Deeply concerned about Child Safety in Bristol

[MatthewJTaylor]

From May 5th to May 8th 2022, the Tobacco Factory Theatres in Bristol is having performances of "The Family Sex Show".
This show is aimed at children 5 years old and up.
The performers involved get naked.
The discussion with the children is on sex, sexuality and sexual pleasure.

I cannot imagine brining a 5 year old child to a theatre where people will to to her/him about sex and show their naked bodies to her/him.

Am I the crazy one?

Sources:
The Family Sex Show website
Listing at The Tobacco Factory Theatres

Yes. What can YOU hear? Are naked bodies not normal now?

Naked bodies are normal. Since when has it been normal for strangers to deliberately strip off and expose their naked bodies to children?

What’s the POINT of it FFS? How does this even help “educate”, for children to see strange adults strip off in front of them?

[quote FuckeryOmbudsman]@radiohp

True - the nudity will be on screen in schools.

I really didn't expect this level of (sight unseen) disbelief/frothing about something which says it will be adhering to the NSPCC guidelines for age.[/quote]
I can't speak for anyone else on this thread but I am reacting to The Egg's own website. So not sight unseen.

The NSPCC has also been captured as previously discussed upthread. It defines abuse as only something that make the chid uncomfortable. This leaves a loophole as the aim of grooming is that the child doesn't realise what's happening.

Jesus fucking christ you are calling me a groomer? You think NOT knowing about sex makes you safer from someone who wants to abuse you? Because I'm telling you. It doesn't.

@NotBadConsidering

Yes. What can YOU hear? Are naked bodies not normal now?

Naked bodies are normal. Since when has it been normal for strangers to deliberately strip off and expose their naked bodies to children?

What’s the POINT of it FFS? How does this even help “educate”, for children to see strange adults strip off in front of them?

This.

Intentionally getting naked in front of children is not normal.

This is all about adults meeting adult needs.

Don't feel sorry for my kids. They know what consent is. If you won't talk about sex until you think they ought to be thinking about it your kids are the ones who will have difficulties. Naked bodies are perfectly normal, there's no actual sex on stage if you bother to read the description @ThePlantsitter

yes, naked bodies are normal - perhaps not strangers' bodies they've not consented to see?

absolutely we should talk about sex and bodies early on and normalise it, but in the context of the family, no?

it looks like there's simulated sex, and discussion of sex for pleasure - surely not relevant for 5 year olds?

my parents were very open about sex, especially my mum, who gave me a long lecture on the clitoris - I think I was 10. I'd have been mortified to go to a show like this. I wish they'd revise it for young teens.

Let's really, really give the benefit of the doubt to this whole shit show and assume that everyone involved from actors to writers to the audience are 100% well meaning. It is still grooming children to lower their boundaries around bodies and sex from - let's not forget - age 5.

Safeguarding is not just rules to stop dodgy people doing bad things. Safeguarding is about teaching children good boundaries with safe people, so that when they meet people with bad intentions, those boundaries protect them.

It's why even if you have good intentions you don't teach children to keep secrets from their parents, or offer them a lift home "just between us" - because you might be doing it to be nice, but you're teaching children it is OK and the next person who does the same thing may not be.

The NSPCC has also been captured as previously discussed upthread. It defines abuse as only something that make the chid uncomfortable. This leaves a loophole as the aim of grooming is that the child doesn't realise what's happening.

Not to mention the huge burden of guilt on a child who has been abused that if they enjoyed any part of it, they have no right to protest having been used by that adult in the adult's seeking of meeting their own needs. It remains abuse. Blurred boundaries work only in adult favour.

Intentionally getting naked in front of children is not normal.

This is all about adults meeting adult needs.

It's quite striking how people try to be cool and edgy by exposing children to age inappropriate stuff. They're just pushing their political agenda. Anticapitalism, "terfs", gender identity etc. It's like a tick list of indoctrination.

[quote ThePlantsitter]*@ThePlantsitter This thread is about FIVE (5) year olds.

5 year olds.

5 year old children.

Not "14 year old"s.*

Yes but my point, perhaps too annoyedly put I'll warrant, is that unless you start talking about this stuff young you will lose your kids to more powerful stuff like porn and societal pressure along the way. You don't get to decide when your kid starts thinking about sex. The NSPCC page linked to on the show's website shows that it's actually a lot younger than most people acknowledge. To my mind you can choose to let the kids find out influenced by porn which is abusive to everyone or you can try to get some messages about consent and how it's important for women/everyone to enjoy sex (e.g. 'sex should feel nice' at most) early on before all that happens.[/quote]
The message being sent to children with this performance is that if a stranger strips off naked in front of you, that’s okay because it’s just like that show mummy and daddy took you to that time.

@ThePlantsitter

Jesus fucking christ you are calling me a groomer? You think NOT knowing about sex makes you safer from someone who wants to abuse you? Because I'm telling you. It doesn't.

@Ereshkigalangcleg

I don't believe it's possible for a 5 year old to consent to seeing naked adults.

@ThePlantsitter

I suspect those defending this with such enthusiasm are not parents. And have no experience in dealing with predators and the children they abuse.
Boundaries are essential. Wanting to talk with 5 year olds about sex when you've no qualifications for this is a red flag. Adults suggesting being naked in front of unknown 5 years olds is a red flag. Failing to understand the different issues around age appropriate language and concepts is a major red flag.

Naked bodies are normal so I guess that means the trenchcoat man who flashes kids walking to school is aok, @ThePlantsitter .

I remind you again, we are talking about 5 year olds. Not teenagers. But 5 year olds. Are people so brainwashed with being woke that they now will normalise the trench coat man in the park? How far down the rabbit hole does one sink just to justify a woke narrative to yourself while harming children along the way. Is it really that important to be seen as woke, that naked strangers are now ok and naked men in trench coats are now ok? That we lose all common sense and human decency?

@MrsOvertonsWindow

Ii's interesting that shows like this wouldn't exist with public money. Imagine this lot having to fund a show like this themselves without the useful idiots at institutions like the Arts Council and other public bodies with zero experience or care about safeguarding children throwing money at it.

Yes, I can imagine ten years forward watching a national scandal on someone at the Art Council being exposed as a paedo and funding stuff like this with public money.

Clearly nothing was learnt after Savile.

@HangingRock25

Naked bodies are normal so I guess that means the trenchcoat man who flashes kids walking to school is aok, *@ThePlantsitter* .

I remind you again, we are talking about 5 year olds. Not teenagers. But 5 year olds. Are people so brainwashed with being woke that they now will normalise the trench coat man in the park? How far down the rabbit hole does one sink just to justify a woke narrative to yourself while harming children along the way. Is it really that important to be seen as woke, that naked strangers are now ok and naked men in trench coats are now ok? That we lose all common sense and human decency?

I suspect some will double down to the ends of the earth sadly, its genuinely terrifying.

Naked bodies are perfectly normal, there's no actual sex on stage if you bother to read the description
Children being exposed to perverted adults wanting to display their bodies to them. Lovely.

Just because its some woke middle class theatre troupe doesn't lessen the creepy paedo factor. It's just as creepy groomy and inappropriate as dave from the pub flashing kids. More so in fact, it's obvious street flashing js wrong but dress it up in artsy bs and people accept it apparently.

@ThePlantsitter I work as a mental health professional in the field of childhood sexual abuse and have for decades. I also have children. I am also extremely relaxed about nudity and spend time in naturist environments, together with my children. I am no prude sexually and have had an interesting personal life in my time. I also know without a doubt that this show is deeply inappropriate and highly concerning and think you should rethink what you are condoning here. It's not just the effect on the children who go to the show. It's societal grooming. It's what has happened for years in more confined circles, and is now bursting out into the mainstream.

Oh this sounds wonderful. What a great resource to start a positive conversation with children about their bodies. Nothing on the website sounds remotely concerning if you actually bother to read it — sounds like it will do a great job at teaching kids about important issues like consent and diversity of gender. Thanks to the original poster for sharing!

I'm genuinely surprised this is allowed to happen. Our kids need sensible boundaries. Hopefully nobody will go and this madness will just die out.

ThePlantsitter

Having experienced major safeguarding failures as a child (at a school with multiple cases of sexual abuse) and now working in role tangential to safeguarding I know the importance of children both having boundaries, the language to talk about their experiences and the knowledge that adults will listen to them.

I have privately given my children the language and talked to them about what is appropriate and what isn't in an age appropriate way.

This show does none of these: it isn't private, skews boundaries, and can't be age appropriate because it appears to be aimed at both adults and children of different ages.

There is no need for this show, and yes, I believe it is grooming.

Parents who take their children to this show or adults who otherwise support need to understand why.

You are either exceptionally naive or have an agenda. Which is it? Are you in favour of grooming?

Contrary to some PP I don't think that a five year old seeing naked adults is neceasarily a problem. To say so is a red herring and context is all. This agenda-driven show is not about normalising naked bodies. It's about something very very different.

You think NOT knowing about sex makes you safer from someone who wants to abuse you? Because I'm telling you. It doesn't.

Might have been helpful for you to read the thread before you concluded we were frothing.

How does adults getting naked on stage whilst talking about sexual pleasure protect children from abusers? If mum and dad take you to a show with that content how do you expect a 5 year old to recognise it as inappropriate behaviour when they encounter it somewhere else, you have normalised it for them.

How can a show aimed at 5+ year olds be appropriate and educational for both a 5 year-old and a 15 year old.

Do 5 year olds need to know about BDSM, kink, squirting etc? These words are all in the glossary of terms but without more detail (which the company haven't yet provided) we cannot know how much will be included in the show, although the transcripts from the podcasts and the song lyrics do give us a clue.

Not one person here has expressed the opinion that children should not receive sex education but they have expressed concern about the content and context of this show. Sex education should be given in an age appropriate way in a suitable environment. Characterising sex as so awkward that the only way to educate about it is to treat it as fun and silly trivialises how harmful sex can be if you are not adequately prepared.

Sexualising children and normalising nudity of adult strangers in from of children is a safeguarding concern. We should never give people the benefit of the doubt when the health and well being of children are at stake. Minimising this may not make you a groomer but you certainly enable them by being too cool to scrutinise what's actually being offered here.

Just visited the Tobacco Factory website - I think they have taken this item off their What's On listing.

Call them and tell them what you think. Lines are open now. 01179020344.