I do think it allows for some people to be good at some dance and bad at others. We see it all the time on social media today. Where everyone will make fun of white people for doing a dance that they should not be doing just because their skin color. I see that as something that could be classified as racist. I do not think it is as mean as other things that we classify with racism, but it is racism non the less. You can learn to do almost anything in your lifetime. I believe that someone can learn to dance no matter what the dance is. If you take the time to learn it and rehearse it I believe that anyone would be able to perform the dance. I do not believe you are born and are just amazing at everything. No one is born to play a certain sport, to cook very well, or to be able to perform gymnastics in the olympics. All of those skills are taught, repeated, and most importantly practiced. From birth we do not come out knowing how to walk and talk. We watch our mothers and our fathers. We repeat what they tell us to repeat and we follow in their steps. Litv123
In the film, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner", there are stereotypes throughout the entire film. There are stereotypes having to do with race, gender, and ageism. Stereotypes are all over the place with African Americans versus Caucasians, genders, Asians, age groups, and many more. Honestly, I grew up with people who said that white people cannot dance and that African Americans are better at basketball than white people. Since I heard it so often when I was growing up and even more, I was led to believe it. When I heard John talking about it in the movie and when we discussed it in class, it was really eye-opening for me. A person of a specific race is not born with more ability to play a specific sport or be academically smarter than any other race. Everyone is taught these skills by friends, coaches, family members, and so forth. We are even taught how to eat. People get better at sports and school by practicing. I liked the example that we discussed in class. A poorer family is not going to be able to afford a baseball bat, a glove, and everything required to play baseball. However, basketball is a lot cheaper to play. Therefore, the poorer family will play basketball and practice that sport much more making them more talented and skilled at it. It is crazy to think about how many stereotypes are still present in today's society. These stereotypes have not progressed very much since the producing of this movie in the 1960s, but we have a little bit. It is not frowned upon in our society to marry between different races anymore, for example. I wonder if some caucasians do not play basketball because they feel as if American Americans are better at it so they do not even try and vice-versa for baseball. That would be really sad, but I am sure it happens in our society. It is a problem that truly needs to be fixed. People need to be aware of what they say. -softball_savvy123
I never thought about dancing in this way but the same goes for Spanish music. People say that white people just can’t move their hips like Spanish people because they are white and this just isn’t true because if you ever listen to Spanish music there is this same beat over and over again called reggaeton. It’s in every Spanish pop song and I know that sounds crazy but it is true with that being said because they are used to hearing reggaeton and they know how to move to the music because that is pretty much all they have ever listened to. Now I definitely can’t dance I can’t do the line dances or the Watusi or the sway my hips to reggaeton but I can listen to songs and be able to sing harmonies because of my background. I grew up going to church every Sunday and we sang a lot people will often quip that all of the people that go to my church are good singers but I think again it is a matter of perspective. The church setting is very traditional so as a child I couldn’t play with my toys and make a lot of noise in church so I would often sing along with my mother this taught me about melodies and harmonies on top of that all of the singing at this church is acapella. Ever since I was a kid we would spend the weeks leading up to them practicing for Easter and Christmas programs because there was no piano or organ to drown out the sound of our voices. I think that all of this may be why singing “came naturally” to me later in life. I don’t think it was really a natural talent I think it was about the kind of exposure I had as a child. I think in the end talents are another thing that we don’t necessarily “own” a lot of the things we are good at. -Glass123
Bogus. It is bogus to assume that one culture or race is better than another for any reasons. The skills a person develops are achieved. There is no ascription of dancing paired with race or culture. In grade school we had to do the square dance, because it is Illinois’ state dance. I can tell you, most of us were white with similar cultures but some of us were FAR better than others. There were kids who had absolutely no rhythm whatsoever. There were also kids who looked like they’d been promenading their whole lives. The same trends continued in high school. My high school had a bit more diversity. There were lots of people who danced in ways you might not expect to see in one culture. Even when it came to slow dancing, there were people both black and white that were either really bad or really good at following the music. When it came to songs that were more poppin’, there were black and white kids break dancing. There were also black and white kids who decided not to embarrass themselves with their poor dance skills so they stayed on the sidelines. One example of how the media even shows that people of many different cultures can learn to be good at different dances from other culture is Dancing with the Stars. This shows has all sorts of people try new dances, and most of the time they all do incredibly. I think some people may be better at dances that originated in their own cultures because they grow up with it more and see it more. They have more time to observe and try out these dances than people who aren’t exposed until they are older and first trying it out. It is all about what you have experienced, and it might have a little to do with coordination. -M&M123
In this scene Matt Drayton asks Dr. John Prentice if black kids have a special sense of rhythm when compared to white kids. This is a stereotype that Matt is making. John answers that black kids can’t dance better in general. They only can dance better to this music because it is their music and their dances. Meaning that it is music and dances from their culture. So black people are more accustomed to hearing it making it easier to dance to it. It is not in their blood alone to be able to dance better. When you hear a song throughout your life as time goes by it becomes second nature to know the song and be able to dance to it. If you are hearing it for the first time the dancing may not be as fluid to you. It is like what we talked about in class. Black people aren’t naturally better at basketball than white people are. They just have more access to playing it. Other sports acquire money for equipment needed to play. Take baseball for instance, you need a ball, a bat, a glove, and a place to play. Same with other sports, there is equipment needed to play the sport. Basketball on the other hand is a relatively cheap sport to play. For a group of people to play all that is needed is a basketball and a hoop. Since it is cheap it is a game that is played a lot. When you play a game a lot you usually get pretty good at it. This is kind of the same scenario. The dancing and the playing of basketball repetitively over and over again, they get better at it. It is not a natural ability to be able to play better. It is just like they say, practice makes perfect. Diver123
