Wow - in this day and age, this still exists?

Philly Pool Club turns away black childrens daycamp  (video)

They refunded their pre-paid poolclub membership and dis-invited them.  The club president stated "due to complaints from other members that 'the children fundamentally changed the atmosphere at the pool' " (yet then claims not due to their race - yeah right!)

Now, I live in Louisiana, and have absolutely no doubt that racism still exists, but I just can't believe that this club would be so blatant.  

ETA:  Written article for those who can't view video at work

i can't watch it - but are you sure its race? maybe the pool has an older membership? maybe the kids are (regardless of race) just too rowdy of a crowd?

maybe I'm just naive?

Original Post by crazydiamondchrysalis:

i can't watch it - but are you sure its race? maybe the pool has an older membership? maybe the kids are (regardless of race) just too rowdy of a crowd?

maybe I'm just naive?

You have more faith in people than I do. :(

Sorry CDC, you're just naive, as I was when I was living in the great melting pot of So. Calif.   If you had to listen to as many "N" jokes, complaints, etc as I have the last 4 years in Louisiana, you'd be shocked.

Anyway, in the video, lots of kids (all white of course), so no, not an age thing. 

Yeah, I read that yesterday.  Made me sick.

Yup. Philly resident here. The city of brotherly love has racial tension out the wazzoo. I wish I could say this story surprised me.

damn. i hate to be wrong.

Why is there a black children's daycamp anyway?  Why not just a children's daycamp...?

Original Post by adolphs:

Why is there a black children's daycamp anyway?  Why not just a children's daycamp...?

It is my understanding that it was not a camp limited to black children, however, Philly is almost 50% black, and many neighborhoods are divided along racial lines, with some areas being almost exclusively black and others being almost exclusively white.

Click here to sign a petition that will be sent to the Valley Pool Club.

Original Post by hayleymajayley:

Click here to sign a petition that will be sent to the Valley Pool Club.

Thanks, i signed it. This is appalling. i didn't even think that was legal.

Of course people are racist.  They always will be.  No activism, protesting, nothing will ever change that.  People are stuck to their ways, and as sad as it is, it's completely true.

Original Post by katesorad:

Of course people are racist.  They always will be.  No activism, protesting, nothing will ever change that.  People are stuck to their ways, and as sad as it is, it's completely true.

Sorry, but this is bull.  I've seen this excuse used for so long by so many people.  That's all it is - an excuse - so folks can feel better about not doing anything.

Humans are capable of change.  We can reflect and reassess.  There were staunch racists who were in the segregationist movements who realized how incredibly wrong and ignorant they were and changed their views.

I don't care how old someone is, they are capable of change.  I don't care what someone's family taught them, they are capable of change.

People need to stop being afraid of confronting people on their bs.  You don't have to go out an join Anti-Racist Action or anything like that.  But when someone (even family and friends) says something that's f-ed up, you tell them that it's f-ed up.

When people aren't challenged they have no reason to reflect on what they're thinking and saying.  They assume that it's the norm.  The more they're challenged, the more there's a chance that they might start to be more introspective.

quoted post has been moderated and can no longer be viewed

You knew damn well what he meant.

a10t2: edit that out. it's f-ing offensive.

Thank you mods. The only word in the english language I cannot abide.

Original Post by kathygator:

a10t2: edit that out. it's f-ing offensive.

I apologize to anyone I offended; that certainly wasn't my intent. Yes, I knew what word thmheh meant, and so did everyone else, so why not just *use it*?

If the forum has a policy against "curse words" then I will of course abide by it. May I assume that a mod will also be deleting the "bs"s and "f-ing"s? They're in clear violation:

Whether you agree or not, curse words and profanity are a no-no here on CC in the forums. This includes coming up with weird mispellings and creative spacing and strange characters to get around the language filters.

I see racism and censorship as being two sides of the same coin, and self-censorship as the worst kind of all. It's the societal equivalent of staying in the back of the bus to avoid making waves.

ETA: Plus, why delete the joke? That was hilarious!

Original Post by class_matters:

I don't care how old someone is, they are capable of change.  I don't care what someone's family taught them, they are capable of change.

Sure they're capable but do they "want to"? And thats whats keeping racism alive, some people changed some people want to keep hating believing in a dellusional cause. Take neo-nazi's for example, ordinary people who changed into hard-core racists who believe in a "master race". The real solution is educating the youngsters and teaching them how to be open-minded but not to the point of being gullible.

Though...in this world nothing is perfect...utopia is a dream, not reality...

Original Post by a10t2:

Original Post by kathygator:

a10t2: edit that out. it's f-ing offensive.

I apologize to anyone I offended; that certainly wasn't my intent. Yes, I knew what word thmheh meant, and so did everyone else, so why not just *use it*?

If the forum has a policy against "curse words" then I will of course abide by it. May I assume that a mod will also be deleting the "bs"s and "f-ing"s? They're in clear violation:

Whether you agree or not, curse words and profanity are a no-no here on CC in the forums. This includes coming up with weird mispellings and creative spacing and strange characters to get around the language filters.

I see racism and censorship as being two sides of the same coin, and self-censorship as the worst kind of all. It's the societal equivalent of staying in the back of the bus to avoid making waves.

ETA: Plus, why delete the joke? That was hilarious!

 Actually, to be more specific, the word in question was considered  inflammatory and considered "foul language".  And the whole post was deleted because we really try to keep from editing people's posts if it can be helped.  f-ing or effing is not the greatest either, but at least the person isn't blatantly spelling out the whole word.

As per the guidelines:

Original Post by peaches0405:

Actually, to be more specific, the word in question was considered  inflammatory and considered "foul language".  And the whole post was deleted because we really try to keep from editing people's posts if it can be helped.  f-ing or effing is not the greatest either, but at least the person isn't blatantly spelling out the whole word.

As per the guidelines:

Please avoid threatening other members, making inflammatory comments or posts, or using foul language.

Well, I certainly was being inflammatory, although I feel I had valid reason. Thanks for clarifying, and for being so polite about it. In the future I'll refer to it as "the n-word".

And to answer the unasked question at large, no, I'm not trolling but genuinely interested in people's views on what constitutes "foul language" and why. For example, Kathy, can I infer from your comment:

The only word in the english language I cannot abide.

that you have no objection to other racial slurs? What sets that one apart?

Obviously I abhor all racial slurs.

What sets this one apart, in my mind, is that it is a word that comes to us directly out of the abomination of the slave trade. Women and men captured, against their will, and forced into filthy holds, chained together for months, living in their own excrement, urine and menstrual flow, stripped of every single outward appearance of humanity. Treated worse than cattle.

No other slur, no matter how ugly, can be said to share that distinction.