CM vs Santa: Disruptive for just Claus?

Perhaps I misunderstood but you said you felt the guy was wrong for posing for a picture or signing an autograph. My point is that the parent was most likely the one taking the picture which would be either endorsing or affirming the white haired gentleman rather than correcting - if they wanted to. :confused3

My point was that most people aren't in the position of knowing whether he is a Disney-sanctioned character or not. If he is posing for photos and signing autographs, I don't think it's that much of a leap for most people to just assume that he's an actual character, not just another guest visiting the park.
 
My point was that most people aren't in the position of knowing whether he is a Disney-sanctioned character or not. If he is posing for photos and signing autographs, I don't think it's that much of a leap for most people to just assume that he's an actual character, not just another guest visiting the park.

Which is exactly part of the problem and part of why Disney asked him to stop. They don't need random guests in the position of being believed by other guests to be sanctioned by Disney.
 
So when Disney starts telling you that your shorts are too short or your tank is showing too much skin simply because other guests think this is so, it will be ok for Disney to tell you to go put on more clothes so you stop offending other guests?

I agree the guy shouldn't be signing autographs BUT telling someone to color their beard, change their clothes is just wrong. Do they tell celebrities to color their hair or wear a scarf to cover their face so other guests don't cause a scene???
 
So when Disney starts telling you that your shorts are too short or your tank is showing too much skin simply because other guests think this is so, it will be ok for Disney to tell you to go put on more clothes so you stop offending other guests?

I agree the guy shouldn't be signing autographs BUT telling someone to color their beard, change their clothes is just wrong. Do they tell celebrities to color their hair or wear a scarf to cover their face so other guests don't cause a scene???

Technically, Disney can tell anyone they want to change out of the clothes they have on or can ask them to leave the parks. They have a dress code and can enforce it because it is private property.

The celebrity doesn't stop to take a bunch of pictures or sign autographs in the parks. They are ushered around by CMs and are often kept in backstage areas to KEEP that sort of thing from happening.

This guy went to the parks dressed and looking a specific way in order to get attention. He got it and Disney asked him to please stop taking pictures and signing autographs or he would be asked to leave. That is reasonable.
 

So when Disney starts telling you that your shorts are too short or your tank is showing too much skin simply because other guests think this is so, it will be ok for Disney to tell you to go put on more clothes so you stop offending other guests?

I agree the guy shouldn't be signing autographs BUT telling someone to color their beard, change their clothes is just wrong. Do they tell celebrities to color their hair or wear a scarf to cover their face so other guests don't cause a scene???


I don't think Disney did ask him to change his hair colour, that was a PP's suggestion - correct me if I missed something.
 
I agree the guy shouldn't be signing autographs BUT telling someone to color their beard, change their clothes is just wrong. Do they tell celebrities to color their hair or wear a scarf to cover their face so other guests don't cause a scene???

They didn't tell him to change his clothes, and they didn't tell him to color his beard. Did you read the article?
 
So when Disney starts telling you that your shorts are too short or your tank is showing too much skin simply because other guests think this is so, it will be ok for Disney to tell you to go put on more clothes so you stop offending other guests?

I agree the guy shouldn't be signing autographs BUT telling someone to color their beard, change their clothes is just wrong. Do they tell celebrities to color their hair or wear a scarf to cover their face so other guests don't cause a scene???

Of course they can tell you to put on more that cover more if what you are wearing is causing a commotion.

That happens all the time at Kings Dominion. THere is a water park within the park, and guests go back and forth between the two. It is very common to have girls outside of the water park wearing nothing but a string bikini top and tiny shorts completely unbuttoned and unzipped. Sometimes you see people in the main park with only a bathing suit on. I have heard the employees tell guests dressed that way that they must put clothes on over their suit before they can get on a ride. I can't say that it causes a stir, though. Kings Dominion guests are pretty used to the skimpy dress. I have observed that Disney guests, in general, dress more appropriately, so I wonder if someone tried walking down Main Street in a string bikini how far they would get.

I am willing to bet that over the history of WDW and theme parks in general, there have been many guests who have been asked to dress less conspicously or behave in a way that causes less disruption. It is only in the last few years that this makes the news and causes some folks to say "How dare Disney tell people what to do!"
 
/
Oh I agree with you all on the private property and agree they should be able to tell you what you can and cannot wear (but I draw the line at telling someone they must color their hair or cut their facial hair etc). I guess I should have posed it more at where do they draw the line with what is appropriate attire to wear to the parks and not? After all, if someone came in who physically did not look like this guy but wearing the exact same outfit, would THAT person be asked to change. If not, mr Santa could potentially sue Disney for discrimination because he was forced to change and the other guy not....
 
Oh I agree with you all on the private property and agree they should be able to tell you what you can and cannot wear (but I draw the line at telling someone they must color their hair or cut their facial hair etc). I guess I should have posed it more at where do they draw the line with what is appropriate attire to wear to the parks and not? After all, if someone came in who physically did not look like this guy but wearing the exact same outfit, would THAT person be asked to change. If not, mr Santa could potentially sue Disney for discrimination because he was forced to change and the other guy not....

Of course not. If they didn't look like Santa, they would not be causing a disturbance. The issue was him signing autographs and taking photos.
 
mom2rtk said:
Of course not. If they didn't look like Santa, they would not be causing a disturbance. The issue was him signing autographs and taking photos.

