Here we go again.

[PearlieMae]

http://cbs12.com/news/cbs12-investigates/cbs12-investigates-the-hot-new-mermaid-tail-toy-made-for-fantasy-not-safety

[Echidna]

:headwall: :headdesk: :catfight:


frankly, I try to avoid "news articles" and the like. Most of them are bs anyway.

[MermaidCelesteFL]

Oh bloody hell. Not again.

BTW- I definitely performed in Palm Beach County, at the Boynton Beach Pirate and Mermaid festival last year in tail- and nobody had problems with it. Granted, I'm not a kid, but I wonder how this is going to affect professional mers as well. These people definitely don't know what they are talking about.

I'd say chillax, take some vitamin sea, and hope that this stupid article doesn't go viral. Again.

[Mermaid Lunette]

I physically cannot roll my eyes hard enough.UGH.

[Imogen Finnly]

Gesus.. *shakes head*

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[AniaR]

what a sensationalized article *rolls eyes*

[Theobromine]

Slow news day, huh? :rolleyes:

[Mermaid Claudia]

I'm a little late to all these news articles, but the ones that I've seen so far just look like parents letting their kids flop around willy nilly without making sure they actually KNOW how to use a fin, and/or not keeping a proper eye on them :/ Fin or not, parents should be keeping a close eye on their kids anyway...... It's such a shame :(

[MerShellly]

I just couldn't get past how awful their writing style was, or lack thereof I should say. Safe or not, the authors sure didn't make their article very compelling. Just sayin' lol.

[Theobromine]

I think we should make a viral video and then start a petition calling for the ban of online news platforms. They're obviously not safe. I mean, just about anyone can access them, they don't come with any instructions or safety warnings, and most people aren't even proficient in doing actual research or writing articulate, balanced stories! Stuff like this seems like a cool fad but spreads misinformation and encourages people to try dangerous things, like not thinking! This is a really dangerous trend and we need to ban it before someone gets seriously hurt. Think of the children!

[MermaidRaegan]

Oh no, not the children!

Joking aside, I hate these kinds of articles. Listing drowning statistics that have no connection to mermaiding is fear mongering and lazy journalism. Kids get hurt on bikes and trampolines too, but we don't go banning those, because anyone with a brain knows that accidents are preventable with proper instruction, safety equipment, and supervision. Tails are no different.


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[Mermaid Alea]

They should have also interviewed a professional mermaid and/or a mermaid swim school instructor. The lady who was saying the tail was unsafe, held too much water, and was just a Halloween costume was just holding it in the water from the edge of the pool swishing it back and forth. How can you deem something unsafe if that is the only way you are testing it!? I really think the people saying it is unsafe should actually wear a tail themselves to see what it is like.

I agree that kids should be careful wearing tails and they should have supervision, but they made mermaid tails appear to be nothing but bad news. No mention of how it encourages kids to get active or how it can empower kids.

[Merman Andrew]

Gaaaahhhhhh!!! Not again! Seriously people are so uninformed. In the article it says that water collects in the tails with an open bottom, this is just the opposite, water flows through these tails and the open bottom stops water pooling at the bottom! And then she says 'It only takes a few seconds in the suit before she is flipped upside down' as if it's because of the TAIL that inadvertently caused the girl to flip, but it was the MOTHER who can be clearly heard saying 'go on, go in the water and do a flip!' I wish this 'viral' video would just die, what can we do to have it taken down asap!!!!

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[Merman Dan]

As far as I can tell, the news story was not reposted on Facebook or twitter, where people could respond to it. CBS12 does have a Facebook page, though. The two "reporters", Liz Quirantes and Jamil Donith both have twitter accounts. Liz Quirantes also has a Facebook account. Their place of employment is mentioned in their profiles, so I would not think it unfair to send them something work-related. ;)

[AniaR]

37807


I got carried away lol.

that dang old out of context video from over a year ago. *shakes fin*

[PearlieMae]

:yay:

[Merman Dan]

My reply on their CBS 12 News FB page was something along the lines of

"I was somewhat dismayed to read your recent article, "CBS12 Investigates the mermaid tail toy; made for fantasy, not safety", as I found it rife with overgeneralization, misinformation, and speculation masquerading as fact.

Let's just get to the meat of the article, shall we? "She says most parents overestimate their child's swimming abilities, and often aren't watching their kids close enough... Generally accidental drownings are from a lack of supervision than lack of not knowing how to swim" This article is not about mermaid tails. This article is about the lack of adult supervision at swimming pools.


The video referenced in the article displays a child performing a somersault in a pool. This is disorienting whether one is wearing a tail or not. One cannot put on a swimmable tail and immediately swim like a mermaid. It requires patience, practice, and yes adult supervision. First, practice your dolphin kick, then do the same while wearing a monofin, and then try the tail."

