The Atlantic: Swim Caps Are Keeping Black Women Out of Pools

LINK

I actually follow The Atlantic. They have some balance, in that they will post some stuff I would not expect out of a NYC left-leaning publication.

Stuff like this, though? I just SMDH.

quote:

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Numerous factors contribute to why blacks are less likely to swim: a lack of lap pools to learn in, a lack of representation in water sports, a fear of drowning, and lack of affordable swim lessons. But one thing that’s often overlooked is that swim caps aren’t designed to protect common hairstyles among black women, adding yet another barrier to their participation in swimming, kayaking, water polo, diving, and other aquatic activities. “It’s an epidemic,” Singleton says of their exclusion.

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1. I don't know any friends that learned to swim in a lap pool. Lakes, rivers, beaches, etc. are there for EVERYBODY. I will grant you that urban areas have less options here, but "Lap pools" are not likely to be the issue in most parts of the US.

2. "Lack of representation" lowers participation, resulting in "lack of representation". Excel won't let you get away with this logic, and neither would I.

3. "Fear of Drowning": Exactly which DNA marker is that one, and why do only black people have it? Is this a "sickle cell" thing?

4. "Lack of affordable swim lessons": Well, I didn't pay my dad shite when he taught me. I'm just spitballing here, but I think there may be other ways to learn where, yes, the black community is sorely lacking resources.

But, "swim caps"?

It's crap like this that just does a disservice to real racial issues. The ridiculous crowds out the serious.