# Little Mermaid statue vandalized **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 3, 2020, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-mermaid-statue-vandalized/914177 "2020-07-03T14:37:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-mermaid-statue-vandalized/914177/1 "2020-07-03T14:37:10Z")
Someone spray-painted “racist fish” on the pedestal of the Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen. > **[Copenhagen's Little Mermaid labelled 'racist fish'](https://www.yahoo.com/news/copenhagens-little-mermaid-labelled-racist-102435040.html)** > > Denmark woke up on Friday to the words "racist fish" scrawled across the base of the "Little Mermaid", the bronze statue honouring Hans Christian Andersen's famous fairy tale that perches on a rock in the sea off a pier in Copenhagen. "We consider it... Is “fish” considered a slur by the Merfolk community? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-mermaid-statue-vandalized/914177/2 "2020-07-03T14:42:01Z")
“Scalie” Few people know the Little Mermaid was actually born in Finland. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-mermaid-statue-vandalized/914177/3 "2020-07-03T15:07:10Z")
> [@mbh](#): > > Is “fish” considered a slur by the Merfolk community? I would think so, seeing how mermaids are, by definition, mammals. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-mermaid-statue-vandalized/914177/4 "2020-07-03T15:36:04Z")
This time it just needs cleaning. One time they cut her whole head off. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-mermaid-statue-vandalized/914177/5 "2020-07-03T15:43:53Z")
No one eats the head anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-mermaid-statue-vandalized/914177/6 "2020-07-03T15:52:02Z")
Siren Lives Matter! ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-mermaid-statue-vandalized/914177/7 "2020-07-03T16:32:58Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > > [@mbh](#): > > > > Is “fish” considered a slur by the Merfolk community? > > I would think so, seeing how mermaids are, by definition, mammals. Partly. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-mermaid-statue-vandalized/914177/8 "2020-07-03T16:49:38Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Partly. And part what, fish? But there’s no such thing as a fish, whereas all creatures with mammary glands - which mermaids are famous for having - are mammals. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-mermaid-statue-vandalized/914177/9 "2020-07-03T17:36:46Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > there’s no such thing as a fish Can you elaborate on this? ETA: never mind, Googled it. Learn something new… ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-mermaid-statue-vandalized/914177/10 "2020-07-03T19:50:09Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > No one eats the head anyway. Eat 'em up, yum!! ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-mermaid-statue-vandalized/914177/11 "2020-07-03T20:02:11Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > > [@RealityChuck](#): > > > > Partly. > > And part what, fish? But there’s no such thing as a fish, whereas all creatures with mammary glands - which mermaids are famous for having - are mammals. You’re assuming their breasts are functional and not just an adaptation to attract their prey. Surely their genitals are more adapted to producing eggs, so there’s no need for milk. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2020, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-mermaid-statue-vandalized/914177/12 "2020-07-03T23:02:50Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Surely their genitals are more adapted to producing eggs, so there’s no need for milk. Dolphins and whales seem to manage. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2020, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-mermaid-statue-vandalized/914177/13 "2020-07-04T00:00:46Z")
It makes great soup. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2020, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-mermaid-statue-vandalized/914177/14 "2020-07-04T00:22:59Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > > [@RealityChuck](#): > > > > Surely their genitals are more adapted to producing eggs, so there’s no need for milk. > > Dolphins and whales seem to manage. Begging the question. You assume they are mammals to prove they are mammals. But the lower half of a mermaid is clearly not mammalian. It is a fish tail, covered with scales (dolphins and whales don’t have scales). ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2020, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-mermaid-statue-vandalized/914177/15 "2020-07-04T00:39:38Z")
Eh, some types of fish give live birth as well. No reason why they’d have to lay eggs. Also, there’s a number of mammals with scales (say, pangolins) but there’s zero fish with boobs. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2020, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-mermaid-statue-vandalized/914177/16 "2020-07-04T00:40:46Z")
I thought mermaids’ MO was enchanting sailors and cause them to wreck their ships on a nearby rock? ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2020, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-mermaid-statue-vandalized/914177/17 "2020-07-04T01:21:57Z")
I think that’s [Sirens](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siren_(mythology)). ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2020, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-mermaid-statue-vandalized/914177/18 "2020-07-04T02:52:25Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > But the lower half of a mermaid is clearly not mammalian. It is a fish tail, covered with scales (dolphins and whales don’t have scales). But pangolins and armadillos do, or at least a superficial facsimile of them. So the fact that the tail has scales doesn’t prove it’s not mammalian. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2020, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-mermaid-statue-vandalized/914177/19 "2020-07-04T02:59:14Z")
> [@squeegee](#): > > I think that’s [Sirens](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siren_(mythology)). Mermaids _are_ sirens, or at least are in part derived from the ones in Greek myth. The Spanish word for mermaid is _sirena,_ and in French it’s _sirene._ ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2020, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-mermaid-statue-vandalized/914177/20 "2020-07-04T13:18:17Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > > [@RealityChuck](#): > > > > But the lower half of a mermaid is clearly not mammalian. It is a fish tail, covered with scales (dolphins and whales don’t have scales). > > But pangolins and armadillos do, or at least a superficial facsimile of them. So the fact that the tail has scales doesn’t prove it’s not mammalian. But no mammal that lives in the sea and has a tail used for propulsion does. The mermaid’s tail is nothing like that of a pangolin or armadillo, either. It is clearly that of a fish. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/little-mermaid-statue-vandalized/914177.md?page=2)