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Should Women Be Allowed In The Augusta GA Country Club


mikeymedic1984

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...There is a bar in a neighborhood in KC that is known to be an all black bar. whites have been for many years turned away at the door. It's been common knowledge in the neighborhood that if you are white, you are NOT welcome at this bar. Can you imagine trying to get that bar to change it's admission policies? Not without a fight.

Actually, I was at an Elk's club (I think, or one of those kinds of local clubs all towns have) with a black friend. We'd been invited by a member, a bunch of us, to watch my cousin's band play. After we'd been sitting for 10 mins or so several men came to our table and escorted Tony (The black guy) away. I figured that they were friends of his as it didn't appear to be confrontational, though I soon went looking for him when he didn't return.

It turned out that he, and Bruce, the member that had invited us all, had been escorted from the building as the charter clearly states that it is a white's only club. This was in California in the 90's!!

Later they politely ejected another black man that turned out to be one of the most successful businessmen in this town who chose to be more vocal about it. The rule was soon changed.

I once went into a club that I'd gone to as a kid that had since turned all black. I soon noticed of course that I was the only white in the club but chose to stay because at the time I felt that that made me obviously superior and non bigoted if I could pretend not to notice color.

A BIG black man came up to me after a few minutes and asked if I would consider leaving. He explained that though I had the right to stay if I chose that I made some of the people uncomfortable in this environment. As it was the only black club in town he was worried not just for my safety but for the public reputation of the club should things turn stupid. I thought that it was a perfectly logical argument and marched my happy ass to another bar with a paler clientele...

Cultures are different, sometimes people just want to be with those that share their core energy. I'm not allowed into MENSA because I'm not smart enough. Not allowed many places because some people just want to be in a place without people like me. I'm allowed in some places that others aren't because those people, insane as it sounds, prefer my type of company over the company of others.

I have no issues with a blacks only club, or whites only, or gay only, (though I've been in each where the crowd was predominantly exclusive and always felt welcome), as long as they don't accept govt money to support their separatism. Allow a men's only club yet exclude the possibility of women making their own clubs and you'll get me up in arms. But that's just not the case here...

One of the things that Dust and I agreed on was that we often make rules for women that we used to reserve for animals and children. When we make new rules for women to force them into an all men's club we're also saying that they are too stupid or weak to create their own club of women or mixed sexes. When we make it rape to touch a drunk chicks boob at a college party we're treating her with the same respect that used to be reserved for farm animals and infants.We're making the statement that she's too stupid, or weak to know how much to drink, where to go, when to leave, or able to emotionally cope with a touched boob. Of course this diatribe is meant for the type of situation described only, not for true, violent rapes or sexual attacks.

Sometimes when we take up a person's cause it's because it makes us feel better, or superior, when in fact we're only really robbing them of the option to fend for themselves, which has been shown to me with proof to spare, that most women/gays/people of all ethnic groups are more than capable of doing for themselves. I'm not claiming that no one ever needs help. Only that at times we can smother people with help, in the guise of respect and love, to the point of helping them to become impotent.

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Damn it, got caught up in my post and forgot your invite...

We're having a BBQ in two months when I get back from my next rotation...It turns out that the petting zoo I wanted isn't available, so we'd love to have you!

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OK, but the problem is that I am not sure that they are just vaginally-intolerant. It seems that they did not allow black members until the early 90s, and up until then, all caddies "HAD" to be black. So not sure how you counter-balance those views. Nonetheless, I am guessing that somewhere here that they are incorporated, if for no other reason, for legal protection against bankruptcy and lawsuits. Then again, if it were that open and shut, I am sure some fringe legal group would have been successful in getting them to change by now

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but let me ask this question, would you want to be the first black member who forced his way into the club or the first woman who forced her way into the club?

I'm not sure if I am that person. I'll let some forward thinking person willing to take the heat to be that person.

You've got to be willing to take the heat and the risk to be the first. Court ruling/judgement or not.

Plus I thought the Augusta club was by invitation only, you can't just walk up to the membership office and apply. It's by invite only I believe.

Edited by Captain Kickass
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Dwayne makes an interesting point- essentially about "helping" someone into impotence. This may be a bit of a tangent, but not too far off, I think. This is my general feeling about set asides, quotas, and special treatment for any group that has been marginalized in some way. It starts when groups decide they need to take a stand to shed light on a problem- sit ins, protests, boycotts, marches, rallies, etc. After laws are passed, eliminated, and/or changed to effect some wanted change, how much more "help" should be provided? I think- as Dwayne mentioned- when we try to show how compassionate/neutral/unbiased/helpful we are, too often we end up being condescending or patronizing. Folks ARE different- race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic levels, education... the list is endless. Yes, we have far more commonalities than differences, but to artificially enforce some utopian ideal that we all WANT to spend all our time in diverse environments is absurd.

Sometimes women simply want to be women- with other women- without feeling the need to be "on their game" with men around. Same with men. Why is this so difficult to accept for so many people?

Are scores of women clamoring to be admitted to Augusta National? I don't think so. Are there a few who would like to be members? I'm quite sure- maybe for the prestige, maybe for the networking possibilities, maybe simply because they have achieved such power and wealth that they can. I am quite sure many more men would like to be members but cannot, due to the exclusivity of the club's membership rules.

Women have their own domains as well- spas, hair and nail salons, female health clubs, etc- where most men simply do not want to be or simply are not allowed. There they can network, socialize, and make deals with each other- to the exclusion of men.

I think the only reason the issue with Augusta arose again is because one of the Master's major sponsors is IBM, who's current CEO happens to be a female. Certainly ironic, but I don't even know if she's the one who raised this issue. It seems to be yet another case of someone else deciding who should be offended and claiming to know what's best for someone else.

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