Cultural Differences In The Football Coach By Jim White

This movie was based on a true story that depicts daily cultural struggles that Hispanic children had to face in order to pursue their passion for cross country. Jim White was a football coach who got fired for threatening one of his players for being ignorant and uncooperative. White then moves to a new environment than what he was accustomed to. After being hired at McFarland high school, he was given a position as a football coach but after budding heads with the previous football coach, he created a cross country team. White spent his time recruiting and encouraging Hispanic students who ran fast in order to join his team. He made his athletes run for several hours a day but he was not aware of the true reality that his athletes faced every

day. Instead of attending school for a whole day, his athletes left school early in order to help their parents out in the fields. Astonished by this reality, White helped out in the fields in order to see what the teenagers faced every day. After experiencing that his athletes experienced on the daily, White started to show them respect for their hard work both in school and out in the fields. Thanks to White creating a cross country team the teenagers finally had a safe space where they could feel free. The decision of creating this cross country team impacted the young athletes tremendously as it allowed them to escape their harsh reality. The cross country team was all made up of Hispanic athletes and found it hard to be taken seriously amongst other teams. These characters faced multiple challenges when it came down to promoting diversity at other local schools who competed professionally. These challenges were seen in scenes where the McFarland athletes were getting ready to compete and other athletes made fun of their cultural background. Instead of attacking their accusers with harsh words, the McFarland athletes proved them wrong out in the running fields. At the end of the film, McFarland also promoted diversity by making it to the finals and having their Hispanic relatives cheer for them in an all-white environment. They represented McFarland with pride in an environment that was not used to this type of culture and customs. This film sends a unique message about being open-minded regarding different cultures and different backgrounds. White came to McFarland assuming that he was going to encounter the same cultural environment that he was exposed to back home. He later on figured out that McFarland was a unique place rich in culture and customs. Instead of dreading his decision to moving to McFarland, he soon grew to love his new environment and the people. In the film, you meet a man who becomes an open-minded individual thanks to his students, family, and the town people. This movie is a clear example of acceptance not only others but acceptance of different cultures. McFarland, USA is a true story of cultural acceptance and is a great example for others to follow. For me, acceptance is important because it allows us to understand and respect cultures that were not exposed to in our environment. It lets us be culturally aware and knowledgeable of other great customs, traditions, beliefs, and other cultures that people from different backgrounds follow proudly.
The movie McFarland, USA shows the true and harsh reality that most Hispanic children constantly face in which is the main reason why I chose this movie for this assignment. As a daughter of immigrants, I could relate to some of the misconceptions and stereotypes that the young characters faced throughout the entire movie. For instance, a misconception that I related to the most was when the main character, Jim White, went out the eat with his entire family and came across a group of Hispanic people, in which he automatically assumed that they were part of a gang. This misconception does not occur to me but it often occurs to my father who is constantly judged for his appearance. Many people stop and stare at his tattoos and automatically assume the worst because he is Hispanic, male, and has multiple tattoos.
This movie faced a variety of central issues of diversity but the most meaningful and impactful issues were the cultural and lifestyle differences that the characters faced.

The character that faced cultural and lifestyle differences the most was Jim White because due to circumstances he left everything he had known behind and moved to a more culturally diverse environment. He became exposed to a different culture and customs in which was hard for him to get used to. White also faced various lifestyle differences throughout the entire movie. For example, White was not accustomed to waking up by the crowing of the roaster early in the morning when first moving into his new home but he later got used to it. Another lifestyle example was when White was invited to a Mexican dinner in which he saw how they all sat together in harmony and discussed how their day went. White did not experience this with his family in the beginning but throughout the movie, he starts to incorporate new changes at the dinner

table.
This film relates to my own behavior in multiple ways by being open-minded and respectful of other cultures besides mine.

I grew up in a very Mexican household meaning that I was raised by strict Catholic parents, grew up to love Mexican food, and was expected to follow my family’s customs and traditions. As I became aware of my surroundings as I got older, I was noticing that my friends at school came from different cultural backgrounds. Instead of shaming them for their cultural identity, I was totally amazed how they did things differently because of their culture. Being open-minded, much like coach White, opens the door to new experiences and possibilities that can make a meaningful impact. McFarland, USA relates to my own life by portraying my entire cultural background within the entire film. Much like White’s daughter, I also had a Quinceañera where my parents and relatives celebrated my rite of passage into adulthood. Much like the Hispanic family eating dinner together, my family comes together for dinner and we all discuss how our day went while we all eat dinner. Much like the town people, my entire family is willing to help those in need no matter the situation. Various traditions that were portrayed in this film relate to the traditions that my family follows as well, in which allowed me to relate to this film the most. After watching McFarland, USA, I have learned to never judge a book by its cover and that life is full of surprises. This film incorporated the

lesson to never judge a book by its cover by White automatically assuming that the group of men were there to cause harm to him and his family because of their appearance. In the contrary, they were there to greet them and welcome them into the neighborhood, throughout the film he once believed “gang members” actually saved White’s daughter from a local shooting incident. White automatically assumed that the group of men had bad intentions but in reality, they were the most caring individuals he had ever encountered. From a critical perspective, I was able to see determine that this movie incorporates the lesson to never judge a book by its cover throughout the film. The other lesson that I became aware of from a critical perspective was that life is full of surprises. In this film, we start by seeing White getting fired from his job and moving to a new neighborhood in where he felt like he did not belong. He assumed the worst out of McFarland and all he wanted was to get out of this town, but life took an unexpected turn and eventually made McFarland his forever home. After meeting his students, athletes, and the town people he grew to love McFarland. White would have never assumed that McFarland was going to be his new home from now on. This critical reflection has inspired me to make changes in life such as not judging someone because you never know what they are dealing with internally and at home. Throughout this film, the audience, saw the young athletes juggling their school life, sports life, and work life all at once without even complaining. They were expected to contribute by working out in the fields and were also expected to attend school every day. During competitions, they would get judged on by other athletes who attended better schools. Those judgemental athletes had no idea of what McFarland athletes were going through back at home, work, and school. Situations like these make me want to make changes in my life. I do not want to judge anyone based on their appearance because you never know what they are going through and what they are capable of.