Coping Strategies For Dealing with Disney Guests

[mdsoccermom]

I understand that it is supposed to be "satire", but she lost me with the poor formatting and the poor attempt to emulate the Declaration.

 

[MouseEarsForAll]

See I kind of assumed that this was a piece of satire.

"Second, when putting up with the people who block your view in a parade or show with their child on their shoulders, I have tried tried to use a water gun and squirt the child until they have slipped off their parents’ shoulders. Sadly, this caused the parents to chase me around the park until I had to dive into the moat of Cinderella’s Castle. Thirdly, instead of having to endure the screams and cries of tired children and their irritable parents who won’t leave, I have tried to dress up as Mickey Mouse and order them to shut up and leave the park. This attempt has only rewarded me with even more flustered children who have now developed a hatred of Mickey, a reaction that even I feel bad to have caused."

I mean do people reading this really believe that she squirts kids on their parents shoulders with a squirt gun? Dodged angry parents by diving into the moat of Cinderella's Castle? Dresses up as Mickey Mouse and orders other guests to shut up and leave the park?

Honestly I read it as a parody of all the people on this message board who constantly whine and complain about what other people do.

I'm in agreement with MMay (previous poster), and I read this as a humorous / satirical piece. Seriously...if this young person jumped into Cinderella's moat, they'd be shuffled out of the World faster than you can say "Dole Whip, please!". And one of the best ways to convey humor in writing is to use hyperbole and outlandish actions which can make the audience see the absurdity of the situation.

Sophomoric or not, I was mostly impressed with the quality of the writing and the style used. It's actually really neat to see a young person who can write...I think that's a lost art nowadays.

Heck, I was beginning to think that anyone under the age of 20 was incapable of writing anything that wasn't text-message-shortened, or Twitterized. And if I see another person writing emails like "R U comng ovr 2nite?" or "I m going to c u 2moro", I will consider that the apocalypse is a-coming! LOL

As far as the subject, remember we're reading the words coming from a 15 year old brain, and their idea of humor and satire. Not shabby for a kid who is younger than some of the clothes in my wardrobe!! I recently read some of my teenage stuff back in the day, and it's pretty goofy too. But kudos to the author for being articulate! More of this please!

Agree, agree. Loved it, OP.

 

[luvthemouse71]

It was OK, a little pretentious sounding, but that could just be because teens in general are kind of self centered and full of themselves.

Solid B work. Good in the sense that it wasn't full of text language, but I think the kid was trying too hard to use complex words and sentence structure. Also, paragraphs are good things to have, it would have made it more enjoyable to read.

 

[meggiebeth]

I loved it! For the record, I think the whole thing was meant to be humorous and light hearted. For those of you saying things about it being pretentious or rude, I think that was all part of the writing. She totally exaggerated her reactions to suit the purpose of the text.

I think that is higher than average for a 15 year old, I was really impressed.

 

[Schmeck]

I loved it! For the record, I think the whole thing was meant to be humorous and light hearted. For those of you saying things about it being pretentious or rude, I think that was all part of the writing. She totally exaggerated her reactions to suit the purpose of the text.

I think that is higher than average for a 15 year old, I was really impressed.

Exaggerating is not a higher than average function for a 15 year old, IMO Hyperbole has its place, if used appropriately. Not sure of the assignment, but if it was for a high school class, to judge writing style, content, and development of a thesis, it was not at all of a higher level than most 15 year olds.

But it was cute, and enjoyable to read, once it was chunked.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

After that article, maybe they'll let her move on to the Junior Class.




15 years as a Sophomore can get a bit monotonous.





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~LOL. Oh Robo, you just crack me up.

~OP, your DD should start her own blog!

 

[dvcterry]

As we plan our Disney trips for the upcoming months, I thought I would share with you the thoughts of a Disney veteran who is also a 15 year Sophomore in High School. She submitted this article in one of her classes as she told them how she was preparing for our Christmas trip this year.

When dealing with the photo-taking guests, I have tried to simply walk through the photo.

Second, when putting up with the people who block your view in a parade or show with their child on their shoulders, I have tried tried to use a water gun and squirt the child until they have slipped off their parents’ shoulders.

