First Mermaids, Then…?

Read this startling piece of news today: Fishhawk Bans Mermaid. Yikes! What is the world coming to?  All this little mermaid wants to do is entertain children. Sadly the public pools have a no fin policy.  Would they ban Flipper? What about Namu? Ok, the whale may be a bit too large for the swimming pool. But a mermaid? 

My memories of mermaids have be positive. When I was seven, I first wanted to have a mermaid for a friend after seeing the movie Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid.  Of course, I’m older now and realize the practicality of such a thing makes it out of the question. But then there is Splash with Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah. Or what about the Disney classic, The Little Mermaid?

Maybe something deeper lies here. Mermaids have been reported to lure seafarers to their death on the rocks near shores. It had something to do with the song they’d sing. According to legends, they’d lure men close enough to them, then grab them and pull them under water, drowning them.  But that could all be a misunderstanding, and the mermaids didn’t realize men can’t breathe under water.

I say posh! Mermaids are good. Take a stand. Save the Mermaids and let them be free. If we don’t, tomorrow they’ll ban Gnomes and Faeries and Trolls.

Ron D. Voigts is the author of the mystery-thriller Claws of the Griffin and the Penelope Mystery Series.