Darth Maul/Kid Incident - SWW '09

[Avenger117]

Its really unfortunate and obviously Darth Maul could have handled this better, but something was up with the parents. The mom didn't even seem concerned with the child, she was more worried about if it was caught on tape. I feel like if I was a parent and something like that happened to my child I would immediately make sure they were ok. Instead the disney employee walking along the parade checked on the kid and the mom was making sure they got the incident on tape.

 

[828tnt]

With fear and trepidation, I post a reply:

I was friends with many many many characters for many years dating back to 1980 and lead and trained many many more parade performers. I was involved in the very first Star Wars Weekends before they became an official year to year event.

Point 1. The Studios originally did use ropes and stanchions (sp?) for parades and events for several years. The tape came as a labor and cost savings situation. My preference was the ropes.

Point 2: More of an opinion, ropes or not, I have seen much much worse from kids along a parade route than what this kid was doing and have "high-fived" multiple kids then patiently walked them back to the edge knowing they would jump back out later. (run-on sentence I know sorry:veryconfu)

Point 3: Disney rule/policy/hard fact not able to get away from:

"NEVER retaliate against a guest NO MATTER WHAT the provocation." that is a period the end. And especially this being a child.


Point 4: Darth Maul appeared to me to be acting what he perceived to be in character not realizing the child was handicapped. So I have a hard time with this. But even the "villains" have to understand their limitations and part of training involves sensitivity towards all children.

Point 5: The father's video is a pathetic overexaggeration of an incident that he hopes to gain sympathy from by posting on the internet. The slow motion and stills with the sensationalistic captions is ridiculous.

I know I will get blasted for saying this, but this is not the first kind of incident like this, nor is it the last. In my viewing this is dramatically different from the Tigger video where I see Tigger simply trying to remove himself from a rough situation and accidentally tapping the kids face.

Okay, I am done now. Fire at will:lookaroun

excellent post! i agree that the parents have more responsibility here than anyone involved. allowing any little one, special needs or not, to be where they shouldn't be is totally irresponsible and dangerous.

but their reactions just floor me! if i really thought my kid was doing no wrong, i woulda ripped darth mull in two.... no way i just stand and watch my child get pushed! how do you just kept filming?

that being said, i'm glad disney fired him! i have no desire to go to wdw to see a character push a child under any circumstances. i can't really understand how it can be defended. he went waaayyy too far. if he wanted to stay in character, a menacing stare in a defensive stance could have worked.... scare the ______ out of him! also, what about the handlers or security, or parade supervisors? any disipline there? they allowed the character to be in that position by not policing the route when the child had clearly made a habbit of this action.

still, it's parents like these who do ruin things....

 

[Susan Savia]

It looked almost like the mother wanted him to do that so she could catch it on tape! It looked like the kid grimaced, as anyone would when a hand comes near your face. He should NOT of been standing out in the street like that, but up against the curb.

 

[DisneyWall-E]

I have to agree with what I perceive as the general consensus on all the sites I have seen this story, the parents are the first to be at fault then Darth Mauls reaction was also uncalled for. If the parents of this child had controled him from the start this whole situation would never have happened.

 

[BiggerTigger]

When are parents going to start taking responsibility for their children's actions?
I don't condone the actions of the actor, however, the parents are just as at fault. They should have more control over their kid. What parent thinks it is alright to play in a street while a parade of characters, who are trying to be safe as well, and large moving objects are moving down a parade route?
This guy is trying to drum up publicity for himself. Another Balloon boy family, how pathetic.

 

[sockmonkeygirl]

UMMM, Wow. I can't believe how many people (adults!) are so rude regarding this special needs kid. WOW.

1) Is the mother a poor parent? How do you know? This is a 4 minute snippit of time in her life. Geez, she maybe saved for 2 years to bring her boy on this vacation, and hey, maybe she got a little carried away taking pictures and letting her kid stand in the parade route. But guess what......there was a CM right there, also not caring about that. And guess what else, I saw a Star Trek character en route in the parade high five the kid. It's obvious to me that both Disney employees and the parent are both being a little lax at that point in time. Ok ok, blame the mom. It's the easy thing to do.

2) If Darth Maul pushed my kid, I'm not so sure that I wouldn't be chasing him down, and knocking him out.

3) Should Disney have fired him? OF COURSE. Look at what he did. I mean, he aggressively pushed a kid. A kid that can only weigh about 45 pounds, and poses no threat. In fact, I believe the kid was going for a high-five, as he had done with the previous white Star Trek character (who responded in kind.) If I pushed my kid like that, I'd have Child Protective Services at my front door. But because Bozo is wearing a clown costume, that should make it ok? Nooooo.

4) Yes, all the @holes come out loud and clear when it's time to tear someone else apart, but if it were their kid (or YOUR kid) how would you feel?