In this scene we find Mr. Matt Drayton and Dr. John Prentice discussing about the style of dancing between the black and white people. Mr. Matt Drayton says that the colored kids dance better, and have more rhythm than the white kids. Well, the color of your skin doesn't give you talent for dance or for anything for that matter. It is the culture that you are brought up in. Just like Dr. John Prentice said, "It is our dancing, and it is our music. We brought it here." They are the ones who already knew how to dance to that music, so naturally the other kids would not know how to dance, because they have never danced to it before. They didn't grow up with that particular style of dance. The same concept applies to sports. Like when Mr. Drayton mentioned that his sports coach told him that "negroes couldn't play baseball." Again, what evidence can they show that that is the case? Just because I am of Hispanic origin doesn't mean that I am an expert at soccer. Even if it is my culture, not everyone is brought up the same way. The same applies to the examples of stereotypes that were mentioned in this scene. Skin color and culture are two very different things. People often confuse the two just like Mr. Drayton did, or maybe they are just ignorant. We should learn not stereotype people because of their skin. Ask and observe before you make assumptions like those. panda123
Stereotypes exist in all aspect of our culture. This movie was a prime example of that, the scene where the doctor and joey's dad were sitting on the back patio discussing why African Americans are better at dancing than the Caucasian people. John explained why that is by stating he grew up around that type of dancing and music. He also states you can learn it but we made it up, so of course if someone makes up a dance they are going to know it better than you will trying to learn it. I feel as if though society fails to realize that. If we see something failing at an activity due to lack of knowledge we automatically assume they “ look a mess, they don't have rhythm , they are trying to be black”. These are just some examples but like i just stated when Caucasian tries to dance to African american culture they are seen as trying to be black. Which is wrong , it's like people in today's society aren't allowed to do anything outside of the race or ethnicity without being judge by other people of different races and ethnicity. People aren't trying to be of a certain race it is there ethnic background and where they grew up. For example we took yesterday for the blog post stated that i prefer darker skin toned people over lighter skin tone people but it's not because i'm racist because i'm not it was where i was raised and how i came up in the world. So back to what john said his culture made up the dance and others are trying to learn it but they won't be as good s the people who made up the dance. Dancer123
I'm no stranger to what some might refer to as the cinematic masterpiece of the twentieth century, "White Men Can't Jump". However, there is only a small bit of truth to the actual statement "white man can't jump". In fact, stereotype after stereotype has been built up regarding the common misconception that black people are better athletes than white people, or white people get better jobs than black people. These and more are all very common misconceptions in modern society that lead to the development of stereotypes, not to mention the many already pre-existing stereotypes. People are too quick to assume and base their judgement off stereotypes they've learned growing up, seen on television, or just heard in the hallways at school. It takes a real human being to go out into the world and experience the many interactions from person to person, brain to brain. Only then will they truly understand that stereotypes are actually the living, breathing personification of hate and scapegoatism made to cover up feelings of prejudice and will ill. Besides the best learning takes place face to face, not in some online chat room where a white man can belittle a black man due to some street corner stereotype he heard at two in the morning in downtown Atlanta.-MrG123
This clip is from the film we recently watched, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. In this excerpt, we can see Mr. Drayton and Dr. Prentice arguing about stereotypes specifically black people being better dancers than white people. Drayton states that black people simply have more rhythm than white people and that white people cannot dance like black people because they are a different race than the other. We find stereotypes like these in our everyday life and they are false. We cannot conclude that one that one race is better or worse at something than any other race. My family used to make a joke to me that I was destined to be a bad driver because I am a woman and I am asian. While it was funny at the time - and still is - it is a stereotype and is false. There are explanations for almost every stereotype. Stereotypes are deeply rooted in culture and the way certain groups of people are brought up. For example, it is a common stereotype that black people are better at basketball and football than other races. This can be explained because it is common for black people to have to play those sports because they are cheaper than other sports. For example, horseback riding, lacrosse, golf and tennis are sports that are more expensive to play and practice so more well-to-do families will play those sports. I do not think that just because of this pattern that you can think that someone will be better a specific sport or whatever. I don't think you should group those people up into those stereotypes because it's all just bogus. SAS123
Stereotypes are attached to most groups in American society. In this scene in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," Matt Drayton is talking to John Prentice about how he think black children can dance better than white children. This is a common stereotype that is still around in our culture today. John Prentice explains that the black children aren't necessarily better at dancing or have innate rhythm. It is their culture's music that everyone is listening to and dancing too. They have grown up dancing these dances to their music, which means that they seem to have a knack for dancing. Society is so quick to think that certain qualities and traits are attached to a specific race, when the truth is these traits are created because of their culture and ethnicity. It is stereotypical to think that white children can't dance as well. White Americans came from many different European cultures that grew up dancing to different genres of music. As American culture changes, so does the music and dancing. All one has to do is take the time to acquire better dancing skills, it has absolutely nothing to do with the color of your skin. These stereotypes, and many other similar ones can be seen in everyday life in today's society. As humans, we are so quick to judge one another based on the stereotypes ingrained in us from day to day interactions. One must be able to take a deeper look at stereotypes to see that there is usually some type of cultural reasoning behind it. Daisy123
