...segregation... or something like it...

So the media is all aflutter about the case of that segregated pool in Northeastern Philly. When I first heard about this to be honest I wasn't that surprised. And then when I started reading the stories I was struck by how complicated the issue was. It wasn't just that this summer camp paid their money but were then refused entrance into the pool. I mean it was, but there was other stuff going on. It's all that other stuff that for me really speaks to the state of American race relations. So let's deal with those.

In all of the stories the cute little boy who's the best witness for the papers ever says that he heard some white woman say "What are all these black kids doing here?" and "I'm scared they might do something to my child." Based on the pictures it looks like this little boy is no more than 10 and that's the tragedy for me. A kid, a freaking little kid, had to hear that racist idiot saying these things about him and his friends. Just think of what that must do to his psyche. They just wanted to go swimming, and considering what Philly must be like in the summer, that's a necessity. I haven't heard any one talk about that.

But the whole situation went to hell when the president of The Valley Swim Club released a statement saying: "There was a concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion... and the atmosphere of the club." Now, I haven't read the entire statement, only those lines that have been in newspaper articles, so I don't know everything he said. But it seems obvious, and understandable, that people have taken this line as unbelievably offensive. And really, I do understand why people would do that, but my first reaction to reading this line was:

"bwaahahahahahahaha... this dude seriously needs to lose his job, because... complexion... really?"

This is the most unfortunate word choice I've heard in a long time, whoever wrote this statement, spell checked it, edited it for errors and then released it to the public needs to start hitting the pavement on a job hunt.

But I don't think that these people kicked the kids out because they were black, I think they did it because they're a PRIVATE swim club that was wheeling and dealing with local summer camps trying to make some extra money and thought they could get that past their members. That obviously failed miserably. They got flack from their customers (who were mostly white and definitely much better off than these kids) about a whole bunch of summer camp kids coming to the pool (which if you've ever worked in a summer camp you know is pure pandemonium!) and the swim club kicked the kids out afraid that the pool would lose its yuppie clientele. I mean let's be honest, what establishment is going to act in a racist and segregated manner and then admit it in a public statement. Few people are that stupid, these people were not. They're just idiots! There's a difference, even though it doesn't always seem like it...

But the thing that I keep fixating on is that everyone is focusing their attention on the club and NOT on that imbecile who was worried about all those black kids. THIS is the problem with American race relations in this country. We spend all of our time focusing on institutions that are racist, trying to make them more "equal," but we let people be as racist as they want. How does that make sense? How does that solve the problem of racism? Why don't we hold people accountable for the things they say? And why (continuing our rants about motherhood) aren't we angry that this idiot is raising children who will likely be as entitled and racist as she is? And who is worried about how these kids will process this situation?

We can spend all of this damn time worrying about holding the Valley Swim Club accountable (but not really for the right thing) but no one's ever going to go to that woman and say she's a horrible person for saying what she said around those kids (including her own) and, in my opinion, she shouldn't be allowed to have children. No one will ever say to those people who, during the election and to the present, make the most racist statements about our President and First Lady because they're black.

Everyone always says "well those are just a few ignorant people, what can you do?"

They're not just a few ignorant people. In my opinion, they're the majority, we're a country completely fucked up about racism and ignoring it isn't helping. So really, what can we do?