5) I believe the kid may in fact find Star Trek and other character based movies less enjoyable now. He was freaking attacked by Darth Maul for goodness sakes. I mean, really. How frightening. And I'm not kidding either. I can't believe how many people are blaming the mother. I totally agree that she shouls have had better control of her child, but that does not make what Darth Maul did any less wrong. He was SO wrong.

 

[unkadug]

http://stupidguesttricks.com/

That is all.

 

[the-reason14]

UMMM, Wow. I can't believe how many people (adults!) are so rude regarding this special needs kid. WOW.

1) Is the mother a poor parent? How do you know? This is a 4 minute snippit of time in her life. Geez, she maybe saved for 2 years to bring her boy on this vacation, and hey, maybe she got a little carried away taking pictures and letting her kid stand in the parade route. But guess what......there was a CM right there, also not caring about that. And guess what else, I saw a Star Trek character en route in the parade high five the kid. It's obvious to me that both Disney employees and the parent are both being a little lax at that point in time. Ok ok, blame the mom. It's the easy thing to do.

2) If Darth Maul pushed my kid, I'm not so sure that I wouldn't be chasing him down, and knocking him out.

3) Should Disney have fired him? OF COURSE. Look at what he did. I mean, he aggressively pushed a kid. A kid that can only weigh about 45 pounds, and poses no threat. In fact, I believe the kid was going for a high-five, as he had done with the previous white Star Trek character (who responded in kind.) If I pushed my kid like that, I'd have Child Protective Services at my front door. But because Bozo is wearing a clown costume, that should make it ok? Nooooo.

4) Yes, all the @holes come out loud and clear when it's time to tear someone else apart, but if it were their kid (or YOUR kid) how would you feel?

5) I believe the kid may in fact find Star Trek and other character based movies less enjoyable now. He was freaking attacked by Darth Maul for goodness sakes. I mean, really. How frightening. And I'm not kidding either. I can't believe how many people are blaming the mother. I totally agree that she shouls have had better control of her child, but that does not make what Darth Maul did any less wrong. He was SO wrong.

I agree with you. I mean, the CM that rushed over after the kid got hit should have seen him giving the high fives to the other characters and told the parents to keep him in check. This is not saying that the mother wasnt at fault, but the CM woman who rushed over at the end should have some blame too. Of course the parents are the only ones who know how their child reacts to things so they should have been prepared. And I agree with you, if it was YOUR kid, what would YOU do? Yes you have to watch your kids, but sometimes kids can get excited. How many times do you tell your son or daughter to not do something? More than once I'm sure. So telling little Sarah to not go past the tape once, may not do the trick. I probably would have gotten a lifetime ban from disney if the guy had did that to my kid. I dont have any yet, but ya know.

 

[Phonedave]

I am amazed by the amount of people that would chase down the character and "rip him in two" "beat him down to the ground" "get a lifetime ban" etc.

The internet, testosterone, and you - the perfect trifecta.

-dave

 

[disneydata]

Wow. Do all the @ holes of the world congregate in the youtube comments section?

You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.

 

[me_stitch]

darth maul is a bad guy, maybe he was just acting, didn't look that violent to me, I think the CM was caught off guard, it's not like he punched the kid and shoved him to the ground. sorry your kid is handicapped but give me a break. just because he has special needs you think he has the right to run up to cm's during the parade, you need to ask a cm first and let them arrange that sort of thing. and, it's not like the cm new he was handicapped, he just saw a kid run up to him with his hand in the air and he reacted to it, had the kid just stood there with his hand in the air like he was earlier the cm probably would've just high fived him and we wouldn't be wasting our time posting about some guy trying to get rich off DW.

 

[Jimmy Thick]

Enough bashing on ole Darth Maul. The kid got what he deserved.



And to deflate this non-sense, if it was my child, he or she NEVER would have been in a position where a situation like that would have happened. Thats called responsible parenting. If your at Disney World, it does not mean you can let your children, more so a special needs child, run wild.


Jimmy Thick- Father of the Year!

 

[Innoventions]

UMMM, Wow. I can't believe how many people (adults!) are so rude regarding this special needs kid. WOW.

1) Is the mother a poor parent? How do you know? This is a 4 minute snippit of time in her life. Geez, she maybe saved for 2 years to bring her boy on this vacation, and hey, maybe she got a little carried away taking pictures and letting her kid stand in the parade route. But guess what......there was a CM right there, also not caring about that. And guess what else, I saw a Star Trek character en route in the parade high five the kid. It's obvious to me that both Disney employees and the parent are both being a little lax at that point in time. Ok ok, blame the mom. It's the easy thing to do.

2) If Darth Maul pushed my kid, I'm not so sure that I wouldn't be chasing him down, and knocking him out.

3) Should Disney have fired him? OF COURSE. Look at what he did. I mean, he aggressively pushed a kid. A kid that can only weigh about 45 pounds, and poses no threat. In fact, I believe the kid was going for a high-five, as he had done with the previous white Star Trek character (who responded in kind.) If I pushed my kid like that, I'd have Child Protective Services at my front door. But because Bozo is wearing a clown costume, that should make it ok? Nooooo.

