I would say that the article does make this club sound pretty sketchy, and there is likely some racism going on, but I kind of agree with TJ's first post (I can't believe I said that) that I wouldn't want to label it racism based mostly on the testimony of one of the campers. Of course this line is pretty incriminating: "There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club." Maybe the club just wasn't aware that so many kids would be brought at once and that's what they mean by changing the atmosphere. Regardless, it was certainly wrong of the club to revoke the memberships.
Except that, given the price, it was probably a charge per head, so they knew how many kids there were. And, since it is a day-camp, of course they'd all come together. You'd think load would be one of the primary things a pool club would be managing. If the number of kids was the reason, the people running the pool are incompetent. However, I can see introducing such a large bloc of black kids would induce all sorts of sociological strains on the pool community. If it was a small group, it probably would not have been a problem. Even if they were all white, a new group that forms the majority or even plurality of the population would probably cause some tension. I can't get over "complexion" though. "Atmosphere" might stem from rowdiness or something like that. But, "complexion" can really only mean race, class, or wealth, none of which are very palatable.
I agree with you, but I don't think you should ever discount the possibility that the people running the pool really are incompetent.
Except that all of the evidence we have points to racism. The kids' testimony is not reliable, but the "complexion" comment is pretty damning.
AP just released video of the incident: Spoiler <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/kkzMtzHni_0&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kkzMtzHni_0&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
I suppose "complexion" could also be referring to the age breakdown. Maybe it's a pool that generally doesn't have that many kids. I'm not trying to make the argument that it wasn't racist. I'm just trying to figure out what non-racist reasons there could possibly be behind this.
White kids would not change the complexion, but they could cause distress for other patrons if they come in a large clique. I wasn't trying to explain the "complexion" comment in that paragraph; just trying to puzzle out the social forces at work in this club.
Shouldnt the parents who were taking their kids to Neverland to let them dive into Michael Jackson's bed been as sensitive as this? Such uneven application of properness. The club missed their opportunity to claim their pool wasnt cleaned good enough to support that many people who could bring increased germ exposure or whatever. They also suspended and refunded the camp's membership without rescheduling. If the club has shown little history of suspending memberships, this is would be a bit incriminating that "those people needed to be excluded. It doesnt have to be black people that makes people queezy. If a bunch of Arabs with thick accents and wearing too much clothing in hot weather and looking like those terrorists they always show on the news went for a completely peaceful swim, people would get nervous the same.
. . and this is the space where the New Racist live. They now claim IGNORANCE and all kinds of crap to cover their Racism. folx TRY to understand them and they LIVE in that ambiguity "I didn't know comparing Michelle Obama to a gorrilla was racist." [see Republican activist Rusty DePass] "I didn't know a picture of watermelons in the white house lawn was racist. " [See Mayor Dean Grose of Los Alamitos] Rocket River It is obvious to me. . nothing ambiguous about it
Wow. Thanks for calling me a racist when you know absolutely nothing about me other than the fact that I said this case may have had more to do with incompetence than racism. That's classy.
To be honest, pursuing an argument about why racism exists would be interesting, although as this thread proves, impossible to keep civil. For my part...from the psych classes I had to (and have to) pursue these days for no explainable reason, there's a lot of evidence that supports that racism is at least partially wired within us; we tend to classify certain groups of people as an "in"group or as outcasts in an "out"group and vary our behavior and attitudes (sometimes even on a subconscious level!) towards them as a result. Based on personal experience, I'd say we're all racist on some level, although most of it tends to be just a small part of sticking to people that are similar to you. That's not good or bad, but to say that you're "above" racism...I highly doubt that's even possible. Maybe in a few generations, but as it is right now, to not be aware of race is to be naively blind.
