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Small-Scale Question Sunday for October 18, 2026

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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continued to exist into the 1990s

1990 was 36 years ago

"famously"; some scumbag journalist implied the club president said it was whites only, which he disputed, and they inducted a black guy within months

it was only social opprobrium, not legal threat

are you claiming a golf club in 2026, 36 years after 1990, wouldn't face legal threats after being "famously" whites-only? otherwise, what's the point here?

what's your actual argument?

Okay, here you go: a couple of bona fide whites-only organizations still active at least within the past few years.

My actual argument is that whites-only private clubs are exactly as legal as black-only, Indian-only, Latino-only, etc., private clubs. They are practically non-existent for reasons of social censure, not due to legal threats (if you can find recent examples of truly private whites-only or white male-only clubs that integrated or disbanded due to a court decision, I’d welcome such examples). Additionally, truly black-only clubs are also fairly rare on the ground, albeit more common than whites-only clubs, as most clubs and organizations that seem at first blush to be black-only are technically open to others as well (and in fact many do have non-black members). They face less social scrutiny, but they operate under the exact same legal framework that a whites-only club would operate under.

Finally, though this hasn’t come up because I don’t think it’s in dispute, it’s worth noting that plenty of all-white, all-black, all-Indian, etc., organizations still exist, even though they don’t have any explicit racial rules around joining. I can think of several gun clubs, Lions Heritage groups, scouting organizations, lodges, American Legion posts, churches, and a few other non-profits in my area (some of which I’ve been a part of) that have exclusively white membership, even in areas that are not exclusively white. For that matter, I know of a number of small businesses that have only white male employees.