In the movie clip, the black man is talking about how people only really naturally know how to dance like their own race. He was trying to explain that their own dance isn’t a characteristic of only black people, but something that is learned in the culture. He is implying that other races could learn the dance just the same. I think that a lot of black artists are becoming more popular today and it shows in the way that I’ve seen people dance. This is because people who are familiar with the black culture that shows through the music know how to dance to it more naturally and they stand out. The white man then says that people never thought there would be black baseball players, but that did not turn out to be true. In fact, some of the best baseball players of all time are black. I think this proved that anyone can learn how to do anything. We are all built the same. The label that is put on people of specific races is made up by society and has nothing to do with the way people choose to spend their time. The whole concept they are speaking of in the beginning of the video is that certain people experience difficulties adjusting when they are of a certain race. When they discuss the problems that their children might have growing up with black and white parents and being of a mixed race, they assume it will be difficult. But, like the white men learning how to do a black man’s dance and the black man learning to play baseball, the children can learn how to fit in society and thrive no matter what their race. Joey even thinks that her children are going to be the presidents of the United States, which is a very confident attitude. -Kiwi123
Stereotyping is something that happens within every social class of every culture. People have become so accustomed to assuming something of someone else before even knowing what type of truth it may or may not have that it’s blindly done daily. In my opinion stereotyping and discrimination goes hand in hand which can wreak havoc on an individual being discriminated against and I know firsthand that there may not always be good outcome and that it only perpetuates the situation. In the clip, Mr. Drayton is discussing why the Africans are better dancers than other people. This is a stigma that has been carried on for quite some time now. Some people say other cultures have no rhythm but even within the black culture there are people who do not dance as well as other people in the same group. That just goes to show that it is not necessarily that a person can dance better due to it being in our DNA but that it is a learned quality that anyone can obtain via hard work, time, and patience. It is unfair to everyone in a cultural class that is grouped with everyone else within the group stating that because one person did something that speaks of the actions of all the other people associated with that group regardless of it being a negative or a positive action. Stereotyping will continue in our communities and will only get better through education. We must hold one another responsible even if someone is unintentionally stereotyping someone when we hear it, we need to speak on so that the person will be more aware the next time they assume something about someone without having the proper information needed in order to give an educated answer and not make a fool of themselves. Benoodles123
This is an extremely interesting clip from the film we just watched, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. In this part of the movie, two of the main characters (Dr. Prentice and Mr. Drayton) begin debating as to why it is that African Americans seem to be much better at dancing than Caucasian Americans. Dr. Prentice points to the fact that it is simply the fact that black people posses more rhythm than white people and, because of this fact on top of the notion that the music they are dancing to is stolen from their culture, African Americans have a born tendency to be better at dancing to this music. While it might be true at the time that there was a general pattern of black people being better dancers than white people, this may have been because it was valued more in African American culture than it was in any other culture at the time. If something is valued in one’s culture, they are going to spend more time on that one thing (in this case, dancing.) Mr. Drayton then leads into the question of if Dr. Prentice has considered the serious problems Dr. Prentice’s children will have. Dr. Prentice’s answer is that he has thought about it and believes that times are getting better, therefore it will not be so terrible for his children. A line that struck me was Mr. Drayton’s comment about how things are not changing anywhere else as fast as they are in his own backyard. This shows the irony of Mr. Drayton’s character: on one hand, Mr. Drayton is a hardcore liberal who has spent much of his life fighting for equal rights regardless of ethnicity or race. On the other hand, it is his own daughter who wants to take this drastic step towards equality. -ThreeTwo123
According the textbook, "prejudice is part of the culture in which we all live and learn. There has been more evidence found that prejudice is rooted in culture is the fact that minorities express the same attitudes as white people toward categories other than their own. Such patterns suggest that individuals hold prejudices because we live in a "culture of prejudice" that has taught us all to view certain categories of people as "better" or "worse" than others". I personally feel that we all can dance just to our own beat. This clip showed how both Mr. Dayton and John point of views was due to not only stereotyping but prejudice views as well. You mentioned that African Americans have a born tendency to be better at dancing to this music. I feel that everyone can dance to anything if learned. Rendezvous123
Stereotype is a simplified description applied to every person in some category. Within in the clip of the film, Mr. Dayton and John has a conversation about the difference between black and white Americans dancing and playing sports. Mr. Dayton explains how he see the black people on TV dancing all the time. That his own people cannot dance, but the black people can. John had to explained to him that it’s because of black people that we have music. That black people is the music. Mr. Dayton was always told that black people would never play in the major league. This is based on how society looks at individuals within their social class. John broke all the stereotypes of a black man. John was educated, very well mannered, he was even willing to marry someone out of his racial class. But John showed Mr. Dayton respect to him by stating that if he didn’t have his blessing he would not marry his daughter. John was going strong from morals and cultural values. John felt it was traditional to not marry the women if they family doesn’t agree with it. That was a sign of honesty and courage for his culture and religion. Even though society sees things one way there is always a possibility of change. Now that’s the beauty of sociology. According to the textbook pg. 357, “when applying to Thomas theorem, we understand how stereotypes can become real to people who believe then and sometimes even to those who are victimized by them. Prejudice on the part of white people toward people of color does not produce innate inferiority, but it can produce social inferiority, pushing minorities into low-paying jobs, inferior schools, and racially segregated housing. Then, as white people interpret that social disadvantages as evidence that minorities do not measure up, they unleash a new round of prejudice and discrimination, giving rise to a vicious circle in which each perpetuates the other.” Rendezvous123