4) Yes, all the @holes come out loud and clear when it's time to tear someone else apart, but if it were their kid (or YOUR kid) how would you feel?

5) I believe the kid may in fact find Star Trek and other character based movies less enjoyable now. He was freaking attacked by Darth Maul for goodness sakes. I mean, really. How frightening. And I'm not kidding either. I can't believe how many people are blaming the mother. I totally agree that she shouls have had better control of her child, but that does not make what Darth Maul did any less wrong. He was SO wrong.

:ROFLOL::ROFLOL::ROFLOL: How are people being rude, they are stating their opinion. And it may not agree with yours, but dont you think your being a little ignorant. Just because they side against the family with the child, it automatically makes them rude, its like pulling the race card.

The parents are at fault, they should stop looking at their vacation through the eyes of the lens and watch their kid. Pushing crossed the line, but he was letting him know, not to approach him, was anyone else's kid in the street, no. Who knows what would have happened if this kid wasn't pushed, would he have been run over by a float, or a group of performers, obviously the employee thought no one was watching him because he was in the way of the parade (i would have thought that) Its kind of a common courtesy, and safety percussion to not be in the way of the parade, I know my kid would be right next to me, not in the middle of the route.

Just because he has autism and cerebral palsy doesn't mean he cant be helped to understand he has to stay a distance, please, ITS ALL THE PARENTS, and the cast member in yellow, she should have said something, if he was being watched and guided none of this would have happened.

 

[the-reason14]

I am amazed by the amount of people that would chase down the character and "rip him in two" "beat him down to the ground" "get a lifetime ban" etc.

The internet, testosterone, and you - the perfect trifecta.

-dave

So if it were your kid and the character manhandled him or her you would just say, "Oh my Gosh *giggle* not gonna let it ruin my vacation." And not do anything??

 

[sockmonkeygirl]

:ROFLOL::ROFLOL::ROFLOL: How are people being rude, they are stating their opinion. And it may not agree with yours, but dont you think your being a little ignorant.

I was referring to the comment made about youtube people posting their rude comments. How rude? Calling the kid and freak..read them..yes, they are rude. And no, I am not ignorant. I've worked in the general public for over 20 years..in retail first, and in nursing now for the past 15 years. I know that if a patient of mine gets aggressive with me, I still do not have the right to deck him/her.

To JimmyThick, who is SO SURE his own kids would NEVVVVER do anything like (God forbid) try to high-five a Disney character...hey pal, glad your kid is so perfect, or rather, glad you are able to lie to yourself enough to get through the day.

 

[sockmonkeygirl]

By the way, Jimmy Thick...do you have children? Or are you just speculating about what a wonderful parent you might be, one day?

 

[Fantasmic]

You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.

:sohappy:

 

[Monty]

I was referring to the comment made about youtube people posting their rude comments. How rude? Calling the kid and freak..read them..yes, they are rude. And no, I am not ignorant. I've worked in the general public for over 20 years..in retail first, and in nursing now for the past 15 years. I know that if a patient of mine gets aggressive with me, I still do not have the right to deck him/her.

If you go back and look at your post, you don't distinguish that you're talking about the comments on another site. I suspect the response you got was because it appeared you were talking about people on WDWMagic being rude. It's certainly how I read your comment.

 

[LucyintheSky]

I agree with you. I mean, the CM that rushed over after the kid got hit should have seen him giving the high fives to the other characters and told the parents to keep him in check. This is not saying that the mother wasnt at fault, but the CM woman who rushed over at the end should have some blame too. Of course the parents are the only ones who know how their child reacts to things so they should have been prepared. And I agree with you, if it was YOUR kid, what would YOU do? Yes you have to watch your kids, but sometimes kids can get excited. How many times do you tell your son or daughter to not do something? More than once I'm sure. So telling little Sarah to not go past the tape once, may not do the trick. I probably would have gotten a lifetime ban from disney if the guy had did that to my kid. I dont have any yet, but ya know.

Sure, my son doesn't always listen the first time I tell him something. That's how kids are. But if he went over the line at a parade, I'm tell him to move back. If he did it again, I'd grab him and pull him back and tell him we would leave if he didn't behave and follow the rules. Next time, we'd leave. I've done it before.

Granted my son doesn't have special needs, but in that case I'd at least hold his hand or something to control him. I darn sure wouldn't stand there laughing as he constantly got into the parade path and in the performers way. I'm sorry, but having special needs does not give anyone a free pass to do whatever they please. You still need to follow the rules.

Did you notice the other kids near him who are following the rules, and keep leaning over, still standing behind the line, trying to see around "little Joe"?

 

[cblodg]

If you go back and look at your post, you don't distinguish that you're talking about the comments on another site. I suspect the response you got was because it appeared you were talking about people on WDWMagic being rude. It's certainly how I read your comment.

I certainly took it that way. :shrug::lookaroun