# What is "adult swim"? (not the TV network) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 17, 2015, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-adult-swim-not-the-tv-network/722717 "2015-06-17T02:27:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-adult-swim-not-the-tv-network/722717/41 "2015-06-17T19:17:03Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > Now that I finally understand what adult swim is, I have to say WTF, I can only imagine some pedophobic people secretly smiling in pleasure to see all the children be herded out of the pool, Children standing around sometimes shivering for no other reason then their own twisted sense of self pleasure. I have to say WTF to this. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-adult-swim-not-the-tv-network/722717/42 "2015-06-17T20:01:30Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > I have to say WTF to this. As I lifeguard for many years, I echo your sentiment. Adult Swim was a boon for the parents, the kids, and the lifeguards. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-adult-swim-not-the-tv-network/722717/43 "2015-06-17T21:07:29Z")
I would never have made any kind of pedophilic connection, but I’ll cop to finding the practice strange. Ten minutes of swimming kid free every hour? Yay? I don’t get how this would be worth the trouble. Of course, I hate swimming anyway so… ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-adult-swim-not-the-tv-network/722717/44 "2015-06-17T23:01:01Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > …but I’ll cop to finding the practice strange. Ten minutes of swimming kid free every hour? Yay? I don’t get how this would be worth the trouble. FWIW, the pool where I grew up didn’t do that. Instead they had adult swim from 5-7PM or some such. But I can see the advantages. Lifeguards tend to space out: it’s hard to maintain high concentration. There are cases where people have drowned right it front of them: some drown without making loud sounds. So providing a rest break every hour or so might be helpful. What the heck, here’s a cite: [INDENT][INDENT]…visual search behavior is a challenging behavioral task (Duncan & Humphreys, 1989; Wolfe, 1998), especially when the target behavior is rare, as in perception of drownings.[/INDENT][/INDENT] [http://jpepsy.oxfordjournals.org/content/32/7/862.full](http://jpepsy.oxfordjournals.org/content/32/7/862.full) ETA: Cite2: [Lifeguards: A Forgotten Aspect of Drowning Prevention - PMC](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3134895/) ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-adult-swim-not-the-tv-network/722717/45 "2015-06-17T23:12:46Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > I would never have made any kind of pedophilic connection, but I’ll cop to finding the practice strange. Ten minutes of swimming kid free every hour? Yay? I don’t get how this would be worth the trouble. > > Of course, I hate swimming anyway so… Adult swims aren’t for swimming. They’re for getting in the pool without getting clobbered by kids. Imagine you’re at a crowded community pool, or a swim club pool, or a country club pool. Hot summer weekend, so it’s packed with kids, all screaming, splashing, racing, generally being kids. You, as an adult, would like to hang out in the pool for a bit without getting splashed, bumped into, kicked, etc. So they kick the kids out once an hour so the adults who are paying to be there can cool off. At the swim club we were in when I was a kid it was usually 15 minutes at the top of each hour on crowded days. It was usually women & seniors who waited for adult swims - the dads mostly didn’t care. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-adult-swim-not-the-tv-network/722717/46 "2015-06-17T23:21:33Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Ten minutes of swimming kid free every hour? Yay? I don’t get how this would be worth the trouble. I’ve pretty much planned my life around avoiding kids. I actively search out events that are kid free. And specifically avoid all-age events. I agree ten minutes out of every hour would not cut it for me. However a 2-3hr adult swim might. Also booze. But yeah, for the breeders that had to drag their obnoxious fuck trophies out in public and had to be there anyway, a 10 minute break would be a nice rest. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-adult-swim-not-the-tv-network/722717/47 "2015-06-17T23:39:36Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > I’ve pretty much planned my life around avoiding kids. I actively search out events that are kid free. And specifically avoid all-age events. I agree ten minutes out of every hour would not cut it for me. However a 2-3hr adult swim might. Also booze. > > But yeah, for the breeders that had to drag their obnoxious fuck trophies out in public and had to be there anyway, a 10 minute break would be a nice rest. Did you spring fully formed from your father’s forehead like Athena or something? ---
**Author:** ![core](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@core](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/core)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2015, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-adult-swim-not-the-tv-network/722717/48 "2015-06-17T23:57:07Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > Also, sometimes booze is allowed. I was under the (possibly mistaken) impression that booze was generally always allowed in hotel pool areas, adult swim time or not. As long as it’s not in a glass container. I mean what’s the point of getting in a hot tub full of womens if there isn’t booze involved. Might as well stay in the room and watch Sesame Street. ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-adult-swim-not-the-tv-network/722717/49 "2015-06-18T00:02:14Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Did you spring fully formed from your father’s forehead like Athena or something? Kids are obnoxious little shits. I was an obnoxious little shit wen I was a kid, and now that I’m no longer little, I welcome respites from children (other than my stepdaughter, but she barely qualifies as a kid anymore) ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-adult-swim-not-the-tv-network/722717/50 "2015-06-18T00:49:01Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > …or a dumpster. A hot dumpster. Or have their own swim in a closed car and a local lake? OK - maybe that one’s been overdone. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-adult-swim-not-the-tv-network/722717/51 "2015-06-18T02:07:33Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > it means no sub-human, obnoxious infection factories ruining your good time at the pool > [@snfaulkner](#): > > …or a dumpster. A hot dumpster. > [@snfaulkner](#): > > But yeah, for the breeders that had to drag their obnoxious fuck trophies out in public and had to be there anyway, a 10 minute break would be a nice rest. **Moderator Warning** **snfaulkner** , that’s quite enough. This is an official warning for trolling and being a jerk. Don’t do this again. Colibri General Questions Moderator > [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](#): > > Kids are obnoxious little shits. I was an obnoxious little shit wen I was a kid, and now that I’m no longer little, I welcome respites from children (other than my stepdaughter, but she barely qualifies as a kid anymore) > [@kopek](#): > > Or have their own swim in a closed car and a local lake? OK - maybe that one’s been overdone. 