Obscene costumed volunteers handing out summer reading at Redbridge library

[WombOfOnesOwn]

A library had a man in a rainbow monkey costume, with a dildo penis and a fake exposed butt, handing out summer reading books.

Look at this obscene sex clown mocking and terrorising local Muslim women:

twitter.com/HasAhmed_/status/1413931013340807172/photo/2

The library is, of course, apologizing about it now:

twitter.com/RedbridgeLibs/status/1413975910433366020

But during the event, they thought it was pretty funny:

twitter.com/turtillachip/status/1414255270038016009

What is happening? Why should parents going to the library's summer reading program worry that THIS is what they'll see? The website for this troupe of "performers" clearly shows this monkey performer with his fake penises inch from children's faces. There has been no vetting. No safeguarding.

And there'll just be an apology, another "isolated incident." Of course, the local Muslim women and girls know exactly what this library thinks of them now, and what may happen to them if they choose to even walk nearby. Do we think they're going to want to go in?

@Ekofisk

There's another one of the monitors claiming that it wasn't actually a dildo, it was just a pair of comedy monkey balls and that's anatomically correct, so anyone with a problem is a pearl clutcher.

This is incorrect. Images show that there are three options for this costume:

• No genitalia
• "comedy monkey balls"
• Large dildo

Fuck knows why the library went for the last option rather than the first.

@BatmansBat

Does Joss Prior have children?

Yes two girls.

What sort of "progress" are they wanting here? What sort of progress does a monkey with a dildo penis usher in?

Two girls?

And think it is normal to draw penises and testicles on exercise books?

Is anyone here a school teacher? Isn’t it a safeguarding concern if a small child draws genitalia on their school books?

Mine wouldn’t come up with the idea

Arses are being shown publicly in more ways than one, imo.

I’m not even slightly surprised about Prior. My priors on Prior would have predicted this attitude. Can’t really say why, but incidents like this are useful in a way. It’s not just men in monkey suits showing their asses here. People are showing us exactly who they are, and I trust that receipts are being kept.

@Datun I think that paragraph I copy and pasted is defining grooming as being deliberate and intended even when being disguised as a mere accident or unintentional. It is a form of deception and manipulation.

I'm very surprised to learn that libraries take on volunteers without a DBS check. Surely they can't be volunteers who have access to the library membership database.

There's not much room in Prior's argument for concerns about child safeguarding to be genuine or well motivated.

What about
www.dw.com/en/pedophilia-scandal-entangles-german-greens/a-16836153
Also www.icenews.is/2009/01/29/child-pornography-in-swedish-national-library/ and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joop_Wilhelmus#Lolita

It's the absolute lack of sense from the library that frustrates me.

No sensible person would hire a performance without checking out reviews/online content to make sure it was suitable

No sensible person would upon finding images like the attached, then go on to hire the group for a council funded, child oriented event

Assuming the previous steps hadn't raised any concerns, No sensible person on greeting the entertainers before the performance started would allow those costumes to go out in public

When did people completely lose all ability to use common sense and critical thought?

Prior is also claiming to be an expert in how g-wording works. And mocking anyone who tries to explain CSA trauma. And Prior's followers are lapping it up and repeating the mockery.

I really think Joss, as I suspect you may read this eventually, that if you for one second stopped to consider the hurt thousands of children suffer from being ignored, belittled, laughed at, minimised, and their CSA trauma stories discounted, that you might try to empathise more.
Even one single person reading your mocking words and thinking "maybe it's me that's wrong, maybe it's OK, maybe I shouldn't say anything" is a travesty.

Yes, it's easy to dismiss a monkey outfit. But there's a man in that outfit. And there's a man who designed it. And men who will enjoy seeing the faces of children near it. And men who will say jokingly 'haha touch it!' and you and your excuses are all part of that now.

On the subject of kids finding toilet humour funny and no kids being harmed, that is hardly the point. If you erode children’s boundaries you put them at risk of harm later.

What’s the difference between a man in a monkey costume with a rubber penis waving it at kids in a library and a man in a monkey costume with a rubber penis waving it at kids in a park?

What about a man in a suit with a rubber penis waving it at kids in a park?

Or a man in a monkey suit waving an actual penis?

Penises are funny, right? Kids love penises!

I looked up that article that Joss Prior has referred to in their tweet, and it's about conspiracy theories like QAnon and Pizzagate and satanic panic, so fuck all to do with this actual incident that reay happened.

www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/07/why-are-right-wing-conspiracies-so-obsessed-with-pedophilia/

@MondayYogurt

Prior's argument is that child safeguarding prevents cultural change.

Therefore any calls for care of children's boundaries is detrimental to 'progress'.

"from the left" 🙄 not sure where I fit in as a conservative (sorry guys, shoot me later)

Funny how a conservative, with conservative parenting values (personal not political) objects to penis waving at children.

And I somehow don't believe that exposing children to sexual acts/scenes/genitals even if you are dressed as a fluffy multicoloured monkey is "progressive" repulsive yes, but not progressive.

Progressive is teaching understanding that all are equal regardless of sexual orientation. All are equal regardless of race or religion and you should treat everyone with respect, treat others as you would like to be treated.

Not

Expose children to harm. 🤦🏻‍♀️

Oh and Posie Parker, a grown adult, once stood next to someone dressed as a penis with no children in sight so that somehow makes "terfs" hypocrites

🤦‍♂️

@ItsAllGoingToBeFine

. A lot of the work is in a traditional carnival style and actually rather lovely.

Obviously someone has taken an extremely dubious and offensive decision over the Redbridge library visit.

It's bizarre. They have worked with the library before on a day of the dead theme. It looks amazing, mask making and great costumes and face-paint. Nary a penis in sight. Which begs the question how did they get it so horrendously wrong this time? It's almost like a completely different company was involved.

I think someone saw an opportunity rather than getting it wrong. They got a foot in the door with the Day of the Dead and that was all it took.

And Jimmy Saville only did what he did when he was alone with children so the fact that he was famous and around children a lot in public is irrelevant.

🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

That's enough reading of idiots' twitter posts today, lest my head explode.

@aliasundercover

Why do these things keep happening in libraries? What is it about libraries in particular?

The target isn't libraries, it's children's libraries.
Perverts will target areas where they have access to children. Schools are pretty good at weeding them out these days, so they've moved on to places where safeguarding is not so good ... or worse, where safeguarding is deemed to be transphobic.

It's target hardening. I know the principle from counter-terrorism and it's exactly the same: go for the weak or unprotected site. When churches, scouts and schools are clued-up, the search will be on for sites that allow access to children.

really think Joss, as I suspect you may read this eventually

yes I think that's as certain as night following day.

I think it's interesting how the vocal TRAs have got behind dildo butt monkey, seeing as how it has nothing to do with gender politics.

Their support illuminates the deeper agenda about breaking down boundaries.

@unwashedanddazed

I think it's interesting how the vocal TRAs have got behind dildo butt monkey, seeing as how it has nothing to do with gender politics.

Their support illuminates the deeper agenda about breaking down boundaries.

Yes

This is actually my local library/borough. I would like to send a written complaint. I can draft something but for the ease of time I wondered if any of you wise women could direct me to a template?