I have lived it too and i take exception your jab at the CPs...i was a CP and i did a great job and whenever i had a rude guest i would handle it how anyone in the industry would, talk down to them in a way that makes them feel stupid but is not blatent....that is the trick and a smile helps. If you smile at a rude or ignorant guest and more of less make fun of them they will not understand that you are making fun of them.
It's not a "jab" at all. It's an observation that has been discussed in other threads on this forum with which others have agreed. The fact of the matter is, CPs are traditionally going to be much younger, and thus have fewer "life experiences" that will assist in dealing with highly stressful situations. As I mentioned in my post above, I have no doubt that the majority of CPs are well-intentioned. But, as a person with CP experience yourself, you probably knew of fellow CPs with priorities different from your own. Life experience and maturity cannot be taught in a classroom or traditions lecture. By way of analogy, any "new" member of any profession, be it medicine, law, the armed forces, whatever, will simply not have the "walking around knowledge" and experience as their more experienced colleagues. Does that fact constitute taking a "jab" at the rookies? Of course not. But it is an undeniable variable that plays a role in the end result. Are there older CMs that demonstrate bad attitudes? Of course. But as many of us on this board have already acknowledged, Disney's quest for cheap labor (via the CP program in particular) has lead to a noticeable decline in customer service. It has nothing to do with how well-intentioned people are.
I dont mean to be rude but you are the reason why guests act so bad...you are the type of castmember who does not speak up to a rude guest and makes them think they can act like a jerk to everyone. If a guest talked down to me or a fellow CM i would be level headed and call him out for it and still stay in character. Too bad CMs like you make guests think that they are allowed to be d-bags
To the contrary. If a guest crosses the line with me, they end up in handcuffs. If a guest is generally rude, I can either take them aside to remind them as to the "code of conduct," or just smile at the thought of them just letting everyone else around them know how much of a "d-bag" they are. But CM "retaliation" is not appropriate. Some CMs think that two wrongs make a right (such as "If a guest talked down to me or a fellow CM i would be level headed and call him out for it and still stay in character"). "Call him out for it
and still stay in character?" Other CMs know better.
Walt's standards were high, yes, but a CM shouldn't turn into a strange, perpetually happy automaton. I'd rather see a human side to the CM in a tough situation (within reason and Disney-friendly still) than a blank nodder enabling a rude or surly guest.
There's a difference between a "human side" and an "inappropriate side." Remember, CMs are agents acting on behalf of the Mouse. I never suggested a "perpetually happy automaton." If a guest is "rude or surly," there are ways to deal with that guest that do not include a "smile and nod" or retaliating with smart-aleck remarks. The more mature CM understands that lowering themselves to the rude-guest's level is
not the appropriate response. Here's an example: if a guest doesn't take their seat in a theater, is the more appropriate response for the CM to show their frustration over the loudspeaker for the entire theater to hear, or approach the guests and handle their non-rule-following-behavior appropriately? Let's face it, the guest could have a legitimate problem (such as hearing impairment) that is not immediately noticeable from a distance. Making a quick assumption that the guest is simply being intentionally rude is a rookie move. Imagine the overwhelming embarrassment that the CM would feel in the even that they guessed wrong.
I don't understand how it became an argument about whether or not CMs should snap on stage. That was never a part of the original post or any of the early replies.
The OP included the comment, "
Wanting to literally cuss someone out and another guest jumps in and goes "WHAT THE F*** ARE YOU DOING?!"" Also, the OP noted that the "rage" illustrations were courtesy of "Rage Cast Member."
So, if a CM feels this internal "rage" (that's literally the word that was used) and actually desires to curse at guests, then that emotion will either (i) be at least somewhat observable by guests, or (ii) the CM will let it show in their guest interaction, whether it is by "snapping" or by simply lowering their quality of customer service. This "rage" is a response to rude guests, or what I referred to as "heat in the kitchen." The degree to which a CM lets this heat "get to them" is largely dependent on experience and maturity. My guess is that the CMs that are most likely to "snap" are the ones that can't leave their "rage" behind when they go home; and instead feel the need to blow off some steam by blogging about it.
On that note, I suppose it's better that the CMs release their "rage" online instead of at guests in the parks. At least it's a step in the right direction. The subsequent steps involve controlling the degree to which they allow themselves to be "enraged." But that's a skillset that's usually developed over time.
No one expects CMs to be perfect. And no one expects CMs to ignore mistreatment. CMs are humans who voluntarily decided to take on certain responsibilities at a place where there are certain expectations. If those responsibilities and expectations are too much for them to handle, then they are better suited for employment elsewhere. I'm sure that most of us have had an interaction with a customer service representative with some company and thought to ourselves, "Wow, if they hate working with customers so much, then why do they work in that role?" That's not a thought that Disney wants its guests leaving with.
The key point here is whether CMs handle stressful situations in the same manner that they would if they knew that Walt was watching the interaction. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it sure as heck ought to be better than the rest.