When coveting a spot in front of a certain group of people so I no longer would have to to drag at their pace, I searched for the youngest member of the posse since they usually have the weakest strength. Next, I simply charged through the arms of the person spotted, which sent their arms flailing all over the place, and ran as fast as I could so they never knew what hit them. I’m proud to say that this has been one of the most effective of all my techniques of declaring independence from the people of Disney World, and can also work in a variety of other situations such as school hallways. However, if the person was stronger than you estimated and their hand-locks don’t end up splitting at all, it’s best to claim that you’re blind and avoid them for the rest of your visit.

Lastly, when solving the repugnant issue of people using strollers as battering rams, I have tried to put up nothing less than a war with these people. To start, I have tried to stare them down with my best evil eye just so they know the importance of their ignorance, then I have proceeded to stick my leg in front of the stroller to trip them and their danger-filled buggy. Unfortunately, the only solution I have encountered from this attempt was skid marks all across my leg, a broken stroller, and a soccer mom boiling with anger.

Not sure how to interpret all these ideas. Being a mom of teens though, I would have made them edit the above for content before it got submitted to school.

 

[SaraJayne]

I loved it! For the record, I think the whole thing was meant to be humorous and light hearted. For those of you saying things about it being pretentious or rude, I think that was all part of the writing. She totally exaggerated her reactions to suit the purpose of the text.

I think that is higher than average for a 15 year old, I was really impressed.

You are 15 yourself, right?

 

[MariDisney]

I haven't read the responses, but I wonder if this was a history or English class. It sure sounds like DD doesn't like Disney very much!! Maybe there's somewhere less annoying to her that she'd like to go.

 

[DisLis]

What a lot of fun reading this! You must feel great that your daughter has such a great sense of humor.

 

[jesswindsor]

I thought it was great!!! Good Read, Thanks for sharing!!

 

[roobug]

I find it funny that posters are critiquing the format and spacing. When it was copied into a post not how it looked when it was turned

 

[PeterPanic]

Of course it was satire. How can anyone think it is anything else. I liked the wording, but I have to agree that with no spacing for paragraphs, etc. it was a bear to read. Still it was kinda funny and certainly creative. Good job.

But you know, it causes one to think...especially the part about these people preventing others from having a happy enjoyable vacation. Why are their needs more legitimate then the others. If stopping to take a picture is how they enjoy, why not? If walking hand and hand is how they are making the visit memorable, why not? All one has to do is say excuse me and walk around them.

Some of the things were inconsiderate...but not necessarily rude (I hate that word, it is used incorrectly all the time). Crying kids...that is more a case of missing brain cells then anything else. Having a kid on your shoulder...more a case of adults hogging all the spots where a child could see. (they are short you know) Yes, I know WDW is for everyone, not just kids...but I outgrew my need to see parades shortly after puberty.

 

[larryz]

I think it's sad that a 15-year-old would have experienced most of the events depicted in the commentary...

 

[*TheWigs*]

I'm in agreement with MMay (previous poster), and I read this as a humorous / satirical piece. Seriously...if this young person jumped into Cinderella's moat, they'd be shuffled out of the World faster than you can say "Dole Whip, please!". And one of the best ways to convey humor in writing is to use hyperbole and outlandish actions which can make the audience see the absurdity of the situation.

Sophomoric or not, I was mostly impressed with the quality of the writing and the style used. It's actually really neat to see a young person who can write...I think that's a lost art nowadays.

Heck, I was beginning to think that anyone under the age of 20 was incapable of writing anything that wasn't text-message-shortened, or Twitterized. And if I see another person writing emails like "R U comng ovr 2nite?" or "I m going to c u 2moro", I will consider that the apocalypse is a-coming! LOL

As far as the subject, remember we're reading the words coming from a 15 year old brain, and their idea of humor and satire. Not shabby for a kid who is younger than some of the clothes in my wardrobe!! I recently read some of my teenage stuff back in the day, and it's pretty goofy too. But kudos to the author for being articulate! More of this please!

. I think it's OK at times to tease or make fun of situations...there was no one specifically named. I also think that this was a satirical writing meant to be funny...Good job!

 

[jvptravels]

I 15 years old (x3), and I think the OP hit it out of the park. Funny, yes. True, HELL YES! And I love all the DISsers who were so quick to critique the formatting, etc. and defend the actions of the "guests" that were written about.

I have personally witnessed many of these actions at WDW, and in other places. And many of these actions ARE rude, or at the very least, inconsiderate.

