Confrontation in the Star Tours queue

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Rob562
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Confrontation in the Star Tours queue

Post by Rob562 » Fri Jun 17, 2011 11:12 pm

OK, so here is the first of two long-and-involved SGTs from my recent trip... (Careful, I get long-winded)
First off, is there anyone on here that currently works Star Tours? (You can PM me, if you like)

So while visiting the Studios, my friend John and I were waiting in line for Star Tours.
(As an aside, John is a college professor. In his years of teaching, he's become quite attuned to the behavior of younger folk, and how poorly many parents are doing nowadays at actually being parents and teaching their kids.)

The line extended out of the building, so there was a bit of a wait. Behind us was a group of about 4 male teens, perhaps 15 or 16 years old. (Basically old enough to know better than do what is about to happen)

Just after we entered the building, some oddness happened. With no warning, all of the audio cut out for a moment or two. All background noise, the audio from the animatronics, everything. Then it happened again. I turned to say something to John about it, and noticed one of the teens behind us was playing with the console on the podium at the building's entrance, pushing buttons, turning knobs. Then he picked up the microphone, pushed its button and started talking into it, which again cut out ALL of the audio and broadcast whatever he was mumbling into the mic to the hundreds of people in line in front of us.

Like a good adult, I admonished him with a "Hey! Stop that! Put it down." He put the mic back, and started to say something that I couldn't hear, so I said "Do you work here? No. Put it down, leave it alone. You don't mess with controls like that." He didn't apologize, but he did step away from the console and the line moved along.

But that wasn't the end of it. As we shuffled along in line, the teens started mouthing off about us right behind our backs, talking about "Ohhh...don't play with the fake microphone." (did they *really* think the CM podium was just for decoration), taunting us, etc They said more than that, but I was unable to hear exactly what because of the background noise and because John was between them and me, but apparently John heard clearly enough. (I never did ask John what they were saying, but it was clearly about us)

All of a sudden they said something that pushed John over the edge, and he turned and confronted them. He didn't touch them, he didn't threaten them, but he stepped up to them and essentially told them their behavior was inappropriate and to shut the hell up. Now John is a big guy, 5'11" with a large, solid weightlifter build. I don't know about you, but someone of John's size angrily getting in my face when I was that age would've made me pee my pants.

Suddenly there was a shorter middle-aged woman pushing past the teens. Turns out it was the mom of Mr. Button Pusher (possibly more of them, but not sure). John asked her where she's been, and told her that she should control what her children were doing. She essentially was blowing off everything John was saying, finding nothing wrong with her angelic children.

Eventually things settled down, and we continued on through the line with them right behind us for the next 15 minutes or so. But when we got to the front of the line and were on our way to our assigned row, someone (I think John) started talking to the CM grouper standing there. John was hoping that the Cast Member could explain to these people that what the teens had been doing was wrong. The Mom pushes into their conversation and starts trying to defend her teens again. At one point the mom said to John "My God, how old are you? You can't put up with what a teenager is saying?" at which point John told her that he shouldn't *have* to put up with teens talking back to and taunting strangers, and that she should act like a mother and control her children and tell them that it was inappropriate behavior.

The Cast Member, to her credit, then stepped in and suggested that we be placed in separate simulator cabins, at which point the mom and teens were ushered away, and we continued on to our assigned row.

After the ride, we did talk to a CM who was standing in the exit corridor, who I think was a Lead. We just wanted them to know that if the incident was discussed later among the Cast, that they knew our side and knew what started the whole thing (and, as admitted by John, he just wanted to vent for a minute). The CM agreed that the teen's behavior was inappropriate, and he said perhaps they'll install some kind of off switch for that particular console for when it's not manned. (I believe there's usually someone at that position, but not always)

After the fact, looking back, we do understand the initial reaction of SGT Mom was her going into "protect my kid from the big, scary man" mode. But after that, the 15-20 minutes standing in line before the second confrontation she should have come to the realization that her teens were in the wrong the entire time.