In this scene, Matt and John are discussing whether white people can be as good at dancing as black people. John seems to think that since the music was brought by them from Africa nobody can do it better than the people from Africa. John says “you can do the watusi, but we are the watusi if you know what I mean.” Matt mentions that baseball was an american sport but african americans have become just as good as white people at it. I have to agree with Matt on this one. Just because you were not born into a culture where dancing was common, does not mean that you can not learn to dance just as good or even better than an African if taught and practiced. I have noticed that most Africans tend to be really good dancers, but I have seen a white person out dance a black person. This leads to a comforting fact about life in general. Just because you were raised in a certain culture does not mean you can not branch out to learn other cultures as well and thrive in them. A biracial child would have the culture of both black and white people. Matt worries about the problems it could cause for John and Joanna’s children. However I think the positive results are what they should be focusing on. Biracial people have a unique advantage of being able to experience two races first hand as part of their culture. Like we discussed in class, this allows a person to hold much less implicit bias than someone who was raised with only one race in their cultural background. Lack of bias is exactly what is crucial to eliminating racism in the 1960s and it is still crucial as we continue to try to eliminate it today. -Chameleon123
Stereotypes have a great deal to do with our culture. Stereotypes are taken from our own personal experiences and applied to an entire broad group of people. John explains that black people are better at dancing because “it’s our music.” It is his music because he grew up around it, not because it is in his blood. Growing up around a certain type of music influences your ethnicity and culture within a certain group. The reason the stereotype of the sixties was that black people dance better was because they grew up around it. Of course, they are going to be more educated in the rhythms and how you dance to the music. It could be that that group gravitates toward that type of music because the rhythms are similar to those in Africa. In many cultures, ancestry is a big part of a person’s identity. An education in one’s ancestry often includes learning the history and music of where you are from. It is a broad statement, but that could be the case. The black children may have been exposed to that kind of music for longer because it is what their families played, and white children may have not been exposed to that kind of music until peers introduced it to them. If two people were exposed to the same music for the same amount of time, they would dance with the same amount of skill and rhythm. The black people in the movie identify with the music more because they have been socialized to see that type of music as who they are, their heritage. It has more of an identifying pride aspect than what is in your blood, and why should a person not be proud of how they were raised or where their family comes from? aardvark123
ReplyDeleteIn this scene in Guess Who’s Coming To Dinner, Dr. Prentice and Mr. Drayton are stereotyping white and black people. Mr. Drayton is saying that white people have no rhythm and can’t dance on television while black people can dance very well. Dr. Prentice says it’s because black people made those rhythms and can therefore perform those dances. Though that is true, that explanation is not completely correct. The reason why a subculture can perform certain dances very well is because it is apart of their culture. By growing up around it and taking part in traditional dances, it becomes very easy for them. One can also learn the same dances from a different cultural group by interacting with that specific culture regularly. It just takes time and practice. I think it is similar to when a person experiences culture shock. A traveler must adjust to another country’s culture by interacting with that culture on a day to day bases. We have to learn and adjust while experiencing it all. Mr. Drayton also mentions in the scene that his sports editor said that colored people will never be able to play baseball. Baseball at that time was seen as a white man’s sport. It was not that colored people were not able to play baseball, it was because they were not allowed to and did not have access to it. It is similar to how we view basketball today. Sometimes people say that white people can not play basketball. Though we may see a lot of black people playing basketball, it is because they had more access to it growing up. Like we said in class, we often don’t see a lot of black people in hockey. It all relates to how we grew up and what our culture was like. Often times, in low income neighborhoods, you often see kids playing basketball because it only requires a hoop, a ball, and concrete. In low-income neighborhoods, there is often more black people. Other sports, for example golf, requires a lot of expensive equipment and a special location. Typically, high income cultures play golf, which normally contain white people. I think it sad that these associations can be found in our culture. I don’t think having the access to play certain sports should be based on money. Check123
ReplyDeleteThis clip starts off with Mr. Drayton telling John that he thinks colored kids can dance better that white kids. In this era dancing was extremely popular and it seemed that everywhere you looked someone was dancing. John countered back saying that African Americans brought dancing to America. In this clip, there are a lot of stereotypes going on between the blacks and the whites. They just simply aren’t true. I think that if someone wants to dance, it does not matter what their race is, they can learn to dance. Anything can be taught, but some may pick it up better than others. Or some people may be able to find the rhythm easier than other people, but if you truly want to learn how to do something and you spend time practicing it anyone can learn anything. That goes for sports too, basketball for example. Many people think that just because your black it automatically means you practically a pro at basketball. Or, just because your white there is no way you can shoot some hoops. But that is a generalized stereotype between the races. It makes me wonder if white people just aren’t interested in playing the sport because they think it is a black dominant sport. I just did a quick statistical research on the racial differences from 2015 in the NBA and found that 23.3% are white, 1.8% are Latino, and 0.2% are Asian, and the rest of the players are African American. I think that organizations that are heavily populated with a specific race try to get differing races to participate so that they look more diverse. I believe they call this the diversity quota, and many organizations on college campuses have this. People are trying not to be racist by creating these rules and regulations, but is it really being openly divers if it’s in the handbook that you have to have certain percentages of differing races?
