Is anyone in the wrong here?

[ppete1975]

Exactly. If a male touched a female character in the same body area people would be in an uproar. The chest is considered a "no-touch" area. The back is generally OK, and anything below the waistline is out of bounds unless consent is given.

it was also kind of a "honk honk" kind of action. I think he could have said something to her, instead of staying in character. As it was hard to tell if he was being funny or not. Something said directly to her such as, there are children around that wasnt acceptable im going to ask you to leave, may have been more effective.

 

[ppete1975]

Does anybody know what the Disney protocol is for these characters when it comes to people inaproperly touching them?

i think the girls usually have a handler near by, just as costumed characters that usually swoop in. Im not sure if he does though.

 

[WorldExplorer]

I have 100% been intimidated by Star Wars Characters at WDW. Come to think of it, multiple times.

I don't recall the exact wording, but Darth Vader said something we found somewhat shocking at the time.

In the early days of GE, the darker characters were allowed to be their character.

The Stepsisters at 1900Park Fare were also allowed to actually be their characters too and say some pretty surprising things to both adults and children.

I went to a Villain Night once, and they had a maid and a butler in the Haunted Mansion Stretching Room generally being creepy. A woman used flash after being told not to, and the butler (big guy) started moving towards her with an angry expression, like he was going to break her phone.

I think Disney gets that context is key.

 

[WishIWasRetired]

I wouldn't have a problem being in someone's home movie, but I might not want to be in someone's video that is posted on social media.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

I went to a Villain Night once, and they had a maid and a butler in the Haunted Mansion Stretching Room generally being creepy. A woman used flash after being told not to, and the butler (big guy) started moving towards her with an angry expression, like he was going to break her phone.

I think Disney gets that context is key.

WDW has changed the interactions though in GE. Certainly, part of it was the pandemic, but the guards used to be more 'in character' when GE first opened. They were supposed to try to intimidate guests, and to some degree still do intimidate guests, but some folks reacted badly to it.

WDW also maybe softened the 50's Diner interactions- or maybe did for a time. I haven't been there in years. The waitstaff used to YELL at people to get their elbows off the table, but it caught many folks off-guard. Maybe they still do it.

The ketchup thing is supposedly back at Wilderness Lodge. While the notion is somewhat cute, in practice, the shouting quickly gets annoying, especially if anyone in your party uses hearing aides.

In any event, I was responding to another poster who said, "Intimidating a guest is definitely NOT company policy." There are multiple examples where intimidating guests is - more or less- something WDW Cast members do.

Then again...Uni does it too on Kong! I won't spoil the surprise, but CM totally startled me! (This was not during Halloween.)

 

[WorldExplorer]

WDW has changed the interactions though in GE. Certainly, part of it was the pandemic, but the guards used to be more 'in character' when GE first opened. They were supposed to try to intimidate guests, and to some degree still do intimidate guests, but some folks reacted badly to it.

WDW also maybe softened the 50's Diner interactions- or maybe did for a time. I haven't been there in years. The waitstaff used to YELL at people to get their elbows off the table, but it caught many folks off-guard. Maybe they still do it.

The ketchup thing is supposedly back at Wilderness Lodge. While the notion is somewhat cute, in practice, the shouting quickly gets annoying, especially if anyone in your party uses hearing aides.

In any event, I was responding to another poster who said, "Intimidating a guest is definitely NOT company policy." There are multiple examples where intimidating guests is - more or less- something WDW Cast members do.

Then again...Uni does it too on Kong! I won't spoil the surprise, but CM totally startled me! (This was not during Halloween.)

I know why you were telling them that. I was agreeing and adding a time where I saw a Cast Member act intimidating.

This was, of course, also prepandamic and before other examples of softening things you listed.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

I know why you were telling them that. I was agreeing and adding a time where I saw a Cast Member act intimidating.

This was, of course, also prepandamic and before other examples of softening things you listed.

Alas though, the ketchup thing disappeared in 2018, but was recently brought back! It seems a bizarre choice to me.

Another poster had it correct when they said there is some grey area and inconsistency at WDW. A quick photo, or short capture is understandable.

But I am also not a fan of random strangers following me around for an extended period of time with a video camera running the whole time.

Gaston signed up to have his picture taken, and short videos with individual families.

But one person filming a lot longer than that gets into less friendly territory, IMO. Recent news has plenty of examples of footage that was taken for less friendly purposes.