😉 **Moderator Note** This is off topic as well. No warning issued, but if you want to complain about kids or make jokes about killing them, take it to another forum. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-adult-swim-not-the-tv-network/722717/52 "2015-06-18T02:27:35Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > **Moderator Warning** > > **snfaulkner** , that’s quite enough. This is an official warning for trolling and being a jerk. Don’t do this again. > > Colibri > General Questions Moderator My apologies. Lemme rephrase my points re:adult swim in a more polite/sterile/de-trolled manner: A certain demographic prefers not to be hassled by, or want to deal with, or be restricted by children. Adult swim (both pool policies and the network) cater to this demographic. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-adult-swim-not-the-tv-network/722717/53 "2015-06-18T02:37:55Z")
> [@Hail\_Ants](#): > > When Cartoon Network launched the Adult Swim block of programming in the Fall of 2001 (originally it just aired Friday & Saturday nights) they [used these promos.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDToHQeouq8) Hard to believe how long ago that was… I always dug those, and have thought for some time that they’d make an excellent set of bonus features on a set of DVDs for one or more of the adult swim programs. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-adult-swim-not-the-tv-network/722717/54 "2015-06-18T04:11:22Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > Lifeguards tend to space out: it’s hard to maintain high concentration. There are cases where people have drowned right it front of them: some drown without making loud sounds. So providing a rest break every hour or so might be helpful. The pool I worked at had three chairs and a roamer who walked around and around the pool. There were also at least two others in the office/check-in and a manager. We shifted every 30 minutes between the chairs and roamer and the inside plus break. That didn’t allow us to get too bored. When inside though we did get to do fun things like clean the locker rooms and bathrooms. We also had to occasionally mow. We also played a lot of Gin Rummy while inside. We did work really long hours though… Be there at 6:30 for 7 am lessons. Pool opened around 9 for others and would go until about 9 pm and then we had to close up. We were all friends though so it was a good way to spend a summer (we didn’t all work full days every day). Adult Swims were a favorite for us. We got a half hour to jump into the pool to cool down and not worry about the kids for a bit. The only thing is the kids liked to sit at the edge of the pool and try to sneak a swim under water across the shallow end. The real “adult” swims were when we got to have a guard party after hours. All kinds of interesting things happened during these. 18 to 23 year old kids and their friends/SO’s and maybe a little alcohol and it was a good time. Oh yeah… I can still twirl a whistle on a lanyard very well. ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-adult-swim-not-the-tv-network/722717/55 "2015-06-18T06:26:27Z")
I always thought it meant just like “this is the grown ups table, get ready for mature stuff” ---
**Author:** ![core](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@core](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/core)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-adult-swim-not-the-tv-network/722717/56 "2015-06-18T07:02:19Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > I always thought it meant just like “this is the grown ups table, get ready for mature stuff” Which raises the question: What happens on the “grown ups table” in your family? Same question essentially. I don’t think I want the answer to that one, for what it’s worth. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-adult-swim-not-the-tv-network/722717/57 "2015-06-18T14:27:03Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > **Moderator Note** > > This is off topic as well. No warning issued, but if you want to complain about kids or make jokes about killing them, take it to another forum. > > Colibri > General Questions Moderator Mia culpa. My apologies to everyone. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-adult-swim-not-the-tv-network/722717/58 "2015-06-18T15:08:05Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > At the private pool I frequented as a young’un, adult swim was the last ten minutes of every hour. The lifeguards blew their whistles at ten minutes before the hour, and everyone under 21 years old had to get out for those ten minutes. The pools that I worked at during college had the same policy. It gives the life guards a chance to get out of the hot sun. Also a the have a chance to straighten up the deck, and check the pool chemicals. ---
**Author:** ![core](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d26b3c/32.png) [@core](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/core)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-adult-swim-not-the-tv-network/722717/59 "2015-06-18T18:34:50Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > if you want to complain about kids or make jokes about killing them, take it to another forum. Link please? ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2015, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-adult-swim-not-the-tv-network/722717/60 "2015-06-18T18:41:11Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > My apologies. Lemme rephrase my points re:adult swim in a more polite/sterile/de-trolled manner: > > A certain demographic prefers not to be hassled by, or want to deal with, or be restricted by children. Adult swim (both pool policies and the network) cater to this demographic. As a former lifeguard myself, it was a sanity saver on busy summer days.We didn’t have regular adult swim, but now and again we’d call it just to give ourselves a 10 minute break. The kids never minded it- it was just part of the tradition. Even those adults who adore kids liked to have a chance to swim laps or float around with a little peace. I hardly blame them- it was a neighborhood pool and they paid the membership fees after all! 🙂 Now the after hours life guard “adult swims” were another thing altogether… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-adult-swim-not-the-tv-network/722717.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-adult-swim-not-the-tv-network/722717.md?page=4)