[Merman Andrew]

37807


I got carried away lol.

that dang old out of context video from over a year ago. *shakes fin*

Love it Raina! Let us know if you get a response from them (I'm not on twitter). I actually reported "the video" to YouTube for inciting dangerous behavior since the bans have meant Mermaids are forced to use their tails in less safe locations than a public pool with lifeguards and for causing harm to others, ie the Mermaid community who know how to use tails responsibly and safely. I also contacted the video poster and asked her to either take it down or add an addendum to the end of the video explaining that the girl swimming in the tail was inexperienced and it was that fact combined with the pool conditions (ie shallow pool) that caused her to nearly drown not the fault of the Mermaid tail. It probably won't have any effect but I can try :)

[AniaR]

I wanted to write CBS a letter but i think I should just save myself the time and track down what i wrote last year and just tweak it lol.

[Mermaid Caspiana]

37807


I got carried away lol.

that dang old out of context video from over a year ago. *shakes fin*
Oh my. I love you Raina. ��

[AniaR]

Please share:






While banning mermaid tails affects all demographics who enjoy it, it directly affects girls who already have a much higher chance of stopping physical activity, by taking away an activity they enjoy. Banning mermaid tails, really is a feminist issue when it places girls who enjoy it at risk, along with all others, and places even more limitations on them. This headline, ought to grab some attention.






http://rainamermaid.weebly.com/blog/how-banning-mermaid-tails-is-the-wrong-mindset-and-puts-down-girls

[Echidna]

I like the skate comparison.

Maybe we should come up with a few examples of what the "viral video" boils down to with different, for the average dude easier to grasp situations.

As in:
Mom takes daughter to a frozen lake to try on her skates for the very first time, and as the kid wobbly tries to straighten after tying the shoelaces, Mom says "cool. Now go and do a double Axel."
Girl skates off, jumps, falls and breaks a hand.
Mom pulls her up and posts a warning video:
"Those skates may look like fun, but they can cause you to break something, watch out!"


If the "toy" in question had been anything but a mermaid tail, everyone would at once have understood there was stupidity at work here and nothing else.

[MermaidCelesteFL]

I like the skate comparison.

Maybe we should come up with a few examples of what the "viral video" boils down to with different, for the average dude easier to grasp situations.

As in:
Mom takes daughter to a frozen lake to try on her skates for the very first time, and as the kid wobbly tries to straighten after tying the shoelaces, Mom says "cool. Now go and do a double Axel."
Girl skates off, jumps, falls and breaks a hand.
Mom pulls her up and posts a warning video:
"Those skates may look like fun, but they can cause you to break something, watch out!"


If the "toy" in question had been anything but a mermaid tail, everyone would at once have understood there was stupidity at work here and nothing else.



That's a really good comparison! Now all you have to do is call all ice skates "toys", marketed primarily toward little girls who want to pretend to be figure skaters. Actual figure skaters don't exist, because that's not a viable or realistic career option for adults.

[PearlieMae]

I like the skate comparison.

Maybe we should come up with a few examples of what the "viral video" boils down to with different, for the average dude easier to grasp situations.

As in:
Mom takes daughter to a frozen lake to try on her skates for the very first time, and as the kid wobbly tries to straighten after tying the shoelaces, Mom says "cool. Now go and do a double Axel."
Girl skates off, jumps, falls and breaks a hand.
Mom pulls her up and posts a warning video:
"Those skates may look like fun, but they can cause you to break something, watch out!"


If the "toy" in question had been anything but a mermaid tail, everyone would at once have understood there was stupidity at work here and nothing else.

THIS!!!! :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

[Khaleesi Daenerys]

This type of sensationalism is the reason people think all pitbulls are demons made to kill people.

[AelianaNympha]

This type of sensationalism is the reason people think all pitbulls are demons made to kill people.

Amen! Don't even get me started. The media just wants another thing to rally against and they've chosen mermaid tails. Here's hoping they move onto something else soon.


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[MermaidCelesteFL]

This type of sensationalism is the reason people think all pitbulls are demons made to kill people.

I'd say that's a part of it. In regards to the pitts, I have personally only seen them being used as fight dogs for underground dog fights, and most of them have ended up dead in my backyard (when I was living in Cincy). Since then, I haven't seen a pittbull that hasn't frightened me, because some of those fighting dogs would get loose and maul people. That's a different story for a different time.

In both situations of people fearing the dogs and the tails; it's because they don't know any better, and don't want to do their research on actual statistics- nor do they want to utilize precaution and safety measures.

[AelianaNympha]

Also though, you can only compare people's fear of tails and pitties, not necessarily the things themselves. Though both are misunderstood, one is a living breathing thing that, despite innate morality, is doing all that it can to protect itself and to please what it views as its owner. Both do require you to do your research, as Celeste said, because those who don't research are the ones who are caught in the net of sensationalism.


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[TheSaltySiren]

Wow, this article is terrible. And of course if a child has never been in a fin and doesn't know how to move it in, they will sink lol. Parents need to teach kids how to dolphin kick first before letting them wear a fin. And no child or adult should ever swim alone for that matter...Common sense just isn't so common anymore I guess...