Why the Fuck Would You Show It to Me if I Can't Have It?

Submission 10,971

Part of a series on Uncut Gems. [View Related Entries]

About

"Why the Fuck Would You Show It to Me if I Can't Have It?," sometimes known as "Why the Fuck Would You Show Me Something if I Couldn't Have It?," is a reaction and image macro using a quote from the 2019 film Uncut Gems, featuring former basketball player Kevin Garnett portraying a fictionalized version of himself. In late 2020, the image began seeing use in memes as a reaction to express frustration about something that has been announced but is not yet available.

Origin

The quote comes from a scene in the film Uncut Gems, released on December 13th, 2019, where Howard Ratner, a jeweler played by Adam Sandler, has shown an uncut gem to Kevin Garnett, who plays himself. Garnett wants to purchase the gem, but Sandler informs him that the item is not for sale since it has been listed for auction, leading him to ask "Why the fuck would you show me something if I couldn't have it?" (shown below).

The image was used as a meme as far back as March 2020,^[1] but the earliest known example of the quote being used as a reaction was a month later on April 14th, when Twitter^[2] user Dailter_Fran tweeted the image (seen below) while referring to the Snyder Cut of Justice League. The tweet received 69 retweets and 370 likes in roughly one and a half years.

Spread

The reaction became used more widely in the months following the initial tweet. It has primarily circulated in subcultures directly related to Uncut Gems, such as film and basketball, but has been used as a wider meme beginning later in 2020.

On July 31st, 2020, when the Twitter^[4] account of the film criticism website Film Daze tweeted the image (seen below) to express frustration about the announcement that the film The Green Knight would be indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. ^[3] The tweet received over 400 retweets and 1,500 likes in one month.

The initial tweet's use of a quote from Uncut Gems was an allusion to A24, the independent film studio that made both Uncut Gems and The Green Knight.

On December 6th, 2020, Redditor kevmanyo posted the image (shown below) to the /r/A24^[5] subreddit with the title "Me to A24 in regards to Saint Maud and The Green Knight." The post received more than 1,200 upvotes in six months.

On April 10th, 2021, Twitter^[6] user steven_lebron tweeted the image (seen below) to comment on NBA free agency. The tweet received more than 70 retweets and 900 likes over five months.