4 ms·

There is a stereotype that "black people can't swim". May be local to the US.

• simias 9y ago
  It's not, it's a cultural thing, even in Africa. There are probably socio-economic reasons on top of that (swimming is kind of a luxury for many people). A colleague from Senegal (who didn't know how to swim himself) told me there were biological reasons as well (bone structure or something) but I'm highly dubious of that. I can believe that genetics can play a role in swimming proficiency but I doubt that it would prevent anybody from reaching very basic swimming skill levels. It's like saying that black people run faster than whites, looking at the olympics it appears to be true but that doesn't mean that white people fall over when we attempt a brisk stroll.
  • deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
• Insanity 9y ago
  I have never heard that here in Belgium. I also see black people in the pool quite frequently.
  • cr1895 9y ago
    In the Netherlands swimming instruction is compulsory for children. Is that also the case in Belgium? It's most certainly not the case in the US.
    • Insanity 9y ago
      It is. That probably is the reason we do not have that stereotype here :-) good point