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Surprise! Northeast Philly Is Still Racist!

thats_racistWhile we were at lunch, like a hundred of you sent in this link to an NBCPhiladelphia story about the very possibly and, yeah, almost 100% certainly racist-as-fuck Valley Swim Club in the Grayt Norfeest. To which we say: You interrupted our delicious Wendy’s for this? What are you, new? Sure, ejecting 60 kids from a paid membership at a swim club because they’re, uh, black seems a bit much, but maybe you haven’t been to Northeast Philly lately. Remember what it was like there when you were a kid? Well, imagine that same sort of put-upon White Man’s Burden/Fightin’ Irish bullshit that was au courant in the 1980s and just update it with an outside world that has a black president. Translation: It’s probably worse, because everyone who used to live there and just try, in their own meek way, to just live with this bullshit and get through their days has already picked up and moved to Center City already. Anyway, the real story here is whether Valley Swim Club prez John Duesler — who actually issued a statement saying “There was concern that a lot of kids would change the complexion … and the atmosphere of the club” — is the same John Duesler who led the Obama Blood Drive earlier this year and is a large proponent of frisbee golf, the Next Great American Sport. For now, we’re gonna guess “No” on part one and “Possibly Yes” on part two. We’ll let you know when he calls us back. Cannonball!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 at 2:48 pm.

  • http://www.gophila.com cb

    Honestly, I would love it if this was a spoof rather than real life. It seems like it, because it’s so out there. And sickening.

  • pwoowoo

    Not trying to say that this isn’t absurd and completely unethical, but it isn’t philadelphia.

    19006 = Huntingdon Valley, PA

  • tips

    Oh come on. Look at a map. H-Valley is bordered by Welsh Rd. and Red Lion Road. It may have a different zip or pizza pretzel place but it’s culturally Norfeast.

  • pwoowoo

    easy tips, i didn’t take away from how wrong the situation is, just calling it what it is. NOT PHILADELPHIA.

  • tips

    In that case, then, maybe there’s an agreement to be had here: I’ve always been of the mind that the Norfeast itself is NOT PHILADELPHIA, either. Let’s be friends!

  • pwoowoo

    tips, correlation does not equal causation. Just because H-Valley has a correlation to the northeast, does mean that the cultural biased behaviour of some caused this.

    A quick search proves that John Duesler actually resides in H-Valley (obv not listing his address).

  • pwoowoo

    edit, doesn’t. my bad.

  • http://www.webkist.com/ MikeWebkist

    They may have a H-V address, but look at a map. South of the train tracks. Practically Somerton. I’m surprised their website isn’t in Russian.

  • pwoowoo

    Just to get it straight, its cool to call someone out for saying they aren’t from philly when they are actually from a neighboring township/county

    But when a news source incorrectly lumps a part of the city in with a shitty situation, it is ok because it is berating the northeast.

  • tips

    @pwoowoo: Please do let the Norfeast Persecution Complex talk ramble on. Lovin’ it!

  • pwoowoo

    Will do.

  • PhillyPhever

    Zillionaire Gerry Lenfest lives in Huntingdon Valley. Just sayin.’

  • http://johnmahlman-is.a.geek.net John Mahlman
  • jburnside

    well, here is a news flash… THE ONGOING PURPOSE OF PRIVATE SWIM CLUBS IN THE NORTHEAST IS TO KEEP THEM WHITE.

    A members only policy allows them control who is swimming next to them.

    I fully understand why they threw them out what I don’t get is why they were allowed in in the first place.

    What pinhead thought it would be a good idea to unleash a hoard of inner city kids into a suburban swim club? Obviously a homosexual Obama supporter.

    Here is a little info you might not know… Most of the members of those swim clubs are Philly cops looking for a little oasis from the African Americans during their time off.

  • expat attack

    Is that really jburnside?

    I mean, although he is an out and out moron, he normally dresses up his racism, misogyny, and closet-induced homophobia with what he considers “wit”, poor as it may be. This seems a little on the sleeve.

    Admittedly it’s been a while since I’ve seen a burnie comment. Maybe the bat shit has finally done its damage.

  • sumshine

    I grew up in the Northeast and until I was like 18 honestly thought everyone who lived in HV were rich and really fancy. So embarrassing. In any event, most of that swim club’s members are probably from the Northeast so it makes no difference. I belonged to a swim club in Fox Chase as a kid and there was not a single minority at that club. I am so glad to be out of the Northeast forever, not that they would have me and my brown boyfriend at this point anyway. Anyway, this story sucks and its fucked how blase the club and its owner are about the whole thing.

  • Edizzle

    I tried to move out of the Northeast, but my neighbors said they’d burn the house down. Oh wait, that was Fishtown. Or Bridesburg. Or Port Richmond. Or everywhere else.

  • Grapesoda

    I don’t hate blacks, or whites. I hate all stupid people equally. In philadelphia the major of stupids are blacks. In tx it’s mexicans. In florida it’s whites. So on and so forth.

  • expat attack

    Grapesoda, you’re a total cunt. You know that, right? Also, you should really, really look for typos before asserting who the “the major of stupids” are in Philadelphia.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000985534082 Elizabeth Aspen

    I’m not racist, but I couldn’t even finish this article because of the annoying gif looping over and over again. It’s a good message, just not on a loop, might wanna change it.