So there ya go, SGT story #1.

-Rob



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Re: Confrontation in the Star Tours queue

Post by darph nader » Sat Jun 18, 2011 12:14 am

Glad to hear that the CM listened to what was goin on instead of giving the little pricks comps for being a$$holes. :cool:


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Re: Confrontation in the Star Tours queue

Post by DisneyMom » Sat Jun 18, 2011 1:57 am

So she admitted her teens were mouthing off,yet defended them anyway :rolleyes:
She Sucks,but thank goodness those little hellions won't be the ones you have to rely on in your elder years! ;)


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Re: Confrontation in the Star Tours queue

Post by DLRFantasmic!Dan » Sat Jun 18, 2011 4:16 am

"Angelic?" HA!!! She should of been there to supervise them, since after all, they are minors and should be looked after. You and John did the right thing. The nerve of some parents. Those type of parents should be put in some kind of concentration camps to be taught on how to raise their children.


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Re: Confrontation in the Star Tours queue

Post by TiggerHappy » Sun Jun 19, 2011 3:20 am

I would've said loudly:

"HEY, SOME KID IS TRYING TO BREAK THE RIDE SO WE CAN'T GO ON IT!"

Maybe having the whole line turn to glare at them would make them think twice. I'd love to see SGT mom try to defend her "angels" against that. :D:



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Re: Confrontation in the Star Tours queue

Post by 5th Dimension » Sun Jun 19, 2011 5:09 am

People like to touch everything they can get their hands on. I'm guessing that the microphone mishap has happened before.



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Re: Confrontation in the Star Tours queue

Post by DonutGoddess » Sun Jun 19, 2011 10:48 am

TiggerHappy wrote:I would've said loudly:

"HEY, SOME KID IS TRYING TO BREAK THE RIDE SO WE CAN'T GO ON IT!"
:
That's kinda like one time I was in Whole Foods and the guy in front of me had just finished drinking from a quart of milk and was going to leave it by the register and I said real loud "Did you just drink from that and now you're going to leave it by the register?!" Suddenly he found himself picking up that carton and paying for it like a responsible individual.



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Re: Confrontation in the Star Tours queue

Post by Big Wallaby » Mon Jun 20, 2011 12:20 am

Rob562 wrote:(Careful, I get long-winded)
Same.
5th Dimension wrote:People like to touch everything they can get their hands on. I'm guessing that the microphone mishap has happened before.
Same thought I had.
DonutGoddess wrote:I said real loud "Did you just drink from that and now you're going to leave it by the register?!" Suddenly he found himself picking up that carton and paying for it like a responsible individual.
It's sad when you have to shame someone into doing the right thing.


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Re: Confrontation in the Star Tours queue

Post by DragonFox98 » Mon Jun 20, 2011 10:51 am

It does amaze me that some parents (well, ALL SG parents), don't teach their children. I have actually been ingraining it in Quinn's head (the three year old) that we will have to stand in line and be patient when we meet the characters (especially) Buzz.

I'm not worried so much about waiting in lines for the rides (there's so much to see and we bring handheld games), but I don't want him running ahead of me and tackling a poor character and, in the process, cutting of another child/family. It's not right...he needs to know there are boundries and rules.

Teenagers like that I just want to drop-kick. Too bad that's illegal. I would have done the same thing John did - vented to the first CM I saw when I came off the ride (especially to circumvent anything the mother might try and say, ie. John was "harassing" her angels).



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Re: Confrontation in the Star Tours queue

Post by PatchOBlack » Mon Jun 20, 2011 3:57 pm

Big Wallaby wrote: It's sad when you have to shame someone into doing the right thing.
Worse is when then don't even clue into the fact that they should be ashamed.
DragonFox98 wrote:It does amaze me that some parents (well, ALL SG parents), don't teach their children.
I've often thought of doing a little web-series entitled: "Life Lessons You May Have Missed", where in I give instructions on how to do things than most folks already understand they should do, but SGs seemed to have not picked up on during their lives.



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