Do many Sidwell families belong to the Chevy Chase Club?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please, wake up people. All clubs with lengthy and strict membership requirements "blackball", as you put it. This is an unattractive word meaning someone is not voted to be a member. Columbia, Congressional, Burning Tree, Cosmos, Metropolitan, Kenwood, etc all have a process to vet prospective members. These clubs, including Chevy, do not "blackball" because you're jewish or black (for example). Persons seeking membership may not be voted in or may be discouraged from continuing in the process if they either exhibit behavior that members do not approve of (being rude to staff, inappropriate behavior, etc) or if a significant number of current members write detailed letters against someone seeking membership. These letters are not written because of your religion or the color of your skin, they are negative personal experiences members have had with you. If someone is mean, rude, behaves inappropriately, has treated people badly, etc and enough people have experienced it and feel strongly enough about it to write a letter, then someone may not be admitted. It's not about the color of your skin or your religion, it's about you as a person - your character, values, personality, behavior, etc.

Back in the day, wasn't Burning Tree known as "Burning Cross"?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh come ON! You don't think that that happens at Congo as well? Please. I'm on the membership committee but I don't play with every prospective member. We have young kids so I don't go to every sponsored cocktail meet and greet. Of course some bad apples slip in (usually legacies in my experience). You can't tell me about racism until you have facts about how many POC or other minorities have even applied. We can't keep people out who don't apply to join in the first place.

If the nickname for Congressional is "Congo," what then do they call the help?

[Anonymous]

You naysayers are so hypocritical. Who makes a comment like above and then turns around and says these clubs are prejudiced. You are the one with the issues and bias. Members of these clubs respect the staff and call them by their names, of course. Many of these clubs are lovely, peaceful, and very respectful places for both members and staff. Stop your ignorant statements and move along. Good news for everyone, if you don't like clubs then you don't have to join one.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh come ON! You don't think that that happens at Congo as well? Please. I'm on the membership committee but I don't play with every prospective member. We have young kids so I don't go to every sponsored cocktail meet and greet. Of course some bad apples slip in (usually legacies in my experience). You can't tell me about racism until you have facts about how many POC or other minorities have even applied. We can't keep people out who don't apply to join in the first place.

If the nickname for Congressional is "Congo," what then do they call the help?

You mean the employees of the club? We call them by their first names. You have issues.

[Anonymous]

Oh, please. I am a member at Chevy and the only difference between me and a typical Sidwell mom is that when I was a teenager my after school jobs were (i) cleaning the bathrooms at our local Safeway and (ii) gardening/weeding at the restaurant up the street. (Being a roofer, waitress and nanny -- then BigLaw partner -- came later.)

[Anonymous]

Isn't this the club that had such a problem with rude kids being dropped off and left unsupervised that they had to send all of the members a letter reminding them that the club staff is not there to babysit?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Please, wake up people. All clubs with lengthy and strict membership requirements "blackball", as you put it. This is an unattractive word meaning someone is not voted to be a member. Columbia, Congressional, Burning Tree, Cosmos, Metropolitan, Kenwood, etc all have a process to vet prospective members. These clubs, including Chevy, do not "blackball" because you're jewish or black (for example). Persons seeking membership may not be voted in or may be discouraged from continuing in the process if they either exhibit behavior that members do not approve of (being rude to staff, inappropriate behavior, etc) or if a significant number of current members write detailed letters against someone seeking membership. These letters are not written because of your religion or the color of your skin, they are negative personal experiences members have had with you. If someone is mean, rude, behaves inappropriately, has treated people badly, etc and enough people have experienced it and feel strongly enough about it to write a letter, then someone may not be admitted. It's not about the color of your skin or your religion, it's about you as a person - your character, values, personality, behavior, etc.

You can keep telling yourself that the religion or color of the skin or the person doesn't matter but all there clubs have a history and many of the people that openly did not want jews or blacks at these clubs are still there.

