Disney guest chokes girl who was blocking view of fireworks, deputies say

[Otterhead]

For anyone foolish enough to think they will be dining with an actual princess...yeah false expectations. For the other 99% of the world, it's just an ad. If you take every ad on TV or radio 100% literally you would be constantly disappointed.

I remember seeing an ad for EPCOT in 1984, the year I first visited. It showed that scene in Horizons where an AA is upside-down in a space station; as a kid, I of course assumed you'd get to be weightless at EPCOT and float around! Seeing that it was just a diorama was disappointing, but there were so many other amazing things to see, I forgot my disappointment soon. If there's adults who take ads literally the way I did when I was ten years old, I feel kinda sorry for them.

 

[Laketravis]

I think certain people here will go to any extreme to attempt to prove that Disney is the devil.....

I think certain people here will go to any extreme to attempt to disprove anyone who disagrees with them.

But back on topic, check out that mugshot - they are never very flattering, are they?

With a name like Mature, you almost have to be.


.

 

[21stamps]

I remember seeing an ad for EPCOT in 1984, the year I first visited. It showed that scene in Horizons where an AA is upside-down in a space station; as a kid, I of course assumed you'd get to be weightless at EPCOT and float around! Seeing that it was just a diorama was disappointing, but there were so many other amazing things to see, I forgot my disappointment soon. If there's adults who take ads literally the way I did when I was ten years old, I feel kinda sorry for them.

Exactly.

I think certain people here will go to any extreme to attempt to disprove anyone who disagrees with them.

But back on topic, check out that mugshot - they are never very flattering, are they?

With a name like Mature, you almost have to be.


.

...or maybe there's people here who just would like to see adults use rational thinking.

And especially not justifying a woman's bad behavior by blaming evil Disney.

 

[ppete1975]

Exactly. The worst public choking incident in history occurred at this year's Super Bowl.

Thanks a lot, Falcons!

HAHAHA you got me... I was like I didn't hear about that... OH THE FALCONS not people at the game....HAHA still giggling

 

[Laketravis]

And especially not justifying a woman's bad behavior by blaming evil Disney.

Who's justifying this woman's behavior by blaming "evil Disney" ?

 

[natatomic]

Not at all. Unlike others I'm not seeking to pin blame and I hope you see now that I simply said I'm not surprised. It wasn't about whether they had to plan months or years out, it's that some do. Excessively and obsessively. It wasn't about how expensive the trip is, for many it's a once in a lifetime event. It wasn't about who's fault it is or who's to blame, it's just obvious browsing the many WDW forums that a large number of people are striving for perfection when making decisions about what to do and when while there.

So it shouldn't be a surprise for anyone that a woman would have words with a teenager for blocking her view of fireworks. As far as who's to blame or what actually happened and who's telling the truth, I suppose that will eventually come out.

Let me just step in here as a CM who has been dealing with guests for the last 7 and a half years...this behavior doesnt surprise me either. I'm not condoning it, I'm not saying it's acceptable, but considering the number of times I've been cussed out, shoved, spit on, grabbed, called racist, and even threatened, especially when it's preceded by "I spent $X,000 on this vacation!"...it doesn't surprise me.

 

[G00fyDad]

I am confused. The girl offered Mature their spot but Mature still chocked her? Something does not seem 100 percent about this story.

Nonetheless, Mature is crazy. I understand the grief about not seeing the fireworks but it really is not that serious.

I am sure that tensions were high and the child (Smart*** teen) did not "offer her spot" to the woman. She probably baited her with snotty comments while giggling to her equally snotty friends until the woman was ready to explode. That would be when the teen probably walked away and said something to escalte the situation like "Fine b***h. Take the spot. We're done with it now anyway."

I am in no way (at all) supporting the woman arrested but let's not take this teens word that she was some innocent as a butterfly child that wasn't doing anything until some crazy psychopath attacked her for no reason.

 

[GoofGoof]

Who's justifying this woman's behavior by blaming "evil Disney" ?

Just from the first few pages:

Ironic that the last name is "Mature".

No excuse at all. But this is the sort of thing that is going to only get worse as they try to squeeze more and more people into the parks.