ReplyDeletesunflower123
In the film, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner", we see all kinds of stereotyping. In this particular seen we see the stereotyping of white people and black people and their ability to dance and play sports. Matt argues that the colored kids are better than the white kids. John agrees with Matt but argues that the music that they are dancing to is their own blood. They have been born into what they are doing and that is why they are so good at it, not because colored people have any kind of biological advantage. I do somewhat agree with John and Matt but there is more to it. The people that are born into something like dancing or playing a certain sport are definitely going to be better than anyone who starts doing the same activity later in life. This does not mean that white people cannot be as good as the colored people at some point. People are always taught to do things, there are not people who just know how to do something at birth. I agree that colored folks may be better at something that white folks but that is not concrete, it is not the same all across the board. Everyone has the same potential to be good at anything. This just requires time dedicated to the activity you are doing. Some of these kids grow up only playing basketball, sometimes ten hours a day. Anyone who plays basketball ten hours a day is going to be pretty good at the sport. Everyone has their own niche. People are going to do what they enjoy and what makes them happy. You should never not allow yourself to do an activity because you have a disadvantage because you really don't have any disadvantage. You have just as much potential as the person next to you. Scuba123
ReplyDeleteThis entire movie is made up of different stereotypes until the very end. The movie was made and based off of an entire stereotype to begin with. If a white man and a black woman should get married. They should not to everyone in the movie because of the different stereotype's created for each of the characters skin color. However this one in particular is based on dancing. It is between a white man and a black man talking about an African American's ability to dance compares to a white man's ability to dance. I do not think skin color decides if you have the ability to dance or not. I do think it allows for some people to be good at some dance and bad at others. We see it all the time on social media today. Where everyone will make fun of white people for doing a dance that they should not be doing just because their skin color. I see that as something that could be classified as racist. I do not think it is as mean as other things that we classify with racism, but it is racism non the less. You can learn to do almost anything in your lifetime. I believe that someone can learn to dance no matter what the dance is. If you take the time to learn it and rehearse it I believe that anyone would be able to perform the dance. I do not believe you are born and are just amazing at everything. No one is born to play a certain sport, to cook very well, or to be able to perform gymnastics in the olympics. All of those skills are taught, repeated, and most importantly practiced. From birth we do not come out knowing how to walk and talk. We watch our mothers and our fathers. We repeat what they tell us to repeat and we follow in their steps. Litv123
ReplyDeleteIn the film, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner", there are stereotypes throughout the entire film. There are stereotypes having to do with race, gender, and ageism. Stereotypes are all over the place with African Americans versus Caucasians, genders, Asians, age groups, and many more. Honestly, I grew up with people who said that white people cannot dance and that African Americans are better at basketball than white people. Since I heard it so often when I was growing up and even more, I was led to believe it. When I heard John talking about it in the movie and when we discussed it in class, it was really eye-opening for me. A person of a specific race is not born with more ability to play a specific sport or be academically smarter than any other race. Everyone is taught these skills by friends, coaches, family members, and so forth. We are even taught how to eat. People get better at sports and school by practicing. I liked the example that we discussed in class. A poorer family is not going to be able to afford a baseball bat, a glove, and everything required to play baseball. However, basketball is a lot cheaper to play. Therefore, the poorer family will play basketball and practice that sport much more making them more talented and skilled at it. It is crazy to think about how many stereotypes are still present in today's society. These stereotypes have not progressed very much since the producing of this movie in the 1960s, but we have a little bit. It is not frowned upon in our society to marry between different races anymore, for example. I wonder if some caucasians do not play basketball because they feel as if American Americans are better at it so they do not even try and vice-versa for baseball. That would be really sad, but I am sure it happens in our society. It is a problem that truly needs to be fixed. People need to be aware of what they say. -softball_savvy123
ReplyDeleteI never thought about dancing in this way but the same goes for Spanish music. People say that white people just can’t move their hips like Spanish people because they are white and this just isn’t true because if you ever listen to Spanish music there is this same beat over and over again called reggaeton. It’s in every Spanish pop song and I know that sounds crazy but it is true with that being said because they are used to hearing reggaeton and they know how to move to the music because that is pretty much all they have ever listened to. Now I definitely can’t dance I can’t do the line dances or the Watusi or the sway my hips to reggaeton but I can listen to songs and be able to sing harmonies because of my background. I grew up going to church every Sunday and we sang a lot people will often quip that all of the people that go to my church are good singers but I think again it is a matter of perspective. The church setting is very traditional so as a child I couldn’t play with my toys and make a lot of noise in church so I would often sing along with my mother this taught me about melodies and harmonies on top of that all of the singing at this church is acapella. Ever since I was a kid we would spend the weeks leading up to them practicing for Easter and Christmas programs because there was no piano or organ to drown out the sound of our voices. I think that all of this may be why singing “came naturally” to me later in life. I don’t think it was really a natural talent I think it was about the kind of exposure I had as a child. I think in the end talents are another thing that we don’t necessarily “own” a lot of the things we are good at. -Glass123
ReplyDeleteBogus. It is bogus to assume that one culture or race is better than another for any reasons. The skills a person develops are achieved. There is no ascription of dancing paired with race or culture. In grade school we had to do the square dance, because it is Illinois’ state dance. I can tell you, most of us were white with similar cultures but some of us were FAR better than others. There were kids who had absolutely no rhythm whatsoever. There were also kids who looked like they’d been promenading their whole lives. The same trends continued in high school. My high school had a bit more diversity. There were lots of people who danced in ways you might not expect to see in one culture. Even when it came to slow dancing, there were people both black and white that were either really bad or really good at following the music. When it came to songs that were more poppin’, there were black and white kids break dancing. There were also black and white kids who decided not to embarrass themselves with their poor dance skills so they stayed on the sidelines. One example of how the media even shows that people of many different cultures can learn to be good at different dances from other culture is Dancing with the Stars. This shows has all sorts of people try new dances, and most of the time they all do incredibly. I think some people may be better at dances that originated in their own cultures because they grow up with it more and see it more. They have more time to observe and try out these dances than people who aren’t exposed until they are older and first trying it out. It is all about what you have experienced, and it might have a little to do with coordination. -M&M123
ReplyDeleteIn this scene Matt Drayton asks Dr. John Prentice if black kids have a special sense of rhythm when compared to white kids. This is a stereotype that Matt is making. John answers that black kids can’t dance better in general. They only can dance better to this music because it is their music and their dances. Meaning that it is music and dances from their culture. So black people are more accustomed to hearing it making it easier to dance to it. It is not in their blood alone to be able to dance better. When you hear a song throughout your life as time goes by it becomes second nature to know the song and be able to dance to it. If you are hearing it for the first time the dancing may not be as fluid to you. It is like what we talked about in class. Black people aren’t naturally better at basketball than white people are. They just have more access to playing it. Other sports acquire money for equipment needed to play. Take baseball for instance, you need a ball, a bat, a glove, and a place to play. Same with other sports, there is equipment needed to play the sport. Basketball on the other hand is a relatively cheap sport to play. For a group of people to play all that is needed is a basketball and a hoop. Since it is cheap it is a game that is played a lot. When you play a game a lot you usually get pretty good at it. This is kind of the same scenario. The dancing and the playing of basketball repetitively over and over again, they get better at it. It is not a natural ability to be able to play better. It is just like they say, practice makes perfect. Diver123
ReplyDeleteIn this scene we find Mr. Matt Drayton and Dr. John Prentice discussing about the style of dancing between the black and white people. Mr. Matt Drayton says that the colored kids dance better, and have more rhythm than the white kids. Well, the color of your skin doesn't give you talent for dance or for anything for that matter. It is the culture that you are brought up in. Just like Dr. John Prentice said, "It is our dancing, and it is our music. We brought it here." They are the ones who already knew how to dance to that music, so naturally the other kids would not know how to dance, because they have never danced to it before. They didn't grow up with that particular style of dance. The same concept applies to sports. Like when Mr. Drayton mentioned that his sports coach told him that "negroes couldn't play baseball." Again, what evidence can they show that that is the case? Just because I am of Hispanic origin doesn't mean that I am an expert at soccer. Even if it is my culture, not everyone is brought up the same way. The same applies to the examples of stereotypes that were mentioned in this scene. Skin color and culture are two very different things. People often confuse the two just like Mr. Drayton did, or maybe they are just ignorant. We should learn not stereotype people because of their skin. Ask and observe before you make assumptions like those.
ReplyDeletepanda123
Stereotypes exist in all aspect of our culture. This movie was a prime example of that, the scene where the doctor and joey's dad were sitting on the back patio discussing why African Americans are better at dancing than the Caucasian people. John explained why that is by stating he grew up around that type of dancing and music. He also states you can learn it but we made it up, so of course if someone makes up a dance they are going to know it better than you will trying to learn it. I feel as if though society fails to realize that. If we see something failing at an activity due to lack of knowledge we automatically assume they “ look a mess, they don't have rhythm , they are trying to be black”. These are just some examples but like i just stated when Caucasian tries to dance to African american culture they are seen as trying to be black. Which is wrong , it's like people in today's society aren't allowed to do anything outside of the race or ethnicity without being judge by other people of different races and ethnicity. People aren't trying to be of a certain race it is there ethnic background and where they grew up. For example we took yesterday for the blog post stated that i prefer darker skin toned people over lighter skin tone people but it's not because i'm racist because i'm not it was where i was raised and how i came up in the world. So back to what john said his culture made up the dance and others are trying to learn it but they won't be as good s the people who made up the dance. Dancer123
ReplyDeleteI'm no stranger to what some might refer to as the cinematic masterpiece of the twentieth century, "White Men Can't Jump". However, there is only a small bit of truth to the actual statement "white man can't jump". In fact, stereotype after stereotype has been built up regarding the common misconception that black people are better athletes than white people, or white people get better jobs than black people. These and more are all very common misconceptions in modern society that lead to the development of stereotypes, not to mention the many already pre-existing stereotypes. People are too quick to assume and base their judgement off stereotypes they've learned growing up, seen on television, or just heard in the hallways at school. It takes a real human being to go out into the world and experience the many interactions from person to person, brain to brain. Only then will they truly understand that stereotypes are actually the living, breathing personification of hate and scapegoatism made to cover up feelings of prejudice and will ill. Besides the best learning takes place face to face, not in some online chat room where a white man can belittle a black man due to some street corner stereotype he heard at two in the morning in downtown Atlanta.-MrG123
ReplyDeleteThis clip is from the film we recently watched, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. In this excerpt, we can see Mr. Drayton and Dr. Prentice arguing about stereotypes specifically black people being better dancers than white people. Drayton states that black people simply have more rhythm than white people and that white people cannot dance like black people because they are a different race than the other. We find stereotypes like these in our everyday life and they are false. We cannot conclude that one that one race is better or worse at something than any other race. My family used to make a joke to me that I was destined to be a bad driver because I am a woman and I am asian. While it was funny at the time - and still is - it is a stereotype and is false. There are explanations for almost every stereotype. Stereotypes are deeply rooted in culture and the way certain groups of people are brought up. For example, it is a common stereotype that black people are better at basketball and football than other races. This can be explained because it is common for black people to have to play those sports because they are cheaper than other sports. For example, horseback riding, lacrosse, golf and tennis are sports that are more expensive to play and practice so more well-to-do families will play those sports. I do not think that just because of this pattern that you can think that someone will be better a specific sport or whatever. I don't think you should group those people up into those stereotypes because it's all just bogus. SAS123
ReplyDeleteStereotypes are attached to most groups in American society. In this scene in "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," Matt Drayton is talking to John Prentice about how he think black children can dance better than white children. This is a common stereotype that is still around in our culture today. John Prentice explains that the black children aren't necessarily better at dancing or have innate rhythm. It is their culture's music that everyone is listening to and dancing too. They have grown up dancing these dances to their music, which means that they seem to have a knack for dancing. Society is so quick to think that certain qualities and traits are attached to a specific race, when the truth is these traits are created because of their culture and ethnicity. It is stereotypical to think that white children can't dance as well. White Americans came from many different European cultures that grew up dancing to different genres of music. As American culture changes, so does the music and dancing. All one has to do is take the time to acquire better dancing skills, it has absolutely nothing to do with the color of your skin. These stereotypes, and many other similar ones can be seen in everyday life in today's society. As humans, we are so quick to judge one another based on the stereotypes ingrained in us from day to day interactions. One must be able to take a deeper look at stereotypes to see that there is usually some type of cultural reasoning behind it. Daisy123
ReplyDeleteIn the movie clip, the black man is talking about how people only really naturally know how to dance like their own race. He was trying to explain that their own dance isn’t a characteristic of only black people, but something that is learned in the culture. He is implying that other races could learn the dance just the same. I think that a lot of black artists are becoming more popular today and it shows in the way that I’ve seen people dance. This is because people who are familiar with the black culture that shows through the music know how to dance to it more naturally and they stand out. The white man then says that people never thought there would be black baseball players, but that did not turn out to be true. In fact, some of the best baseball players of all time are black. I think this proved that anyone can learn how to do anything. We are all built the same. The label that is put on people of specific races is made up by society and has nothing to do with the way people choose to spend their time. The whole concept they are speaking of in the beginning of the video is that certain people experience difficulties adjusting when they are of a certain race. When they discuss the problems that their children might have growing up with black and white parents and being of a mixed race, they assume it will be difficult. But, like the white men learning how to do a black man’s dance and the black man learning to play baseball, the children can learn how to fit in society and thrive no matter what their race. Joey even thinks that her children are going to be the presidents of the United States, which is a very confident attitude. -Kiwi123