 

[Incomudro]

I agree, honestly. Just making light of the situation. The girl seemed to be playful more than harassing, but I understand his reaction. I guess his reaction even if it was grumpy was better than if he had been sleazy in response by grabbing her back. His response probably was the best reaction he could have in that situation.

Personally, I would have no problem with a nice looking woman groping me - 'cept I'm married.
But yeah, there's a place for it and WDW isn't it - and people really shouldn't be groping characters.

 

[Pepper's Ghost]

Personally, I would have no problem with a nice looking woman groping me

Thought the same thing, personally, but then one thing leads to another. Also, I wasn't brave enough to post that.

 

[Married5Times]

Exactly. If a male touched a female character in the same body area people would be in an uproar.

not exactly,.......... Entirely different. Extremely different.

there is a societal/cultural double standard at play here. Western culture, particularly USA, has arbitrarily declared female chest is sex and male chest is not sex. Hence, female topless almost everywhere might land you on the sex registry for life whereas male topless will not.


the female guest was only taking advantage of the arbitrary cultural rule.

 

[Pepper's Ghost]

not exactly,.......... Entirely different. Extremely different.

there is a societal/cultural double standard at play here. Western culture, particularly USA, has arbitrarily declared female chest is sex and male chest is not sex. Hence, female topless almost everywhere might land you on the sex registry for life whereas male topless will not.


the female guest was only taking advantage of the arbitrary cultural rule.

There's a lot of truth in what you just stated there. I'm not saying it's right or wrong. Just a factual truth. With the warmer weather as usual I'm seeing tons of guys (whether they should be or not) jogging street-side without shirts. That doesn't cause a stir at all. Not even brake lights but if it were a woman, there's be accidents every 100ft as the jogger ran along.

I realize touching a guy like that is technically assault, but it isn't viewed the same nor do I feel that the young lady did it with malice. That's why although I don't think it was a good idea by the young lady, I really felt the character overreacted. As another mentioned recently in this thread, he could've reacted better. He could've just discretely explained that her touching him like that was not appropriate, and I'm sure she'd have apologized. Instead he made it a big hubbub, and demanded she be escorted away.

 

[mergatroid]

not exactly,.......... Entirely different. Extremely different.

there is a societal/cultural double standard at play here. Western culture, particularly USA, has arbitrarily declared female chest is sex and male chest is not sex. Hence, female topless almost everywhere might land you on the sex registry for life whereas male topless will not.


the female guest was only taking advantage of the arbitrary cultural rule.

A quick question, how many times do you think that females in a theme park walk over to a male character and 'honk' the character's breast area in the way she did it? Have you ever witnessed this in a theme park yourself and if so, did you not think that it was inappropriate? You've just said "Western culture, particularly USA, has arbitrarily declared female chest is sex and male chest is not sex".

Two key points about it.

One is that she's deliberately mimicked an act that towards a woman would be classed by Western culture as a sex act, in an area surrounded by children. Do you find that appropriate, do you think with kids all around that's the type of behaviour that's acceptable? She's turned an innocent meet and greet into a 'feeling up session' but hasn't even had the decency to be subtle about it. Everybody watching that knows why it's inappropriate and what the flirty, sexual gesture meant. All that's being said is it's not welcome in front of kids and it could have made the character feel very uncomfortable, it's definitely not the norm.

Two, this isn't a court of law or legal issue. You saying "he touched her too and for longer" in your first post is the type of thing a lawyer would say, trying to get around what was done by throwing in a technicality to muddy the waters. Nobody was charged or thrown out of the park over this, she was merely denied the opportunity to do it further or have a picture taken with Gaston so it's not a legal issue. I don't believe that anyone here is thinking that it should be a legal issue involving the courts and lawyers. And if it was then using legal logic, she started the touching so he's more than allowed to use 'reasonable force' to 'defend himself' so the argument would fail there also.

I admit that most women wouldn't appreciate us men going up to them and 'honking' them (sadly). I also admit that many men normally wouldn't mind too much if a woman did it to them. However that's no excuse to assume that this man would welcome it, or more importantly that it was appropriate to do it in this setting.

I have to go now sorry as I've a mandatory, court appointed sex education course to attend

 

[DoleWhipDrea]

It's traumatic to be touched inappropriately on the job...and in this case, the manner in which the guest touched him crosses into sexual assault territory. Telling her in no uncertain terms to get out was absolutely in his right. Having personal boundaries doesn't make someone a jerk.

 

[larryz]

Exactly. If a male touched a female character in the same body area people would be in an uproar. The chest is considered a "no-touch" area. The back is generally OK, and anything below the waistline is out of bounds unless consent is given.