I'm enjoying the video essay on "Freakonomics" from "Unlearning Economics" an excellent youTube channel that deals with the academic side of economics.

In the video he criticizes the much maligned freakenomics "factoid" that claims that swimming pools are more dangerous to children than guns.

The analysis in the video essay is good, however, as a city pool advocate, I need to point out why this is much worse than even being wrong.

You see... swimming pools can help *prevent* drowning deaths.

Here in NYC there are a lot of people who never had the chance to learn to swim, despite living on an island, by the ocean, one that can occasionally cause floods.

The city has struggled with the issue of public pools for a century. Pools are often targeted by austerity cuts.

There is nothing frivolous about being able to swim.

Growing up with opportunities to swim makes you less likely to drown for life.

You see... swimming pools can help *prevent* drowning deaths.

Here in NYC there are a lot of people who never had the chance to learn to swim, despite living on an island, by the ocean, one that can occasionally cause floods.

The city has struggled with the issue of public pools for a century. Pools are often targeted by austerity cuts.

There is nothing frivolous about being able to swim.

Growing up with opportunities to swim makes you less likely to drown for life.

You see... swimming pools can help *prevent* drowning deaths.

Here in NYC there are a lot of people who never had the chance to learn to swim, despite living on an island, by the ocean, one that can occasionally cause floods.

The city has struggled with the issue of public pools for a century. Pools are often targeted by austerity cuts.

There is nothing frivolous about being able to swim.

Growing up with opportunities to swim makes you less likely to drown for life.

@futurebird

Aren’t basic swimming and water safety part of the national curriculum in the United States? If not, why not?

While six lessons in grade four doesn’t get a child very far, it does teach some basic floating and drownproofing and water safety rules. It also pushes municipalities to ensure there are public pools available where schools can bring kids for the basic program.

Both where I grew up in British Columbia many years ago and where we raised our kids in Ontario, grade four swimming lessons were standard in public schools. For some kids, it was the first time they were in pools larger than the public wading pools in local parks.