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Their just retvrning to tradition
I was going to say wasn't this common in the age of sail? I remember reading something about sailors drowning often because they couldn't swim, and that was just expected
It was considered bad luck to know how to swim because the water already had a taste of you and wouldn't give you up
Which to me just sounds like they didn't care if you lived or died
That sounds like something an officer makes up to convince dudes that can't swim not to worry about it
"Fire isn't hot, it only burns you if you stand still in it"
"Electricity is just air moving really fast, as long you cover yourself with something you'll be fine"
"Bee's can't sting you if you wear red"
I mean, if you're a sailor and you end up overboard, you're probably gonna die. Idk if you have ever been in the North Sea, but it is cold and choppy and even a modern life vest wont keep you alive for long. Even a strong swimmer stands little chamce of survival if they go overboard on a ship.
oh yea I'm aware of how deadly cold water can be. I agree all those dudes were probably going to die anyway if their ship sunk, it just sounded like something you'd say if you just don't want someone dwelling on that fact
i've never gone into the sea for precisely this reason, i am delicious and will only trust waters that cannot eat me
Aye, the briny deep is a fine broth and I am but the most supple of sweetmeats
It was really because it didn't make a difference - if you went overboard, you died, no matter how good at swimming you were.
If they can't swim away... they can't get away. 
I'm going to laugh if they bring back the draft and people just go
"...nah"
Tbf if you throw enough bodies at the problem eventually youll just be able to walk across the dead bodies no need for swimming tyvm
NONONO only evil Soviet Union uses sheer numbers
We civilized ubermensch only need a few genetically pure supermen (and a few brown meat shields) to put the rabble in their place
The race's finish line be like: 
...but in a little sailor cap
second strongest country in the world :))))
While its fun to dunk on, all it means is that British Navy basic training is just going to have their sailor boys learning to swim instead of just expecting them to already know how.
Its gonna be a net negative for the anti war crowd because this just opens up recruiting to poorer people who don't have time/access to swimming pools and swimming lessons.
Yelling out how expendable you are as I cry and ask for more of you to join my declining navy.
Homer Joins The Royal Navy
Truly this is the Sick Man of Europe.
I'm not trying to be rude, but how can you not know how to swim? Like not talking race or long distance, but just like... Keep your head above water and move forward? I feel like that's just natural? Would love to be enlightened
It's a bit of a class thing since you need to either have physical access to a swimmable body of water or have economic access to a pool and then have the free time to either teach your kids yourself or the money and free time to drop them off at swim lessons.
In the US, black Americans are the most likely to not know how to swim and poor Americans in general are more likely to not know how.
I can't see how it's a class thing, like you can live by water without it being beachfront property. Plenty of poor people live by the water all over the world and in the US. I guess I just don't understand, but I thank you for trying to explain
i live in a dry place, there ain't swimming depth bodies of water that aren't artificial, and you've got to pay to swim at most of them. our rivers are pathetic and an adult would be hard pressed to drown in one so it's also mostly useless to learn unless it's for recreation
That sucks 
Pollution.
is this a serious comment
I never got a grasp of how to breathe for front crawl, because it is tiring and I always needed more air than I could get in between arm strokes. Maybe if I had better technique so I was less out of breath, then I wouldn't need as much air and I'd figure it out, but whatever.
Swimming is pretty hard and tiring if you aren't using proper form and trying to streamline yourself. If you can only swim 10m until you get tired then that's basically the same as not knowing how to swim.
If I lived near a community pool maybe I'd try and learn/practice during lane swim times, but I don't and gyms with pools are too expensive monthly.
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If you lack exposure to the water. It doesn't come perfectly naturally, especially if you are a bit older and have developed a fear. It's definitely easier to learn if you're younger.
But that's kinda what I mean, I don't get the "learning" part. Swimming is like... Climbing a tree or digging or doing some other somewhat complicated but approachable task. You're not gonna be great at it, but isn't there an intuitive approach you have?
I've never ran Track & Field or polevaulted, but I'm sure I could kinda do the simplest of simple of those. Not great or competitively, but I would be able to do it. I feel like it would be that with swimming too - Youre not gonna be great, but you're going to figure out a way to move yourself forward pretty intuitively
I learned to swim before I have memory but imagine it’s due to panicking or not knowing how to float efficiently meaning you tire out fast and take big gulps of water.
Probably not dressed for swimming either. Shoes and draggy clothing definitely don't help!
That makes sense
Why would anyone drown if swimming was that easy? It's like riding a bike: trivial and instinctive for those who know, but dangerous and complicated for those who don't.
Because its physically demanding. Im sorry but swimming is easy. And again, i feel like I have to reiterate: when I say swimming I mean "keeping your head above water and moving in a direction of your choice". Dogs know how to do it! Not talking long distance or fast or for a long period, I'm just talking "not immediately sinking when you hit water".
Others have taken the time to explain that that's not what they mean when they say they cannot swim. I assumed "I cannot swim" meant "I cannot swim" and not "I cannot swim very well". I guess its just one of those quirks of language.
Most people don't drown in water by the way, they freeze to death.
That's like saying "whistling is easy, just put your lips together and blow." Though it is easy, that's only if you already know how to move your body in the right ways. Some people can intuit the motions without guidance but I'm telling you that it's far from everyone.
Also unlike whistling or biking, if you mess up swimming you die. Even in a shallow pool.
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I can only guess that people panic
I didn't really get a proper grasp on anything but the backstroke until I took adult swimming classes in my 20s.
It doesn't help that not knowing how to swim doesn't stop gym class from forcing you to participate. I drank a lot of chlorine during 2 weeks each year.
And it's wild, I was an avid distance runner, biker, and tree/rock climber. Swimming just didn't click for me for some reason.
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i for one support these new standards
Being able to swim when stationed on a ship sounds way more useful than it actually is. In a 'man overboard' situation, it doesn't help you much, you get fucked by the inertia of a massive ship that can't just turn around and pick you up. By the time they manage to turn around the ship, the real problem is actually finding you. Even if you're an excellent swimmer, your chances of survival are very low.
Breaking News: UK Royal Air Force no longer requires knowing how to fly a plane to join (Source: Me)
Reminds me of Marx talking about the downward trend of height requirements in armies.
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this post was submitted on 14 Apr 2024
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