I have been to many of these clubs as a guest and it still reeks of the same feeling.

[Anonymous]

Sure you have.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please, wake up people. All clubs with lengthy and strict membership requirements "blackball", as you put it. This is an unattractive word meaning someone is not voted to be a member. Columbia, Congressional, Burning Tree, Cosmos, Metropolitan, Kenwood, etc all have a process to vet prospective members. These clubs, including Chevy, do not "blackball" because you're jewish or black (for example). Persons seeking membership may not be voted in or may be discouraged from continuing in the process if they either exhibit behavior that members do not approve of (being rude to staff, inappropriate behavior, etc) or if a significant number of current members write detailed letters against someone seeking membership. These letters are not written because of your religion or the color of your skin, they are negative personal experiences members have had with you. If someone is mean, rude, behaves inappropriately, has treated people badly, etc and enough people have experienced it and feel strongly enough about it to write a letter, then someone may not be admitted. It's not about the color of your skin or your religion, it's about you as a person - your character, values, personality, behavior, etc.

You can keep telling yourself that the religion or color of the skin or the person doesn't matter but all there clubs have a history and many of the people that openly did not want jews or blacks at these clubs are still there.

I have been to many of these clubs as a guest and it still reeks of the same feeling.

There are a lot of nice people at these clubs and if you like golf I can understand joining some of them - especially Congressional because it has a world famous course. However I do agree that while many people at Chevy are nice, it is the only club that I repeatedly hear negative stories about many of its members' behavior and actions toward others. Many stories are from members themselves. And yes it is true that they still blackball and did blackball at least two Jewish families 2 years ago.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh come ON! You don't think that that happens at Congo as well? Please. I'm on the membership committee but I don't play with every prospective member. We have young kids so I don't go to every sponsored cocktail meet and greet. Of course some bad apples slip in (usually legacies in my experience). You can't tell me about racism until you have facts about how many POC or other minorities have even applied. We can't keep people out who don't apply to join in the first place.

If the nickname for Congressional is "Congo," what then do they call the help?

You mean the employees of the club? We call them by their first names. You have issues.

Thank YOU, Mr. Mortimer.

[Anonymous]

Is there a uniform requirement for women members? I went during the summer and have never seen such a display of black swimwear and oversized sunglasses. I thought maybe it was in the agreements?

[Anonymous]

What is the point of these clubs again??? Can you people not find friends on your own?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is the point of these clubs again??? Can you people not find friends on your own?

It allows them to network and only socialize with certain people. Someone I know applying now is always talking business at school events and clearly they are social climbing for firm purposes. I would pay to avoid people like this not pay to spend time with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh come ON! You don't think that that happens at Congo as well? Please. I'm on the membership committee but I don't play with every prospective member. We have young kids so I don't go to every sponsored cocktail meet and greet. Of course some bad apples slip in (usually legacies in my experience). You can't tell me about racism until you have facts about how many POC or other minorities have even applied. We can't keep people out who don't apply to join in the first place.

If the nickname for Congressional is "Congo," what then do they call the help?

You mean the employees of the club? We call them by their first names. You have issues.

Thank YOU, Mr. Mortimer.

I wonder if either of the pp heard the joke whizzing over their heads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Oh come ON! You don't think that that happens at Congo as well? Please. I'm on the membership committee but I don't play with every prospective member. We have young kids so I don't go to every sponsored cocktail meet and greet. Of course some bad apples slip in (usually legacies in my experience). You can't tell me about racism until you have facts about how many POC or other minorities have even applied. We can't keep people out who don't apply to join in the first place.

If the nickname for Congressional is "Congo," what then do they call the help?

You mean the employees of the club? We call them by their first names. You have issues.

Thank YOU, Mr. Mortimer.

I wonder if either of the pp heard the joke whizzing over their heads.

No, I got it, but uninformed racism isn't funny to me.