Confrontation in the Star Tours queue
Posted: 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
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
