Racism

[TheGreenGoblin]

Maybe I should start fixating on why there are so few heavy metal black bands... but that would only... bring me down...



I chose my band carefully as their current lead man Dean Pleasants is black!

[barkingmad]

TGG said “I am always surprised at what poor swimmers the British, whatever their race, are. Sure there are some very good swimmers here but the general populace has a huge number of non swimmers and doggy paddlers. Too cold to be bothered, cultural reasons etc?”

It might also be connected with the closure around the country of many municipal swimming pools as local councils saved money to spend on their junkets to foreign hotspots “to see how other countries run their local services”.

Presumably somewhere there are stats to demonstrate these facility withdrawals but I can’t be arsed to research the topic, just trawling through my memory of reading “Private Eye” for too many years, especially the section on ‘Rotten Boroughs’ with it’s logo of a rat with it’s snout in the trough!

And as today’s precious ‘yoof’ are so self-conscious of their bodies they are less likely to expose themselves to the scrutiny of their peers at swimming lessons if such time is allocated out of the crowded school syllabus.

Much better for them all if they spend their classroom time learning about how great it is to be part of the LGBT ‘community’, even when in primary edukashun!

[AtomKraft]

Barkers.
My own wife is what the bloody UK would call "BAME", ie she's Indian.

I had to rescue her once, from a pool in Goa. She cannot swim at all- nobody bothered to teach her.

She stepped off a ledge, straight to the bottom!

[G-CPTN]

Our town didn't have a swimming pool when I was a youngster, and there were probably no private houses with pools.

[TheGreenGoblin]

TGG said “I am always surprised at what poor swimmers the British, whatever their race, are. Sure there are some very good swimmers here but the general populace has a huge number of non swimmers and doggy paddlers. Too cold to be bothered, cultural reasons etc?”

It might also be connected with the closure around the country of many municipal swimming pools as local councils saved money to spend on their junkets to foreign hotspots “to see how other countries run their local services”.

Presumably somewhere there are stats to demonstrate these facility withdrawals but I can’t be arsed to research the topic, just trawling through my memory of reading “Private Eye” for too many years, especially the section on ‘Rotten Boroughs’ with it’s logo of a rat with it’s snout in the trough!

Your point is well made BM.

+1

[TheGreenGoblin]

Barkers.
My own wife is what the bloody UK would call "BAME", ie she's Indian.

I had to rescue her once, from a pool in Goa. She cannot swim at all- nobody bothered to teach her.

She stepped off a ledge, straight to the bottom!

And there is your answer.

[barkingmad]

“Nobody bothered to teach her”.

I trust AK that you have since rectified that lack of confidence and skill for the sake of your good lady?

[Boac]

..or found deeper pools.......

[TheGreenGoblin]

..or found deeper pools.......

Mrs Boac is obviously out today! You'd be in a very deep pool of misery indeed, if she saw that comment!

[TheGreenGoblin]

“Nobody bothered to teach her”.

I trust AK that you have since rectified that lack of confidence and skill for the sake of your good lady?

You and me both bm. I did try to point Atom in this direction earlier...

Perhaps, as a good Scot you may elect to do what my Scottish gym teacher Mr McNaughton did in Cape Town, and spend his holidays teaching black kids to swim.

black kids, Indian wives, white kids, albino kids, Kurdish kids, Chinese kids, Japanese kids... etc. etc.

All people, all humans, all breathing, all in need of love and swimming lessons.

[Boac]

I'll just look over the edge of my pool and check.....oh - she cannot speak just now........

Seriously, AK, that was frightening for both of you. Did she exhibit no 'natural buoyancy' or survival instinct? Maybe there is a racial factor in these things which prevents darker skins from swimming easily?

[TheGreenGoblin]

I'll just look over the edge of my pool and check.....oh - she cannot speak just now........

Seriously, AK, that was frightening for both of you. Did she exhibit no 'natural buoyancy' or survival instinct? Maybe there is a racial factor in these things which prevents darker skins from swimming easily?

Boac stirs the pot with his big wooden spoon...

[Boac]

No, TGG, not 'stirring', just putting forward an idea to answer post #45.

[G-CPTN]

Black people have greater bone density than white people which can make a difference with buoyancy when learning to swim, although once competent it makes little difference.

Why can so few black people swim?

[TheGreenGoblin]

No, TGG, not 'stirring', just putting forward an idea to answer post #45.

Well why reinforce his obvious prejudice (the dog whistle is in his question) unless, heaven forfend, you seriously think the same and would rise to such a silly bait?

[TheGreenGoblin]

Black people have greater bone density than white people which can make a difference with buoyancy when learning to swim, although once competent it makes little difference.

Why can so few black people swim?

If this was true racists would be drowning all the time given the density of their thick skulls...

[Boac]

Interesting blog, G_CPTN, on the subject of bone density:

"Take average black man and average white man and you’re looking at 300grams difference in terms of skeletal mass."

TGG - even as an experienced dog owner I cannot see a 'dog whistle' in AK's query. How you can accuse AK of 'prejudice' in that post defeats me.

[TheGreenGoblin]

Black people have greater bone density than white people which can make a difference with buoyancy when learning to swim, although once competent it makes little difference.

Generalization is the basis of the problem with silly comments about race. There are as many types of folks who are blacks, as there are types of whites. How does one account for the Kenyan long distance runners and their prowess etc. if ALL blacks had dense bones etc.

This whole thread is completely **** stupid... Where is the bangs head on wall emoji!

[AtomKraft]

She was making her way from a mid pool bar, to exit the pool.
There was a ledge she was stepping on about one metre down. She slipped off it and went down like a torpedo, silently.
Luckily, I was already out the pool, so I quickly hopped in and grabbed her. I think she'd have been a goner otherwise.
I have tried to teach her, but she's terrified of the water.

Edit to add, it's certainly not her bone density that's the issue- she's delicately, but beautifully assembled. No extra material was used on her anywhere.

[TheGreenGoblin]

Let me put forward a simple proposition, is it possible that all elderly pilots have suffered brain damage due to the insidious effects of hypoxia on their brains...

Reading some of the drivel posted here might incline one to think so...

Clearly I don't think this but am just saying it to incline people to more subtle thought...