How can some people (US) NOT know how to swim?

[Rendia]

Bad parents? Laziness? Stupidity? All 3?

There really is no reason for people to not know how to swim. I myself am Terrified of the open ocean, yet I still know how to swim and enjoy swimming in Pools/lakes/rivers.

Learning to swim is something that is actually taught in schools in my country, even my Nephew who is only 6 at the moment does swimming as part of his curriculum in school.

At the end of the day everyone should learn to swim, and by that I don't mean be able to do backstroke/freestyle/breaststroke perfectly at the drop of a hat, but at least know enough to keep your head above water and be able to move yourself around in water.

My 8 year old just learned how to swim last summer and ONLY because he was jealous that his older brothers could with no problems. He is TERRIFIED of the water, and has been since he was about 9-10 months old. The doc thinks it is a trait of his Asperger's.

[ringpriest]

Wealth inequality, combined with a society that doesn't really care about the poor is a big part of it.

Learning to swim requires access to a pool and an instructor. While these aren't particularly high requirements, if your school can't afford a pool they're not going to have swim class. And if you're going to a school that's that poorly off, you are less likely to have a parent or other figure who can and will make sure you learn how to swim.

[Brightamethyst]

Wealth inequality, combined with a society that doesn't really care about the poor is a big part of it.

Learning to swim requires access to a pool and an instructor. While these aren't particularly high requirements, if your school can't afford a pool they're not going to have swim class. And if you're going to a school that's that poorly off, you are less likely to have a parent or other figure who can and will make sure you learn how to swim.

That may be part of the issue, but probably not a huge part. More likely it's that people in urban areas, especially ones that aren't near water, just plain have no reason to learn in the first place. It's just not a part of their lives.

I mean, I don't know how to treat rattlesnake poison, but that doesn't affect my life any as I live in a place with few, if any rattlesnakes.

[Itisamuh]

I can't float no matter what I do, and I've got a fear of deep water in general. Combine those two things, and it doesn't lead to knowing how to swim. I've never cared to learn, because even if I knew, I wouldn't be comfortable out in the water anyway. It's not a matter of stupidity, but suggesting that certainly is.

[PizzaSHARK]

Swimming, to me, comes as natural as jogging or climbing. Being capable of swimming or at least comfortably floating is a trait that comes instinctively to nearly all mammals, except humans.

Why is it that ~15% of American adults cannot swim AT ALL? Why do we constantly hear the stereotype that minorities in America have a fear of water and cannot swim (In fact, According to the U.S.A. Swimming Foundation, 70 percent of African-American children and 60 percent of Hispanic children don't know how to swim.)? Is swimming really such a difficult thing to master? I wouldn't even consider basic swimming to be a skill no more than walking or running. My 8-week old Chihuahua puppy, never exposed to a large body of water in her life, instinctively began paddling as she got close to a 2-inch deep bath of water. Would a person who cannot swim really just allow themselves to drop like a stone if they were dropped in a lake? Even if you wildly flail in a random direction you're bound to move to some degree. That is swimming, is it not? This just really baffles me, I cannot comprehend this.

Can you swim? If you can't, why?

URL Sources:

http://www.thetakeaway.org/2012/jul/...norities-swim/

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_a...cant_swim.html

Yup, got no problems swimming. I'll never be Michael Phelps, but I've always known how to. My old man pretty much threw me in a lake when I was a littlun and that was that.

No, I don't know why so many people don't know how to swim. Even for landlocked states, there are very likely some lakes or rivers in the general area that are safe to swim in. Larger cities will often have family-focused YMCAs, which are often very cheap or even free for low-income families and which will nearly always have public swimming pools.

[Tastyfish]

In the US there where those "whites only" pools that were pretty commom.. start there if you really want to know.

[Stormcall]

Wealth inequality, combined with a society that doesn't really care about the poor is a big part of it.

Learning to swim requires access to a pool and an instructor. While these aren't particularly high requirements, if your school can't afford a pool they're not going to have swim class. And if you're going to a school that's that poorly off

Has nothing to do with being poorly off, even the majority of schools that do well here don't have a swim class-it's just not considered important, at least not in north Texas. I imagine schools in the middle of the country it even less important. As for me, I can sorta swim(I spent half a summer at a YMCA camp thing till they put my life in danger), but certainly wouldn't wanna stake my life on it, either. Why? Because I don't own a pool-neither do any of my friends, or my relatives, even the ones who could certainly afford it. I could go to a public pool if I wanted, but frankly, I have no real desire to do so. School didn't teach it, and it's not like I ever go out to sea or out on the lakes, either, so why would I even care to learn? Like the guy said below, it doesn't affect me to begin with, so it's not really an issue. I mean, I couldn't shoot a target a mile away and I couldn't pilot an airplane either, but since I'm not an army sniper and pretty much never get on an airplane...I have no REASON to learn those things.

[PizzaSHARK]

Wealth inequality, combined with a society that doesn't really care about the poor is a big part of it.

Learning to swim requires access to a pool and an instructor. While these aren't particularly high requirements, if your school can't afford a pool they're not going to have swim class. And if you're going to a school that's that poorly off, you are less likely to have a parent or other figure who can and will make sure you learn how to swim.

I don't feel like it's income disparity. Like I said, there are public-access lakes and streams nearly everywhere in the country that you could take your kids to and teach them how to not immediately start drowning if they end up falling into a body of water.

It could be due to low income mentality, though... and a lot of low income families are pretty dysfunctional, too, unfortunately...

