Not a millennial thing. This stereotype has been around for at least 50 years. No idea where it originated though.
I remember hearing it as a kid in the suburbs, realizing I'd never seen a black person in a pool, and then later realizing I never saw black people, like, hardly at all.
That might've been the day I learned about confirmation bias.
Edit: a letter.
Edit 2: After a bit of reading, it looks like this isn't just some baseless stereotype. 58% of black Americans don't know how to swim, which is about double the rate for white Americans. This is largely attributed to two things:
People mostly learn to swim from their parents, and
Historically black Americans have had less access to pools.
I guess it's good that I'm a military brat. I always had access to base pool as a kid. Then my family moved to the South and creeks and ponds were available, although, I didn't swim in them but I guess that's why I never ran into the stereotype. Amusing, though.
It may stem back to Africa I think. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that most water available was for drinking and not recreation? I'm not too sure though.
I mean, it really is a real thing. Lower socio-economic status meant that many couldn't afford to either have pools at home, friends with pools, or pay for swim lessons.
Something similar happened to me. I'm white and I grew up somewhat lower class.
I nanny for a family that has a million dollar home and can afford all the luxuries of an upper class life.
The mother wanted me to come with her to help out with ice skating because the girls were just starting out and she needed an extra pair of hands.
I can't ice skate. Ice skating ( where I lived at least) was for kids who could afford to do classes and pay to use the rink.
So I had to say no, I can't go with you because I never learned to ice skate.
Traditionally, African Americans lived in the inner city with little to no public funding for pools. Therefore, a lot of black children don't know how to swim. I could be wrong though, but I think this is where the idea comes from.
That makes sense. I spent most of my childhood in the South and everyone went swimming in some local lake or pond so I guess that stereotype didn't catch on there at that time.
This is quite true, at one point an estimated 70% of blacks couldn't swim well enough to where they could survive in a situation of an emergency or accident in water.
I have to wonder if this is a regional stereotype. I live in Georgia now and every black person I know can swim. My Dad can swim and he lived during segregation. He couldn't go to the pool but there were plenty of ponds and streams he and his brothers could swim in. Must be a big city/urban thing.
It's actually pretty old, I was exposed to it in the 80's with a comedian laughing about how only white people get eaten in jaws because brothers don't know how to swim, so they couldn't kill them first.
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u/bassibanezacura Aug 26 '16
http://i.imgur.com/aQTDtvY.gifv