This. People's behaviour is a function of their environment. Everyone is responsible for their own conduct, but this is the invariable result of overcrowding and targeting hicks for your audience.

Too crowded contributes a lot.

Time to raise prices.

I seriously wish Disney would keep jacking their prices up to weed out these white trash idiots. Let them go to Dollywood where they belong. Or Universal.

So the prices are either too low or too high or there's too much planning or the ads are misleading setting up false expectations. Lots of people seem to be blaming Disney at least in part for this type of behavior.

 

[GoofGoof]

I know you don't know it, and you will never know it, but you have just proved my point.

If you have to defend it to that extent, then it needs defending.

I don't think it needs defending. It's advertising. Just like the girl flicking her wand and lighting up Hogwarts Castle at Uni nobody actually expects these things to happen...except maybe small children.

 

[ford91exploder]

Technically this isn't false advertising, at least in legal terms. In order for an ad to qualify as false advertising you need:

1. A statement of fact that is false
2. The false statement has to deceive or have the potential to deceive a substantial portion of the target audience.
3. The false statement has to affect the purchasing decisions of the audience
4. There is proof of actual loss from the false advertisement

Showing people dining with Princesses qualifies as #1. It would be pretty hard to prove #2 but I would assume the vast majority of viewers know they can't actually dine with a princess. Without #2 the 3rd and 4th criteria are out too. If there was any chance Disney could be held liable for false advertising someone would have sued them long ago. People sue Disney all the time.

The ads are not intended to deceive people into thinking they can eat with a princess or ride an empty roller coaster alone. They are using artistic license to try to sell a feeling or an attitude. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter ads for the new land in Hollywood show a girl in the park take out a wand and point it at the castle and all of the lights come on. They aren't telling you that you can do magic or turn the lights on if you go there. It can't be taken literally.

OT:
At Universal the wands are indeed interactive and you can do 'magic' tricks with them up to including i believe a single guest being able to activate the lights on Hogwarts (kind of like the old sword in the stone which has been largely forgotten these days) So Uni's ads are a bit more truthful than Disney's in these respects.

 

[ford91exploder]

I don't think it needs defending. It's advertising. Just like the girl flicking her wand and lighting up Hogwarts Castle at Uni nobody actually expects these things to happen...except maybe small children.

That trick I believe actually DOES work for a single selected guest ONCE per day, The chances of grabbing that spot, small very small indeed.

 

[21stamps]

OT:
At Universal the wands are indeed interactive and you can do 'magic' tricks with them

That trick I believe actually DOES work for a single selected guest ONCE per day, The chances of grabbing that spot, small very small indeed.

do they disclose the price of the wands in the advertisement? Or that sometimes they don't work very well? And a disclaimer saying that only One guest may be able to do that trick..?

They don't. And they don't need to. Adults shouldn't think an advertisement is a true mirror of reality for every guest. From fast food to clothing commercials.. to travel destinations...they're all pretty much the same.

 

[drizgirl]

Just from the first few pages:




So the prices are either too low or too high or there's too much planning or the ads are misleading setting up false expectations. Lots of people seem to be blaming Disney at least in part for this type of behavior.

Oh, I'm not blaming Disney. I've put disclaimers in most of my posts here that you're never justified in putting hands on someone.

But tempers do rise and the potential for this sort of thing does go up when you overcrowd the parks.

 

[natatomic]

