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Darth Maul/Kid Incident - SWW '09
- Thread starter Thessair
- Start date
rsoxguy
Well-Known Member
In all fairness, I believe that the person in Character did overreact to the situation. The boy in the video did not seem to pose a great threat. With this said, I think that the boy's father is a reprehensible human being. "Little Joe" should be controlled by his parents, and they clearly allow him to do as he pleases. The importance of proper supervision is only deepened by the fact that he is a special needs child. The behavior and actions allowed in this video by the parents is neglectful at best. This man's incompetence as a parent is further highlighted by the way in which he has chosen to use his son as a campaign poster against Disney. His transparent methods to gain sympathy and/or money is evident through the "damages" that he claims his son is now suffering. I am waiting to hear that "Little Joe" has also suffered injuries from spilling hot coffee on himself at a McDonald's drive-through. The heart of our society continues to fall into further trouble.
Jimmy Thick
Well-Known Member
This is a parent thing, that kid should not have ever gotten that close to the actor. If the child has special needs, the parents should be more aware. Its totally their fault.
From the actor's perspective, you never know what is going on in someone head, some people take stuff like Star Wars beyond a healthy hobby. As far as he knew, that kid could have come up to attack him.
From the actor's perspective, you never know what is going on in someone head, some people take stuff like Star Wars beyond a healthy hobby. As far as he knew, that kid could have come up to attack him.
Phonedave
Well-Known Member
I agree, however we do not necessarly know the full situation, video can make some things look worse than they are.
I have never worn a Darth Maul costume. Maybe there are blind spots.
Maybe the kid smacked the character and suprised him.
Who really knows what happend. I would like to think that it was not a delibrate act by the character to give a small kid a good shove, but rather a knee-jerk reaction, much like the fabled "Tigger-punch"
However, all this could have been easily prevented if the parents had controlled their kid. There is clearly a piece of tape on the ground that marks the edge of the parade. Everybody else in the video is clearly behind the tape, but "Little Joe" is constantly flirting with the edge of it. Any decent parnent should know that the kid is one step from bolting into the parade route - especaily a special needs kid like Joe. Thats when you put the freaking camera down, go over, and make sure your kid stays safe.
-dave
The CM will more than likely be wearing costume grade colored contacts. Your vision while wearing these would be akin to looking through toilet paper tubes. It would be no where near as bad as a full mask but you peripheral vision definitely goes bye-bye.
hrcollectibles
Active Member
It look like the kid looked at the camera, perhaps to get the OK from his parents... Just another example of someone trying to get $$ from Disney. Why where his parents not near him. They appear to be several feet away from him. Darth Maul did nothing wrong, in my opinion..He was just defending himself.. What is anyone's natural reaction to someone charging, you take a defensive stand...I like how user comments have been disabled...
Figment632
New Member
I always defend DIsney to the death in these situations and the boys Mom is a moron but as a fellow CM I have to say the CM in the video was way out of line and I would hope was fired.
cblodg
Member
First off, I don't care if a child has Autism or CP or DS, that doesn't mean they are allowed to just walk into the middle of a parade route and go up to characters. I thought it was nice of the ST to high-five the kid, but he was close-by any ways.
The parents are really really really not looking good in this. You don't let your child (healthy or not) run around free, especially if they have Autism. You don't know what the kid is going to do from one minute to the next. Not to mention all the "little Joe" references and turning him into a victim.
Now, the CM shouldn't have gone that far in pushing the kid off to the side of the route. Of course, the CM that was nearby should not have allowed the kid to go into the route.
Fault lies on both sides, but more so with the parents.
And what kind of father just stands by and watches his kid get shoved like that and not flinch ONCE!?
The parents are really really really not looking good in this. You don't let your child (healthy or not) run around free, especially if they have Autism. You don't know what the kid is going to do from one minute to the next. Not to mention all the "little Joe" references and turning him into a victim.
Now, the CM shouldn't have gone that far in pushing the kid off to the side of the route. Of course, the CM that was nearby should not have allowed the kid to go into the route.
Fault lies on both sides, but more so with the parents.
And what kind of father just stands by and watches his kid get shoved like that and not flinch ONCE!?
bgraham34
Well-Known Member
I agree 100%
They should have told there kid not to walk into the parade route in the first place.
Figment632
New Member
i disagree while the parents are stupid all DIsney had to do to avoid this is put up a simple rope like they do for SPectro. Disney screwed up here and the CM was way out of line.
cblodg
Member
DHS has rarely used rope lines for their parades. I don't know why, but they don't. I've seen them use tape lines before. I highly doubt that had a rope line been in place this kid would have been kept from the characters.
Figment632
New Member
Still Disney did nothing to try and stop it, if they were not going to put up the ropes they should have had a lot more CM's.
LoriMistress
Well-Known Member
That's what I was thinking.
cblodg
Member
It is not Disney's JOB to restrain the child. EVERY other person was abiding by the CMs (which ere present and just as good as a 'rope line') and staying out of the parade route. It's pretty common knowledge that you don't go into a parade route. Again, if this kid doesn't know this, then it falls to the parents to make sure he isn't out there running around wildly.
I fully agree that the CM as Darth Maul shouldn't have shoved the kid, and we can go back and forth over whether or not there should be ropes, but the simple, irrefutable, fact is that the parents did not have control of their child.
cblodg
Member
WIN!:king: