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Original poster

Mermaids ‘stories’ - disturbing

90 replies

tabbycatstripy · 23/04/2022 14:41

If you copy this link and you go on the Mermaids website, and look down at the story of an 11 year old child (“Jenny”), you will see it.

mermaidsuk.org.uk
/news/mermaids-tales/

What is going on there?

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Original poster
tabbycatstripy · 24/04/2022 18:42

No.

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ResisterRex · 24/04/2022 18:36

I haven't forgotten their "consent" tweet

Original poster
tabbycatstripy · 24/04/2022 18:28

I wouldn’t go within a mile of the NSPCC for anything to do with safeguarding.

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EmpressaurusWitchDoesntBurn · 24/04/2022 18:08

That would be the same NSPCC that backed out of an MN webchat at the last minute because they didn’t like all the questions about safeguarding.

happydappy2 · 24/04/2022 18:06

Where is the NSPCC in this quagmire? Why are they not protecting children? Are they not fit for purpose any more? When you look at what happened to Oxfam, I do wonder about other charities. They seem to promote abuse not prevent it.

Original poster
tabbycatstripy · 24/04/2022 17:17

I saw this. Grim beyond words.

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ResisterRex · 24/04/2022 17:13

Some more on Mermaids and their fundraising:

mobile.twitter.com/Neverfallingfo1/status/1518196146262495232

Original poster
tabbycatstripy · 24/04/2022 10:40

There’s a place for stuff that’s grim and funny and offensive. I’m not saying 18 year olds shouldn’t enjoy dark humour on the internet.

But Mermaids target children from pre-puberty, and they have let fake ejaculations and morbid fantasies about breastfeeding creep into their funding/entertainment ‘offering’.

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ResisterRex · 24/04/2022 10:32

megletthesecond · 24/04/2022 09:47

John Robertsons kids book, is IMO, weird, and not in a good way. It gave me the creeps.
It made ' A monster calls' feel cheery (don't read it if you're a lone parent).

Here's a quote from his page about his show.

"There’s also a child-friendly(ish) version, which took home Best Kid’s Show at Leicester Comedy Festival 2018!"

www.thejohnrobertson.com/thedarkroom/

What is the definition of "child-friendly(ish)"? I'm all ears.

Original poster
tabbycatstripy · 24/04/2022 10:26

Of course they are. They complain about the ‘groomer’ label but they are running towards it.

It’s perfectly possible to support kids with dysphoric tendencies without all the sex stuff. It’s because they see the two as being appropriately teamed that we are seeing these creepy people attracted to the charity and their ‘online community’.

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KittenKong · 24/04/2022 10:23

Event the NSPCC couldn’t condone that (for long). What exactly are they thinking? Because they are dreadful PR for trans people I think.

Any parent worried about their little child would take one look at that and run.

Original poster
tabbycatstripy · 24/04/2022 10:19

He’s a kids’ writer in black leather underwear pretending to be a baby breastfeeding and then drawing attention to his mock erection.

His book can get in the sea with his sex dolphin.

I’m not a prude. Adults can read whatever they want. But this content should be nowhere near kids.

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PrelateChuckles · 24/04/2022 10:16

^ "the" photo, not "other photo"

PrelateChuckles · 24/04/2022 10:14

We had a thread about this a while ago. Surprised they've left other picture up tbh

www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4286090-Mermaids-sinister-photo

megletthesecond · 24/04/2022 09:47

John Robertsons kids book, is IMO, weird, and not in a good way. It gave me the creeps.
It made ' A monster calls' feel cheery (don't read it if you're a lone parent).

ResisterRex · 24/04/2022 09:05

The data breach was dealt with by the ICO. But they were also referred to the Charity Commission and the results of that have never been known. One for any letters you might be writing.

Original poster
tabbycatstripy · 24/04/2022 09:02

They just don’t care. They have worked out there is money in targeting the young adult ‘market’, and are immersing their very young client base in highly sexualised areas of the Twitch community.

On Twitter there are photos flying around of John Robertson’s Pepsi bottle erection and making some sort of parody penis with the fizzy bottle.

All right next to the Mermaids brand and with their online endorsement.

Madness.

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BettyFilous · 24/04/2022 08:57

Given the ineptitude of that Mermaids data breach, which was off-the-scale appalling, I can well believe they are out of their depth in other areas like safeguarding. Worrying.

Original poster
tabbycatstripy · 24/04/2022 08:43

About ten seconds into that stream, you know he’s into sex, death and whips, and describes himself as perverse.

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Original poster
tabbycatstripy · 24/04/2022 08:18

And obviously Savile got away with his crimes by being high profile. Sometimes people look at a person in a position of notoriety and they think, ‘They can’t actually be promoting the sexualisation of children’ (or worse). They’re famous. People would notice.’

We do notice. And useful fawning idiots ignore us.

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Original poster
tabbycatstripy · 24/04/2022 08:14

The hot tub guy is John Robertson. He has a popular Twitch stream, a YouTube game in which he plays some sort of dark overlord, and he’s written a children’s book published by Penguin. The comedy is described as “insult comedy”.

This is to point out that he’s not some obscure perve. All this is part of his brand.

But what it goes to illustrate (as does Drag Race and it’s child-friendly aesthetic and deeply inappropriate content) is how far the sexualisation of children’s content is becoming embedded in the media. It’s mostly about anti-establishment thinking, not (in my opinion) paedophilia.

But it normalises the proximity of children and sex. It normalises talking to children about sex and using sex in comedy aimed at children.

Mermaids should be resisting it, particularly in the interests of the vulnerable children they claim to represent.

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Original poster
tabbycatstripy · 24/04/2022 08:04

I seriously hope so.

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ResisterRex · 24/04/2022 08:02

There is, tabby. I'm writing to my MP today. Surely there are enough 🚩 here for action to be taken.

Original poster
tabbycatstripy · 24/04/2022 08:00

He also wears a dolphin mask and has previously referred to the dolphin as the “sex dolphin”.

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Original poster
tabbycatstripy · 24/04/2022 07:59

On Twitter there’s also attention being drawn to Mermaids’ safeguarding standards when it comes to their streamer fundraising campaign.

Mermaids promote the livestream beforehand and the money raised goes to them.

In this case, it’s a man (comedian who has a channel aimed (I think) at teenagers). He’s wearing black leather underpants, sitting in a hot tub full of Pepsi, pouring Pepsi on himself while wearing a weird deformed baby mask and talking about people breastfeeding from him.

Mermaids previously publicised this ‘event’.

A children’s charity.

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