Agreed but that was not what I am saying. people are saying he's being asked or he should change his clothes. And what happens when someone else comes in to the park dressed in the same outfit but doesn't draw a crowd? I don't think he should be taking pics and signing. Completely agreed!
 
Agreed but that was not what I am saying. people are saying he's being asked or he should change his clothes. And what happens when someone else comes in to the park dressed in the same outfit but doesn't draw a crowd? I don't think he should be taking pics and signing. Completely agreed!

But it was the outfit along with his looks that caused part of the stir. So yes, he can be asked to change clothes and it would NOT be discrimination. Just like an adult can be asked to change out of a character outfit. Because the clothing is PART of the problem.

And if the guy doesn't like it, then he can leave.
 
LilyWDW said:
But it was the outfit along with his looks that caused part of the stir. So yes, he can be asked to change clothes and it would NOT be discrimination. Just like an adult can be asked to change out of a character outfit. Because the clothing is PART of the problem.

And if the guy doesn't like it, then he can leave.

You didn't answer my question. What happens when the next guy who does NOT look physically like Santa but wears the same thing doesn't get asked to change his clothes? THAT is where discrimination lawsuits on be half of Santa man come to play.
 
You didn't answer my question. What happens when the next guy who does NOT look physically like Santa but wears the same thing doesn't get asked to change his clothes? THAT is where discrimination lawsuits on be half of Santa man come to play.

But they didn't ask him to change, so your hypothetical situation doesn't mean anything.
 
Following your discrimination logic. It's also illegal not to let dwarfs on certain rides because of height restrictions if a full sized adult is allowed on.
 
Alesia said:
But they didn't ask him to change, so your hypothetical situation doesn't mean anything.

I REALIZE that. PEOPLE HERE are saying make him change clothes make him dye his hair. Personally I can give a rip less that people are dumb enough to let their kids go up to Santa in the middle of July at Disneyworld!
 
You didn't answer my question. What happens when the next guy who does NOT look physically like Santa but wears the same thing doesn't get asked to change his clothes? THAT is where discrimination lawsuits on be half of Santa man come to play.

It would not be discrimination. If the next guy doesn't look like santa but is dressed the same way, the style of dress does not BECOME a problem. In a case like this it IS part of the problem and part of what causes the disruption to park procedures. As such, Disney CAN ask the guy who looks like santa to change because the outfit IS an issue.
 
rabbitroger said:
Following your discrimination logic. It's also illegal not to let dwarfs on certain rides because of height restrictions if a full sized adult is allowed on.

???? Height restrictions are safety requirements established for EVERYONE and enforced on EVERYONE. Telling one person he can't wear a particular shirt because it makes him look too much like Santa yet the next person is allowed to wear that same shirt is NOT anything like not allowing dwarves on rides with a height restriction. When dwarves go to ANY amusement park they as well as ANYONE are aware rides have height restrictions. Just because a 14 yo kid may not reach a 48 inch requirement but a 10 yo one does, doesn't give the 14 yo permission to go on the ride just because he is older! What are you getting at. It the 14 yo is going to join the dwarves discrimination suit against their height safety requirements? Some dwarves are taller than others and some may hit the 42 inch mark some may only hit the 36 but Disney makes them fully aware even before coming to the park which rides are CERTIFIED unsafe for ALL PEOPLE OF ANY AGE under a certain height.
 
Where is it being said that Disney told this guy to color his beard? That's not in any of the news articles. He was wearing Christmas themed clothing. That clothing was likely contributing to his being approached by guests.

And this has nothing to do with Disney thinking he wore inappropriate clothing. The guy was gathering a crowd who wanted his autograph. And they didn't ask him to change because they didn't like his clothes. If they did ask him to change, it's because his walking around in Christmas clothing in July contributed to the possible assumption of guests that he was hired and placed in the park by Disney to play Santa Claus. If I walked in wearing the same shirt this dude had on they would not say a word to me, because I don't look like Santa Claus and nobody is going to mistake me for a character. On the other hand if he'd signed one or two autographs without allowing a crowd to accumulate around him, the Disney folks would never have noticed him. I must have missed the part in law school where they said that would be actionable discrimination.

His argument is that no matter what he wears, people are going to ask him if he's Santa, so should he just stay out of the parks now. He's apparently not even considering saying "Sorry, I'm not him" if asked.
 
LilyWDW said:
It would not be discrimination. If the next guy doesn't look like santa but is dressed the same way, the style of dress does not BECOME a problem. In a case like this it IS part of the problem and part of what causes the disruption to park procedures. As such, Disney CAN ask the guy who looks like santa to change because the outfit IS an issue.

It's only a problem because the parents enabled the kids and this guy into thinking Santa was at Disney in July.
 
It's only a problem because the parents enabled the kids and this guy into thinking Santa was at Disney in July.

Actually, it was a problem because this guy acted and dressed like Santa at Disney in July. I don't really blame the parents as much as the actual "Santa" guy because HE was allowing it to happen. He could have just said he was sorry but he wasn't allowed to take pictures or sign anything. Instead, he fed on the attention and then got peeved when Disney asked him to stop. Sorry, all the problem is on HIM.
 

PixFuture Display Ad Tag












Receive up to $1,000 in Onboard Credit and a Gift Basket!
That’s right — when you book your Disney Cruise with Dreams Unlimited Travel, you’ll receive incredible shipboard credits to spend during your vacation!
CLICK HERE














DIS Facebook DIS youtube DIS Instagram DIS Pinterest DIS Tiktok DIS Twitter

Back
Top