ReplyDeleteStereotyping is something that happens within every social class of every culture. People have become so accustomed to assuming something of someone else before even knowing what type of truth it may or may not have that it’s blindly done daily. In my opinion stereotyping and discrimination goes hand in hand which can wreak havoc on an individual being discriminated against and I know firsthand that there may not always be good outcome and that it only perpetuates the situation. In the clip, Mr. Drayton is discussing why the Africans are better dancers than other people. This is a stigma that has been carried on for quite some time now. Some people say other cultures have no rhythm but even within the black culture there are people who do not dance as well as other people in the same group. That just goes to show that it is not necessarily that a person can dance better due to it being in our DNA but that it is a learned quality that anyone can obtain via hard work, time, and patience. It is unfair to everyone in a cultural class that is grouped with everyone else within the group stating that because one person did something that speaks of the actions of all the other people associated with that group regardless of it being a negative or a positive action. Stereotyping will continue in our communities and will only get better through education. We must hold one another responsible even if someone is unintentionally stereotyping someone when we hear it, we need to speak on so that the person will be more aware the next time they assume something about someone without having the proper information needed in order to give an educated answer and not make a fool of themselves. Benoodles123
ReplyDeleteThis is an extremely interesting clip from the film we just watched, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner. In this part of the movie, two of the main characters (Dr. Prentice and Mr. Drayton) begin debating as to why it is that African Americans seem to be much better at dancing than Caucasian Americans. Dr. Prentice points to the fact that it is simply the fact that black people posses more rhythm than white people and, because of this fact on top of the notion that the music they are dancing to is stolen from their culture, African Americans have a born tendency to be better at dancing to this music. While it might be true at the time that there was a general pattern of black people being better dancers than white people, this may have been because it was valued more in African American culture than it was in any other culture at the time. If something is valued in one’s culture, they are going to spend more time on that one thing (in this case, dancing.) Mr. Drayton then leads into the question of if Dr. Prentice has considered the serious problems Dr. Prentice’s children will have. Dr. Prentice’s answer is that he has thought about it and believes that times are getting better, therefore it will not be so terrible for his children. A line that struck me was Mr. Drayton’s comment about how things are not changing anywhere else as fast as they are in his own backyard. This shows the irony of Mr. Drayton’s character: on one hand, Mr. Drayton is a hardcore liberal who has spent much of his life fighting for equal rights regardless of ethnicity or race. On the other hand, it is his own daughter who wants to take this drastic step towards equality.
ReplyDelete-ThreeTwo123
According the textbook, "prejudice is part of the culture in which we all live and learn. There has been more evidence found that prejudice is rooted in culture is the fact that minorities express the same attitudes as white people toward categories other than their own. Such patterns suggest that individuals hold prejudices because we live in a "culture of prejudice" that has taught us all to view certain categories of people as "better" or "worse" than others". I personally feel that we all can dance just to our own beat. This clip showed how both Mr. Dayton and John point of views was due to not only stereotyping but prejudice views as well. You mentioned that African Americans have a born tendency to be better at dancing to this music. I feel that everyone can dance to anything if learned. Rendezvous123
DeleteStereotype is a simplified description applied to every person in some category. Within in the clip of the film, Mr. Dayton and John has a conversation about the difference between black and white Americans dancing and playing sports. Mr. Dayton explains how he see the black people on TV dancing all the time. That his own people cannot dance, but the black people can. John had to explained to him that it’s because of black people that we have music. That black people is the music. Mr. Dayton was always told that black people would never play in the major league. This is based on how society looks at individuals within their social class. John broke all the stereotypes of a black man. John was educated, very well mannered, he was even willing to marry someone out of his racial class. But John showed Mr. Dayton respect to him by stating that if he didn’t have his blessing he would not marry his daughter. John was going strong from morals and cultural values. John felt it was traditional to not marry the women if they family doesn’t agree with it. That was a sign of honesty and courage for his culture and religion. Even though society sees things one way there is always a possibility of change. Now that’s the beauty of sociology. According to the textbook pg. 357, “when applying to Thomas theorem, we understand how stereotypes can become real to people who believe then and sometimes even to those who are victimized by them. Prejudice on the part of white people toward people of color does not produce innate inferiority, but it can produce social inferiority, pushing minorities into low-paying jobs, inferior schools, and racially segregated housing. Then, as white people interpret that social disadvantages as evidence that minorities do not measure up, they unleash a new round of prejudice and discrimination, giving rise to a vicious circle in which each perpetuates the other.” Rendezvous123
ReplyDeleteIn this scene, Matt and John are discussing whether white people can be as good at dancing as black people. John seems to think that since the music was brought by them from Africa nobody can do it better than the people from Africa. John says “you can do the watusi, but we are the watusi if you know what I mean.” Matt mentions that baseball was an american sport but african americans have become just as good as white people at it. I have to agree with Matt on this one. Just because you were not born into a culture where dancing was common, does not mean that you can not learn to dance just as good or even better than an African if taught and practiced. I have noticed that most Africans tend to be really good dancers, but I have seen a white person out dance a black person. This leads to a comforting fact about life in general. Just because you were raised in a certain culture does not mean you can not branch out to learn other cultures as well and thrive in them. A biracial child would have the culture of both black and white people. Matt worries about the problems it could cause for John and Joanna’s children. However I think the positive results are what they should be focusing on. Biracial people have a unique advantage of being able to experience two races first hand as part of their culture. Like we discussed in class, this allows a person to hold much less implicit bias than someone who was raised with only one race in their cultural background. Lack of bias is exactly what is crucial to eliminating racism in the 1960s and it is still crucial as we continue to try to eliminate it today. -Chameleon123
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