"Chiropractic Country Clubs"

There has been quite a bit of new national attention to the world of golf recently. Not because of the sport's growing popularity. Not because of the skillful or heroic play of certain golf professionals. Not because our nation's V.P. might prefer spending time on Congressional National golf course fairways than on congressional business.

But because of racism.

Shoal Creek is an exclusive country club in Birmingham, Alabama, which had been chosen as the site of a major professional golf tournament, the 1990 PGA Championship. It is claimed to have one of the finest golf courses in the country. The facilities and clubhouse are of the high quality and style one might expect to find at a private country club where membership fees are high enough to afford such luxury.

The club members are successful and noteworthy members of the community. One thing that was most recently noted of them was that, until this summer, all the members were white. It wasn't just coincidence, either, as confirmed by the club's founder, Hall Thompson, who publicly declared Shoal Creek's position, station, "We have the right to associate or not to associate with whomever we choose. The country club is our home and we pick and choose who we want ... I think we've said that we don't discriminate in every other area except the blacks."

Despite Thompson's apologetics, the public erupted. Under pressure, Shoal Creek admitted its first black, even if only honorary, member, Louis Willie. The club's policies could not stand up to the values of fairness and equality.

It's not likely that anything would have changed had Thompson not had to air Shoal Creek's linens in his quote to the media, I believe. Had he been given another opportunity, Thompson probably would never have said anything about the exclusionary policies. To the other bigoted members in control of making these policies, Thompson is just one of the good ol' boys. To a thinking public, he's an intolerable racist.

Unfortunately, I see a few parallels in chiropractic. Chiropractic has for many years had lots of dirty laundry. It's not a matter of whites, blacks, and membership -- it's mixers, straights and licensure. In fact, Thompson's quote reminded me of something I had read about Florida and David Boschowitz, D.C., former Florida Chiropractic Association president, reportedly bragging about his efforts to keep SCASA out of Florida. This is not to say that Florida is the only place where the Chiropractic Country Club attitude exists. It might just as well be in any state which arbitrarily excludes SCASA while accepting CCE. You might someday hear something like, "I think we've said that we don't discriminate in the area of straight chiropractic except for the SCASA straights."

This, just like racism, is intolerable. Exclusionary thinking is wrong no matter where it takes places; whether in Alabama country clubs or chiropractic licensing procedures across the nation. The bigots know this, too, of course. Why else would they want to keep such things out of the public eye for fear of embarrassment or other consequence?

It just may be that it would be very difficult to defend an anti-SCASA policy to a public of thinking people. Being uncovered and visible as a bigot would draw attention. That's why the anti-SCASA klan worries more about what the legislators hear at sunset hearings and other political fora. They claim that chiropractors shouldn't have their arguments in public because it makes the profession look bad. I agree that it would be better if we could resolve our differences without all the exposure. But I also believe that quiet racism and discrimination looks and is much worse. Sometimes exposure is what makes something happen.

If your country club has fair policies, it doesn't need to keep them quiet. This profession should be proud to say that it accepts CCE and SCASA members equally.