To all our readers, loyal or passing through, please post your Planet Fitness horror stories and we’ll gladly publish it for public consumption. If anyone can email a picture of the discriminatory sign that is displayed on the floor of PF, it would be of tremendous help.
Let’s say no to racism, and yes to a united front!
This entry was posted on May 13, 2008 at 12:25 am and is filed under Exercise, Fitness, Former Planet Fitness Members, Gym, Health, Planet Fitness, Planet Fitness Sucks, Racial Discrimination, Racism, Racist Practices in Companies, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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October 30, 2008 at 5:27 pm |
Like thousands of New Yorkers, Navdeep Singh liked to keep fit. That’s why he became a member of Planet Fitness, a gymnasium in the Bronx where he worked out regularly for six months before his membership was terminated. It turns out that Planet Fitness had a “no bandanas” policy that they applied to the tight cloth Navdeep tied around his head in lieu of a turban while he worked out. They gave Navdeep a choice between losing his membership or replacing his head covering with a hat instead. Though Navdeep explained that the Sikh faith explicitly prohibits wearing caps or hats instead of cloth turbans or patkas, the management at Planet Fitness terminated his membership.
Federal law prohibits discrimination against any person based on his/her race, national origin, and religion(among other things) in a number of settings, including access to businesses and buildings and federal services. Still, the situation on the ground is at odds with the law as far as Sikhs are concerned.
One in 25 Sikhs we surveyed have been refused service by a private business because of their Sikh identity.
Wearing a turban is the most common cause of being refused service by a private business.
http://www.sikhcoalition.org/RaisingOurVoicesReport.pdf
October 31, 2008 at 2:24 pm |
Mike Grondahl is Ashley Todd
I was recently in two situations I’d like to share with you. In the first scenario, I was in a moderately busy fast food restaurant. Of the four black men there, two of us were wearing doo-rags (I was not one of them). We all ate our food quietly and left. However of the 15-20 white men at the restaurant, none of them were wearing doo-rags.
In the second situation, I was in the cafeteria of a multi-million dollar business. Of the three black men eating there, two of us were wearing doo-rags (again, I was not one of them). Once again, we all acted like perfect gentlemen, ate our food and left. However, of the probably 70 white men in the establishment, none of them were wearing doo-rags.
So in the first situation, if the four black men were to walk into Planet Fitness, 50% of us would have been harassed for wearing doo-rags. In the second situation, if the three black men had walked into Planet Fitness, two-thirds of us would have been harassed. However, in both situations, none of the white men in the two scenarios above would have been harassed because the doo-rag really isn’t part of white culture.
So, to say that the Planet Fitness no doo-rag policy doesn’t target African-American men is a complete fallacy.
Ashley Todd is the woman who claimed that she was attacked and disfigured by a huge angry black man because she had a vote for John McCain bumper sticker on her car. Her goal was to scare white America into voting against Barack Obama for fear of having a black man as the President of the United States. Luckily for black men all over America, this turned out to be a hoax.
Mike Grondahl, the owner of the Planet Fitness chain, uses the same scare tactics Ashley Todd uses in order to sell his product. Just like Ashley Todd, he’s created the ultimate imaginary muscular super-villain that he can say he’s protecting his target audience from.
Before Planet Fitness took over my gym, I was just another paying customer with 20 years of excellent citizenship under my belt. However, with Planet Fitness’ offensive signage of a super muscular cartoon character man firmly in place, along with their man-bashing lunk alarm, and their racist dress code policy, each time I walked into Planet Fitness I magically transformed into Ashley Todd’s imaginary terrorist. I magically transform into a 6’4” (I’m 5’10”), 200 lbs (actually I weigh 180 lbs), scary ethnic doo-rag wearing (it was a generic winter ski hat), black man who’s only goals in life are to grunt, purposely drop heavy weights, and attack innocent white women, hold them down, and carve a backward letter B on their faces. (Actually, when I was 19, I prevented the rape of a white woman by a white man but neither Mike Grondahl nor Ashley Todd care about that.)
This is why I left Planet Fitness. I was tired of being judged in the “judgment free zone”.
If you believe that man-bashing and race baiting are wrong, please boycott Planet Fitness.
If you’re a man of any color and you feel like you were discriminated against due to your gender, race, or any other federally protected classification, please contact your State Attorney General’s office.
As long as race baiting people like Mike Grondahl and Ashley Todd are allowed to succeed, I’ll always be an African-American and not just an American. As long as Planet Hypocrite exists, the United States of American will continue to be a country of hyphenated Americans, and not just Americans.
December 18, 2008 at 4:05 am |
‘So in the first situation, if the four black men were to walk into Planet Fitness, 50% of us would have been harassed for wearing doo-rags. In the second situation, if the three black men had walked into Planet Fitness, two-thirds of us would have been harassed.’
I am in complete agreement, Michael. Forcing certain groups to forgo peaceful cultural practices and adhere to the majority’s standard is BLATANT discrimination. People like Mike Grondahl and Ashley Todd spread fear and prey upon the vulnerabilities of those who may not have grown up in culturally diverse surroundings such as people like ourselves.
December 19, 2008 at 8:04 pm |
Newburgh, NY
Management is horrible at this gym – the policies are unethical and unfair – and outright offensive. I got my card changed on the 12th and reported the change the next day to the gym – I was told I would get a fee anyway and that I could ask for it to be reversed after I had gotten it. I spoke with the general manager “Tom” and he refused to reverse the fee because I “had fees before” – two actually because I again, changed my card – and I paid those fees.
I didn’t loose my card this time, someone in cyber space was attempting to use my card number. It has nothing to do with me – why should I be punished? How can I send a memo to the cyber thieves out there to only try and steal my information within a 20 day period or I get a fee no matter what?
I asked Tom this, and told him my ideas about how it’s impossible to send memos to thieves on the internet and he just asked me “if I was done” and gave me attitude.
I left Gold’s Gym because of their grimey business practices and I may do the same for this gym – but honestly I think I’m going to write a few articles about my experience. At the end of the day $10 is not a lot to me, but all of the people who will not sign up because of my word of mouth and the reviews I write, will amount to a lot more than that fee you just sleezed out of me, planet fatness.
Thankfully I’m not broke all the time, so they can’t constantly fleece me like the poor people who get this done to them on a monthly basis.
I’m not a fan. I’d rather they just charge extra and advertise it as such.
Dissatisfied with the NEWBURGH GM named TOM – what an asshole.
January 21, 2009 at 4:13 pm |
These people need to get real. Dorags aren’t acceptable to wear anywhere. They are for working that’s it. Most people don’t wear things on their heads indoors. There is no problem with this gym except for the flakes who continue to make up lies to make themselves feel better. i go to PF Falls Church everyday with no problems, the staff are nice and the place is clean what do you want? everything for free? If you need a trainer pay for it, you know who I mean.
January 22, 2009 at 1:05 am |
since when are gyms fashion statements? Are you saying if they wore shit on their head we would have to let them in too? Who’s fault is it who wears those stupid do rags? Why wear a hat in a gym? Or whatever you want to classify it as.
August 6, 2009 at 2:04 am |
ravensgal – are you retarded? usally when you go to the gym it is to WORK. Its called working out if you didn’t know, and I would assume since you go to PF you are a stereo-typing girl with no friends. Get a life you POS.