Wednesday, July 08, 2009

Instant Racist Ignorant Dolts - The Valley Swim Club

It's 2009, right, not 1959?

Somebody forget to change the calendar at The Valley Club, in Huntingdon Valley, PA.

And for that, we have to fiddle around, move a few things, to squeeze them into The Garlic's Ignorant Dolts roster.



Here's some of the headlines, so far, this evening;

60 Black Kids Booted from Philly Pool For Being Black — Speak Out

Racist Outrage of the Day (Year?)

Guess Chlorine Can’t Kill Those Germs

Philadelphia private swim club forces out black children

This is 2009, this is the north, this is America, and this is what it looks like

Some lily white Neanderthals, at this "Duh Valley Club", engaged in outright, Bull Connors, No Coloreds Allowed, Separate Lunch Counters racism, at their, apparently, in some other universe, establishment.

Pool Boots Kids Who Might "Change the Complexion" ... Campers sent packing after first visit to swim club

The Creative Steps Day Camp paid more than $1900 to The Valley Swim Club. The Valley Swim Club is a private club that advertises open membership. But the campers' first visit to the pool suggested otherwise.

"When the minority children got in the pool all of the Caucasian children immediately exited the pool," Horace Gibson, parent of a day camp child, wrote in an email. "The pool attendants came and told the black children that they did not allow minorities in the club and needed the children to leave immediately."

The next day the club told the camp director that the camp's membership was being suspended and their money would be refunded.
But, wait, it gets worse ...
The explanation they got was either dishearteningly honest or poorly worded.

"There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club," John Duesler, President of The Valley Swim Club said in a statement.
Whoa, he didn't say that, did he?

I mean, who was his PR/Crisis Management guru on that - George Allen?

For a quote like that, whether he knew about a pending media storm, or not, we are going to have to bend the Ignorant Dolt rules, and award John Duesler, President of The Valley Swim Club, a separate, his very own, all-by-himself, Ignorant Racist Dolt Award that he can proudly hang in the Duh Valley Swim Club trophy case.

And, dig this, from Duh Valley Club's "Community Page";
The Valley Club has been a staple in the Huntingdon Valley community, since it's chartering in 1954!

We continue to carry on that tradition by staying engaged with many of the events happening around Lower Moreland and the surrounding communities.

I guess, practicing racism is one of those traditions John Duesler, and Duh Valley Club have continued to carry on.

Either that, or they are not staying engaged, fell asleep at the wheel, so-to-speak, and haven't got wind yet of things like the 1964 Civil Rights Act, or, for that matter, slavery had been abolished.

City of Brotherly Love ... Private Club of Closed, Ignorant Minds

We can only hope that Governor Ed Rendell marshals every possible agency in the state to descend upon the Duh Valley Club - Health Inspectors, Pool Inspectors, OSHA, lawyers - just empty out the state offices, dig through every obscure, 200-year-old laws, and drain their pool, both literally, and figuratively.

But do, do let them display, tall and proudly, their Instant Racist Ignorant Dolt Crown and Sceptre...

John Duesler, chief Instant Racist Ignorant Dolt, might be able to use them as inspiration, for when he next has to issue a quote ...




(If you want to express your thoughts (or send this post) to John Duesler, and Duh Valley Club, here's their Contact Page, with address, telephone and email)


UPDATE - Bonus Links

Elon James White: I’m sorry, what? – Black Kids kicked out of pool for…being black?

Jeff Fecke: Party Like It’s 1959

Pam Spaulding: Black kids booted from Philly club's 'whites-only' pool

The Cajun Boy: It's Not Always Progressive in Philadelphia


3 comments:

Anonymous said...

While I agree John Duesler's choice of words was pretty damning, I find it sad because NBC writing an article headlining that kids were "kicked out" because of their race couldn't be more wrong.
I spoke to an employee of the valley club and friend of mine who explained that there were actually FOUR different camp groups signed up(creative steps being the only primarily black one).
The board decided that there shouldn't be ANY camp groups because it was making the pool too crowded and undesirable to regular members.
He also told me that when Creative Steps came, there were suddenly over 65 children in the small shallow end of the pool and little kids climbing on the diving board. It was deemed unsafe and not in keeping with the quiet club that the other members payed for and expected.
The Valley Club is hurting financially, which is the only reason they accepted camp groups in the first place, but it turned out not to be a good idea.
Keep in mind that they tried, and you don't see any other club even considering accepting large groups of kids.
It's pretty clear that the director of Creative Steps decided she could get some publicity calling this blatant racism and coaching the kids to tell a skewed story of being asked to leave (which never happened)

I would just hope people could see through a story that doesn't tell the whole picture.
Sometimes not everything's about racism, sorry.

Anonymous said...

You know there is still racism has always been and always will be. As long as humans have eyes to see color there will be racism. Tell me that's not true

Anonymous said...

I think the first anonymous person who commented works at the pool!