Southport - why do they keep saying a ‘Taylor Swift themed club’?

[SandrasNewDo]

It’s really bothering me.

Is it because
a) the murder of 2 children and attempted murder and severe injury of 9 others isn’t newsworthy enough without involving Taylor Swift’s name?

b) Taylor Swift needs to suffer some guilt by association in the way Ariana Grande did with the bombing at her concert?

What’s the need or relevance? If it had been a 80’s music dance class would they keep saying that? Why not just say summer dance club and then focus on the children and adults who were hurt or killed - I can’t even imagine the devastation their families and the whole community must be suffering.

Anyone?

This thread brings back horrible memories of the Manchester bombing discussions on MN. I nearly blew a gasket when one miserably “liberal” poster suggested our sympathies should be equally with the bomber who lost his life

I live locally and the event was advertised pretty comprehensively as a Taylor Swift themed event at the childrens centre. There are a few of these types of summer events - it’s a seaside town - and I don’t think they’re putting the emphasis on it any more than they need to, to explain which event it was. There was some confusion as the events were unfolding as to whether it was this venue or one nearby, so probably they are referring to it just to clarify. I believe Taylor Swift herself has commented this morning to express her shock and condolences to those involved.

It's journalistic shorthand, adding colour to a piece to paint a picture, in this strange period where people are desperate for understanding, for answers, for details, when the nature of the legal process means none will be forthcoming for a while.

A "Taylor Swift" event effortlessly creates an image in the mind's eye of youngsters, likely girls, enjoying a carefree session of dancing, friendship bracelet making, mindfulness, probably full of joy, wearing sparkles, high on life on a sunny summer holiday day. And then the horror that ensued. It says everything, when journalists can actually say very little, and when I also think decency dictates we don't need the awful awful detail at this stage, especially with lives in the balance in hospital.

He obviously did seek out such an event as he got a taxi (which he refused to pay the cost of). He purposely travelled there. He was obviously targeting defenseless young girls.
Labour & Keir Stamer better get their act together.

What is crazy is the assumption that legal protocols can be overridden because you "want" more information.

The increasingly thinly veiled racism on some threads is another matter of course.

Useful idiots doesn't even begin to cover it. It's bloody offensive in the extreme.

It has to have been targeted for one reason or another. The studio is set back from the road so not a random passing attack as others have been. It either relates to an organiser or attendee or relates to the Taylor Swift connection. It’s quite a niche event for a 17yo male to be aware of.

Read the posts I was replying to to understand why I was saying that.

There's all sorts of stuff going around TwiX and other socials, a made-up Arabic name that apparently translates as "I am going back to my flat" or something equally ridiculous with the clear intent of blaming Arabs and by extension Muslims, and assertions that the suspect is an immigrant (not true, he was born in Cardiff).

Two children, probably girls, are dead. Several others are injured.

A race riot won't help those girls and their families. A trial collapsing because lies have been spread around the internet won't help those girls and their families. Someone setting fire to a Muslim school (again!) or attacking Muslims on the streets won't help these girls and their families.

As I said on the other thread that was deleted.

Violence against women and girls is at crisis levels in Australia and the UK.

This event was premeditated and chosen for a reason.

We must talk about the fact that women and girls are being subjected to violence from various avenues at alarming levels.

An event where women and girls are dancing and listening to music very much goes against the ideals of some people.

Taylor Swift is famously against the patriarchy and is a symbol for a lot of women who embrace independence and speaking out when wrong is done to them by men.
She has taken down men throughout her career very successfully when they deserved it.

She is an example that incels and religious extremists alike hate.

Agree.

@pleasehelpwi3

many people seem to think that someone is foreign if they are born and lived their whole lives in Britain when they do something evil.....but British if they are good and successful.

That's an instance of the 'No True Scotsman' fallacy, isn't it? Good old Anthony Flew wrote in 1966:

...a brash generalization, such as No Scotsmen put sugar on their porridge, when faced with falsifying facts, is transformed while you wait into an impotent tautology: if ostensible Scotsmen put sugar on their porridge, then this is by itself sufficient to prove them not true Scotsmen.

It makes the title more likely to be clicked I guess.

That's mere semantics. He's a male, following male-pattern violence and male-pattern violent crime statistics.

These cases take months to come to trial. IF he's charged, and IF this case makes it into court, then if by this time he has turned 18 he'll be tried as an adult. In which (possible) case - good.

Exactly. @PandoraSox prove how it's a "made up name". Many locals on twitter have spoken out & the name is the same. This murderer does not deserve the right to be anonymous.
How can we believe he is 17?

I’m glad I missed that. I feel similarly I see posts more worried about the ‘boy’ over the children attacked and killed 😢

Knowing the law makes me crazy and triggered? Nah, it makes me informed.

Children were murdered by someone who is legally also a child. That's the law. Put up with it.

Because Swift upsets the incels.

No, it originated from some stupid Twitter account that pretends to be a reputable news outlet. Unless you mean a different name.

I wonder how the poor taxi driver is feeling.

The police haven’t yet established a motive and have asked people not to speculate on social media. That’s why that post was taken down. I think this one is in peril too to be honest. The details will come soon enough, in the meantime instead of speculation, maybe just use the thread to empathise with the families of the dead and injured. The eight people in hospital are described as critical so there may be more bad news to come.

Because the police have told us that he is 17. The police.

Could well have been a false-flag mischievous tr*ll wanting to sow discord and mislead the gullible into clicking on VERY CROSS emoticons.

How did you know they were 'liberal' anyway? Because they said they were? Yes, dear. Maybe have a little lie down?

It's to show how innocent, little girl focused and harmless the event was.

Like the Rwandan genocide, those episodes are about tribalism, not skin colour. The Troubles stem from the plantations and the subjugation of the native Irish. Nazi Germany regarded Jews as a different tribe. During the Iraq war, I remember being the politicians and media continuously saying Saddam was gassing his 'own people' (the Marsh Arabs). He didn't see them as his own people. To him, they were a different tribe. Racism is such a handy insult to throw around. But isn't it more tribalism? We feel safer and happier among people whose ways and thoughts aren't dissimilar to our own. Take female genital mutilation for example. Is it actually racism to say 'hey, those values don't belong here'?

This is true.