Quote :

"In focus groups for the study, Prof Irwin said many black parents who could not swim evinced sentiments like: "My children are never going to learn to swim because I'm scared they would drown.""

9/3/2010 3:49:17 PM

^ I'm pretty sure that's ironic

9/3/2010 4:55:19 PM

^^?

That's one of the main dynamics behind all of this shit.

And the article focuses on black parents, but such a thought process is found in many people of all races that are afraid of the water.

9/3/2010 7:36:50 PM

Right, but i think the point of that article was that so many more black kids can't swim, whereas lots of white & Hispanics can.

9/3/2010 10:59:53 PM

^^i don't see how.

the kids don't swim because their parents never make them learn how

9/4/2010 3:54:43 AM

^Yes, they never learn how in part because their parents are scared of them drowning.

They rationalize that they'll only go in up to their waists or knees or whatever. Then they get pulled under or tossed overboard and don't know how to swim/panic. And that drowning reinforces everybody else's fear of the water, and they continue not to learn how to swim.

There are other things obviously, but it's evident that fear of drowning indirectly causes people to drown.

^^Astute observation.

[Edited on September 10, 2010 at 8:31 AM. Reason : ?]

9/10/2010 8:30:43 AM

^ bologna

9/10/2010 9:15:11 AM

^All the articles in this thread acknowledge that that's a big part of what going on.

Plus, I done seen it with my own two eyes. Have y'all never been to the pool with somebody who can't swim? They freak out if they get too close to rope marking off "the deep end." They're fine near the steps and they even do a sort of of swimming with their feet off the ground in the shallow end, but if they fell in the 8 feet, they'd panic and drown... Y'all got to know what I'm talking bout.

Non-swimming white folks and black folks have annoyed the crap out of me with their hysterics in water. And, yes, it's a recipe for drowning.

9/10/2010 8:25:32 PM