I don't think the commercials trick anyone into believing there will be no lines at Disney. But I think a large number of people who visit for the first time are surprised at how long the lines actually are. We were at MK last week - 90 minutes for buzz lightyear, 40 minutes for laugh floor, two hours for space mountain, 45 minutes for barnstormer (or whatever it's called now), 200 minutes for seven dwarves. When we visit Dollywood (side-eyeing the jerk here who thinks Dollywood is for white trash...) or Six Flags, maybe one or two big coasters might have an hour or so wait. But 45 minutes for a very basic vekoma skater coaster? I think there is a LOT of shock that hits people when they see multiple rides -even very basic ones - with lines that stretch over an hour long.
Again, none of this excuses a person to choke someone (which may not have even happened). However, I think we can all agree that with 7 billion people in this world, all with different personalities and cultural behaviors and standards, there will be many different responses to various situations. In an ideal world, everyone would be able to shrug off disappointment or work out disagreements with others, but not everyone is a beacon of mental health nor does everyone realize the world revolves around something other than themselves. Add that in, plus heat, plus hour-plus long lines, plus ride breakdowns, plus thousands of dollars less in the bank account...some people are bound to "snap" in a perfect storm of things going wrong. Some might just yell to vent their frustrations, some might physically take it out on the next person to look at them the wrong way. Obviously, one of those reactions is far more acceptable than the other, but considering human nature and the various ways a person's buttons can be pushed, is it REALLY surprising that one or two people out of the 200,000 people on property at any given time acted like a total a******?
And if it IS surprising for you, can I come live with you in your utopian city where everyone is polite and humble and charitable 24/7 and no one ever acts like an idiot?

 

[Chef Mickey]

Or just build out the park to comfortably handle the crowds that continue to rise year over year when park size isn't?

Pricing is fickle it's not weeding out the poor or whomever you are claiming to dislike. Most of those folks are here on credit or paid monthly for years (hell I did the latter) but even wealthier folks may get turned off after all they see value generally better than the poor.

Yeah, great idea...hasn't happened with this CEO.

Of course the first choice in managing crowds is to expand, but the unwillingness of the current management to even fix what's broken at WDW has caused it to languish in mediocrity.

Unfortunately, pricing is about the only meaningful way to drive people away. I think they have to and they've already started with demand based pricing and generally increased ticket prices. Poor people don't necessarily behave badly...rich people act stupid too. It's more about the amount of people in the parks than the type of people. People are generally all the same when they get hot, tired, and frustrated.

 

[ford91exploder]

Oh, I'm not blaming Disney. I've put disclaimers in most of my posts here that you're never justified in putting hands on someone.

But tempers do rise and the potential for this sort of thing does go up when you overcrowd the parks.

Correct the key problem is OVERCROWDING which is entirely under Disney's control, There is never an excuse for what happened here but the constant overcrowding issues makes events like this more likely to occur.

 

[Incomudro]

And often that stress manifests itself verbally towards other guests, as may very well be the case with this woman.

This episode entered the physical.

 

[Chef Mickey]

Just from the first few pages:




So the prices are either too low or too high or there's too much planning or the ads are misleading setting up false expectations. Lots of people seem to be blaming Disney at least in part for this type of behavior.

Prices are definitely too low. When Disney starts to feel like as much of a ripoff as a sporting event, they'll be more inline with other entertainment options. I got good seats, but I just spent $500 to see an NHL game, eat, park, and have a drink. 3 hrs.

 

[ford91exploder]

do they disclose the price of the wands in the advertisement? Or that sometimes they don't work very well? And a disclaimer saying that only One guest may be able to do that trick..?

They don't. And they don't need to. Adults shouldn't think an advertisement is a true mirror of reality for every guest. From fast food to clothing commercials.. to travel destinations...they're all pretty much the same.

Disney's ads are pushing a experience a guest can NEVER experience at ANY time, I simply stated that Uni's ads feature ONLY things that a normal guest CAN experience not that they will be perfect, example Disney's coaster ads feature empty coasters, Uni's ad shows a fully loaded coaster. The point being Uni's advertising is for the most part a realistic yet idealized version of what a guest will be able to do, Disney's borders on bait and switch. The other truth is most people are NOT sophisticated consumers of media so they actually EXPECT to receive the product in shown in the advert.

 

[jakeman]

Correct the key problem is OVERCROWDING which is entirely under Disney's control, There is never an excuse for what happened here but the constant overcrowding issues makes events like this more likely to occur.

This and every other post that @GoofGoof has quoted is the same:

"There is no excuse for what happened, but here's an excuse for what happened: something something Disney's fault."

If the account is accurate, the lady put her hands on another human over a firework show at a theme park. She did it. Disney didn't do it. She is responsible for her own actions. She resorted to physical violence over the very definition of a first world problem. She is accountable, not Disney.

It is the lady's fault. Full stop. There are no "contributing factors". Yours and other's "contributing factors" are nothing more than your predetermined talking points.