# This mermaid can swim in my pool anytime she wants to **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 18, 2013, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-mermaid-can-swim-in-my-pool-anytime-she-wants-to/663803 "2013-07-18T00:57:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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 18, 2013, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-mermaid-can-swim-in-my-pool-anytime-she-wants-to/663803/1 "2013-07-18T00:57:43Z")
I don’t what’s the matter with some people. [HOA Throws Mermaid out of Pool](http://realestate.msn.com/blogs/post--hoa-throws-mermaid-out-of-pool) ---
**Author:** ![RightCoast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@RightCoast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RightCoast)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-mermaid-can-swim-in-my-pool-anytime-she-wants-to/663803/2 "2013-07-18T01:14:17Z")
Oh man! The story says, > [@](#): > > Seven year after a brain tumor cost her the use of her legs and she had to learn to walk again, she thought it was time to get going with the things she wanted to do – and one of those was swimming as a mermaid … The disabled are given leeway in our society. The blind can bring their dogs into the restaurant, etc. If she claims to be disabled and the mermaid tail is a handicap swimming aid, the HOA’s in trouble. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-mermaid-can-swim-in-my-pool-anytime-she-wants-to/663803/3 "2013-07-18T01:25:12Z")
Might it have something to do with the insurance one probably MUST have if they’ve got a pool like that? I think she should find 2 friends with mermaid tails and learn to sing “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” in a really tight Andrews Sisters harmony. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-mermaid-can-swim-in-my-pool-anytime-she-wants-to/663803/4 "2013-07-18T01:26:56Z")
If she did learn to walk again, then she’s regained the use of her legs, and she’s no longer disabled, no? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-mermaid-can-swim-in-my-pool-anytime-she-wants-to/663803/5 "2013-07-18T01:33:25Z")
One more reason to hate HOAs! ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-mermaid-can-swim-in-my-pool-anytime-she-wants-to/663803/6 "2013-07-18T01:35:06Z")
I was so glad when the article stipulated that she was not born a mermaid. I was confused there for a second. ---
**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 18, 2013, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-mermaid-can-swim-in-my-pool-anytime-she-wants-to/663803/7 "2013-07-18T01:41:38Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > If she did learn to walk again, then she’s regained the use of her legs, and she’s no longer disabled, no? She may have regained enough to walk but not full function. Possibly limited time or distance. In California, you qualify for a disabled placard if you cannot walk 50 yards unaided. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-mermaid-can-swim-in-my-pool-anytime-she-wants-to/663803/8 "2013-07-18T01:58:06Z")
> [@](#): > > “We love what’s she trying to do, be kind to children and do something good for the community. We love her intentions; it’s simply that it violates rules,” Terrie Morrison, chairwoman of the community board for Fishhawk Ranch, a master-planned community in the exurbs of Tampa, Fla., told Fox 13 in Tampa. To which the obvious reply is, OK, then, change the rules. This kind of absurdity is why I will never willingly live under the sway of an HOA. And I do wonder how the tail is operated, and how it interacts with her leg disability. Is it just that she has limited use of her legs, but that limited use is all that’s needed to make the tail work? Due to support from the water, or due to the particular muscles needed? Or is it one of those bizarre brain wiring things (a sort of kinesthetic aphasia) where she can move a set of muscles to swim, but can’t move that same set of muscles to do something else? ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-mermaid-can-swim-in-my-pool-anytime-she-wants-to/663803/9 "2013-07-18T03:14:20Z")
That article was pretty terribly written (trying way too hard to be cute, and not nearly hard enough to convey information) but assuming everything it says is accurate, the HOA sound like a bunch a assholes. Not to mention boring. I can’t imagine why it should be against the rules unless they just reflexively ban anything different. Which, thinking on some HOAs I’ve read about, may be what’s happening. Either way, she’s said she’s dropping it, so I guess it doesn’t matter. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-mermaid-can-swim-in-my-pool-anytime-she-wants-to/663803/10 "2013-07-18T04:38:50Z")
Mermaid, shmermaid. Big woop-dee-do. I think the (un)related link to the story on [chicken real estate](http://realestate.msn.com/blogs/post--top-5-cities-in-which-to-be-a-chicken) is _much_ more important! :rolleyes: I’m kinda surprised that it’s a link to a MSN story, not World Weekly News ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-mermaid-can-swim-in-my-pool-anytime-she-wants-to/663803/11 "2013-07-18T04:45:28Z")
> [@Ranger\_Jeff](#): > > If she did learn to walk again, then she’s regained the use of her legs, and she’s no longer disabled, no? Yeah, I was confused if she was using the fins to help swim (which makes a bit of sense) or she survived the tumor and swimming like a mermaid was a bucket list thing. The line from the article (quoted in post #2) is pretty ambiguous and I didn’t watch the video (I have a thing about autoplaying videos). Also, I’m curious as to what rule it violates. I mean, if it violates the “No mermaid fins” rules, then I think it’s fair to say assume that the rule was put in place after she started using it. If the violates the “No large toys/accessories” rule, that’s a different story. ETA, someone needs to tell her (again, I didn’t watch the video) that she’ll do much better with the media if she stops referring to herself as a mermaid. Saying things like “I’ve met two other mermaids” just makes her sound crazy. If she comes off as a spectacle, people will point and laugh until the next funny thing and then forget all about her. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-mermaid-can-swim-in-my-pool-anytime-she-wants-to/663803/12 "2013-07-18T04:55:57Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I don’t what’s the matter with some people. > > [HOA Throws Mermaid out of Pool](http://realestate.msn.com/blogs/post--hoa-throws-mermaid-out-of-pool) Extremely loud auto-play video assholery at that link. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-mermaid-can-swim-in-my-pool-anytime-she-wants-to/663803/13 "2013-07-18T06:53:47Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > And I do wonder how the tail is operated, and how it interacts with her leg disability. Is it just that she has limited use of her legs, but that limited use is all that’s needed to make the tail work? Due to support from the water, or due to the particular muscles needed? Or is it one of those bizarre brain wiring things (a sort of kinesthetic aphasia) where she can move a set of muscles to swim, but can’t move that same set of muscles to do something else? Without knowing how much movement she recovered, it’s impossible to say, though if she re-learned how to walk, she must have a fair amount of control of her legs. The tail could conceivably be used without any controlled movement of the legs at all, by using abdominal muscles to perform an undulating motion. With the legs cocooned in the tail, they would be held together and follow the motion of the hips. I’m not sure how much control you’d have that way, but you could probably drive yourself through the water. It doesn’t really look like that’s what she’s doing in the video. It looks like she’s at least using her thighs to drive the tail. Even if she has no lingering disability whatsoever…why is this a problem? She wants to engage in a harmless activity for the entertainment of herself and others. It’s an unusual activity, but that’s hardly a reason to stop her. My guess would be that some humorless nit went looking for an excuse to interfere, and found a “no flippers” rule–which was probably intended to keep kids from walking around in them, since that’s how most “no flippers” rules I’ve seen have been phrased. (It’s not that unreasonable, since it’s kind of easy to trip on them, and falling around a pool can be bad news.) ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-mermaid-can-swim-in-my-pool-anytime-she-wants-to/663803/14 "2013-07-18T07:22:21Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Also, I’m curious as to what rule it violates. I mean, if it violates the “No mermaid fins” rules, then I think it’s fair to say assume that the rule was put in place after she started using it. If the violates the “No large toys/accessories” rule, that’s a different story. The article says “no fins” rule. I assume they originally wrote it for scuba/swimming fins, although why would those be a problem is beyond me. ---
**Author:** ![Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@Sleeps\_With\_Butterflies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sleeps_With_Butterflies)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-mermaid-can-swim-in-my-pool-anytime-she-wants-to/663803/15 "2013-07-18T08:30:13Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > The article says “no fins” rule. I assume they originally wrote it for scuba/swimming fins, although why would those be a problem is beyond me. I guess it could be one of those give people an inch, they’ll take a mile things and pretty soon a fairly small pool will be overrun with a lot of nonsense. Kids with those big fake shark fins, big ol flipper feet smacking into people under water, etc. Besides the cringe-worthy, overly effusive “Look how coooool she is” flattery from the guy taking the video, the mermaid seems really sweet, fun, and a good sport. It’s not like she’s wearing some obscene getup just for attention. She has a reason and a goal. It’s too bad she can’t stick around, I think it would be a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-mermaid-can-swim-in-my-pool-anytime-she-wants-to/663803/16 "2013-07-18T11:50:07Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > The article says “no fins” rule. I assume they originally wrote it for scuba/swimming fins, although why would those be a problem is beyond me. I’m still curious then if it’s part of a bigger “no toys” rule just to keep kids at bay so that adults can enjoy the pool. Otherwise it may be to keep people from tripping while they try to walk with the fins on. Eitherway, the HOA board must have been thrilled that they had that rule on the books when the complaints started rolling in. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-mermaid-can-swim-in-my-pool-anytime-she-wants-to/663803/17 "2013-07-18T12:19:32Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > Tthe HOA sound like a bunch a assholes. In other news, there’s unrest in the Middle East. ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-mermaid-can-swim-in-my-pool-anytime-she-wants-to/663803/18 "2013-07-18T15:34:08Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > I’m still curious then if it’s part of a bigger “no toys” rule just to keep kids at bay so that adults can enjoy the pool. Otherwise it may be to keep people from tripping while they try to walk with the fins on. > Eitherway, the HOA board must have been thrilled that they had that rule on the books when the complaints started rolling in. Were there complaints? If there were, and it violates their rules, the HOA has to act. It is their job. There are plenty of busybodies on those groups that would act on their own though. I am on an HOA and am constantly having to push the view of, “If no one complains and it is not hurting anyone, then fuck it, it’s not our problem,” to people who want to enforce every niggling little rule to the fullest. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-mermaid-can-swim-in-my-pool-anytime-she-wants-to/663803/19 "2013-07-18T16:37:09Z")
> [@flight](#): > > Were there complaints? If there were, and it violates their rules, the HOA has to act. It is their job. There are plenty of busybodies on those groups that would act on their own though. I am on an HOA and am constantly having to push the view of, “If no one complains and it is not hurting anyone, then fuck it, it’s not our problem,” to people who want to enforce every niggling little rule to the fullest. Let me rephrase it then. The HOA must have been thrilled they had the ‘no fins’ rule on the books when she showed up with the mermaid tail. But it wouldn’t surprise me if there were complaints. Based on some of the quotes in the article, I’d imagine the HOA got a lot of emails along the lines of “weird lady’s being weird (again), do something about it”. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2013, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-mermaid-can-swim-in-my-pool-anytime-she-wants-to/663803/20 "2013-07-18T16:38:28Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > I was so glad when the article stipulated that she was not born a mermaid. I was confused there for a second. Some are born mermaids, others achieve mermaidhood, while others have mermaidhood thrust upon them. I think I’d like to have her thrust upon _me_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-mermaid-can-swim-in-my-pool-anytime-she-wants-to/663803.md?page=2)