[Stormcall]

No, I don't know why so many people don't know how to swim. Even for landlocked states, there are very likely some lakes or rivers in the general area that are safe to swim in. Larger cities will often have family-focused YMCAs, which are often very cheap or even free for low-income families and which will nearly always have public swimming pools.

If someone doesn't own a gun and doesn't care about shooting, it doesn't matter how many gun ranges are in the area, they're not going to learn how to strip and clean a pistol.

[Kazlofski]

How can some people NOT know how to cook? Or play games decently without being a bad in it? Everyone is born with brains after all. People are different, good at some stuff, worse at others.

[raist187]

As someone who was in a pool before I was walking and was a certified SCUBA diver at age 12, the idea of not knowing how to swim is a concept I simply cannot grasp. By the way, to those of you saying you can't even float? Protip: breathe off the top half of your lungs. More air in lungs = more buoyant, much easier to float.

[Wiyld]

If someone doesn't own a gun and doesn't care about shooting, it doesn't matter how many gun ranges are in the area, they're not going to learn how to strip and clean a pistol.

Actually your own example works against you as MANY people who do not own guns visit gun ranges for the chance to learn how to shoot one just for shits and giggles. Its a big reason gun shops have ranges, so they can let people try them out and decide 'hey this is cool im gonna buy this'.



I can understand not being very good at swimming, sure ok maybe you haven't done it much, but I do not understand the terror some people feel toward it. I'm not talking about actual phobics, just people who are genuinely scared of even trying. I have a couple black friends who are so damn scared of so many things its baffling. I get the feeling that within black culture in the US kids get taught to be terrified of things they aren't intimately familiar with. I think it probably goes along with the 'you can't do that' mentality that is so prevalent in that culture as well. Whereas white parents spend a ton of time trying to convince their kids that 'you can do anything you want if you put your mind to it' ( right or wrong they want to make their kids feel better about themselves ) it seems to be an opposite lesson being taught in black families. I just don't understand it.

For example, our group of friends went spelunking one time, and the only person who seemed genuinely scared was the one black guy who came with us. I've known him for years, hes in great physical shape, probably the best of the group and yet he doubted his ability to make it through the caves. We made it of course, it wasn't that big of a deal, but even after doing it he swears hes never going to do it again. When he talks about it he still treats the whole thing as if hes lucky to have survived. I mean really, I'm pretty sure if people were dying left and right this place wouldn't still be open giving tours.

Just so much fear, so much insecurity, I don't understand it.

[vindicatorx]

Lot of inner city kids never leave the inner city and aren't around a lot of pools would be the reason I would think.

[Stormcall]

Actually your own example works against you as MANY people who do not own guns visit gun ranges for the chance to learn how to shoot one just for shits and giggles. Its a big reason gun shops have ranges, so they can let people try them out and decide 'hey this is cool im gonna buy this'.

Reread what I wrote champ. "If someone doesn't own a gun and doesn't care about shooting". See that last part better now?

My stepmom has no interest in shooting, even though my dad has a pistol. She doesn't CARE about shooting, so even with having ACCESS to the gun and plenty of ranges in the area, she's never shot one and knows nothing about it. My Nanny was the same way with my Papaw, they were married for decades, yet she never once learned a thing about his rifles despite him being willing to teach her. I have friends who won't go to the range with me simply because they DON'T CARE ABOUT SHOOTING.

[Deleted]

i can swim, fully clothed ? not as well but i could probably do a few 100 metres still.

[LeginNoslen]

Have you ever had a dream where if you could flap your arms hard enough you could fly? This is what swimming basically is.

[Sky High]

honestly i cant name one person in my whole family and now extended family (mother remarrying) who DONT know how to swim. same goes for pretty much every person i know friend or otherwise who haven't gone to the beach or a lake, pool or river to go swimming. myself i was taught at a very early age how to swim, jeez if my not mistaken as young as 4-5 and i consider myself a competent swimmer, not olympic level but if i need to swim to safety or tread water i would be capable of doing so. during the summer my parents would send me and my sister to the local swimming pool with the summer long pass to keep us occupied and out of trouble.

[PizzaSHARK]

If someone doesn't own a gun and doesn't care about shooting, it doesn't matter how many gun ranges are in the area, they're not going to learn how to strip and clean a pistol.

I guess the next question then would be "why would you not want to learn how to not drown?"

[Alvito]

Turns out not everybody has access to pools, lakes or other bodies of water. Hell some grow up with out bath tubs, not that you could swim in them. I know at least 3 ppl on WoW that have mentioned that they don't know how to swim or have never done it.

---------- Post added 2013-03-23 at 12:34 AM ----------

If you don't live near water and don't go to pools then when would you have ever learned?

I haven't been swimming in years. I'm a fairly decent swimmer (or was at least), but it's not part of life in any real way and I doubt my life would be impacted much if I didn't know how. I've never had to use that knowledge to save myself, or anyone else from drowning or anything.

Yeah we have far too many ppl assuming that everybody has some sort of water access. For the masses in the US being able to or not will not impact your life in one way or another.

[Pool of the Dead]

Wealth inequality, combined with a society that doesn't really care about the poor is a big part of it.

Learning to swim requires access to a pool and an instructor. While these aren't particularly high requirements, if your school can't afford a pool they're not going to have swim class. And if you're going to a school that's that poorly off, you are less likely to have a parent or other figure who can and will make sure you learn how to swim.

I learnt to swim with my cousin in a Creek when I was 4.

And saying it has something to do with the poor seems irrelevant. People learn to walk and run when they are poor, why not swim?

Sounds like poor excuses to me.