1. The photo takers. If you are going to stand across a walkway from your subject, you should expect people to walk through your shot. I quit being polite with these people long ago. If I see someone setting up a shot, I will try to walk around the photographer, if I have a chance. But I'm not going to go out of my way to do so. Set your shot up differently! Why is it that the photo pass photographers don't block walkways? Hmmm.

2. People with strollers. Pay attention to where you are going. Pushing a kid does NOT give you the right of way.

3. The arm-in-arm-in-arm folk. These people truly suck, and they are the rudest of all. Who gives you the right to block the entire sidewalk, street, or other walkway? Personally, I have no problem bending down to tie my shoe when I see one of these groups approaching.

Bravo to the OP for posting this piece. But I would have cautioned you about the potential reaction. It's great that some people agreed and/or saw the humor/satire in this (we can't call it sarcasm or we'll get a warning). But posting something like this on this forum is always going to bring out the worst in others. Why? Because the truth hurts. The entitled are always going to come down from their high horses to defend their ilk. It's human nature in much of the bizzaro dis world.

 

[NHdisneylover]

I would guess this was written for an English class which was studying the use of satire in literature. They probably just finished reading Johnathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal"--that is about 10th grade work most places.

Personally, I think it is a cute topic. The approach is fine, average work--neither great nor terrible for the age (assuming the formatting is a function of cut and paste and not what the girl actually turned in).

I do think, as is common in this age, that the writer tried too hard to throw big words and "complex" sentences in and it only resulted in jumbling the message and highlighting her weak understanding of some of what she was using.

I also thought the intro, while a cute idea, did not really work with where she went with the rest of the essay. It is so hard for young writers to learn when to let go of an ideaif it is not working, and it seems this one is still learning that.

 

[KrazyKollector]

OP--I enjoyed her declaration and please tell her "good job" and "too funny!".

Many of the PP here need to take a Xanax or three and get their knickers unknotted. GEEZE! I wonder what you would do if it was YOUR kid writing something! Very rude, IMHO. (PPs not the OP)

My favorite was the water-gunning of the kids on shoulders and diving into the moat. LOL! Quite a little video in my old head!

 

[MScott1851]

I do think, as is common in this age, that the writer tried too hard to throw big words and "complex" sentences in and it only resulted in jumbling the message and highlighting her weak understanding of some of what she was using.

I completely agree. It made me think of people who say things like 'whereas' and 'heretofore' and use unneccesary adjectives in order to fill space or sound more knowledgeable. My P.E. teacher would have graded that a low 'C' and my English, History, or Creative Writing teachers' heads would have imploded if I had ever turned in a paper like that. Good idea with lots of potential, but it missed the mark as a satirical piece. Drop the smug, pretentious, condescending tone, throw in a little self-deprecating humor, and she will have a much more tolerable (maybe even enjoyable) little Mickey Manifesto.

PLUS, she forgot the fastest growing, most dangerous, and hands-down most annoying segment of the Disney populace: the 'walk & phoners.' These are the fools who try to weave through Fantasyland at high noon while looking straight down at their iPhones, thumbs tapping out some staccato message like a precision drum line. What are they doing?!? Checking Facebook? Harvesting crops on FarmVille? Texting their Bff who is stuck back at home? Bidding on a kidney on eBay? Or maybe taking notes for their 'other people are sooooo rude and stupid but my tomfoolery & hijinks are hilarious' school paper contest entry? Last month I saw people walk into doorways, walls, other guests, over children, fall off curbs and one actually t-boned my stroller pretty hard while we were in line for a corn dog one evening. Never looked up til she tripped over it & her phone flew out of her hand. My two year old daughter's face screwed up into a mask of righteous indignation, and she yelled, "Heyyyy!! Dat's NOT nice! Your knee hurted my buddy!" Op's daughter could have written a picture book about these people, no words needed at all!

So, in conclusion, keep practicing. The more she writes, the better she will get. Being able to take constructive (and some not so constructive) criticism & apply it so she naturally evolves into a writing style that works for her is key. She's 15! Tell her not to strive to write LIKE someone...find her own voice and tune it.

 

[Schmeck]

OP--I enjoyed her declaration and please tell her "good job" and "too funny!".

Many of the PP here need to take a Xanax or three and get their knickers unknotted. GEEZE! I wonder what you would do if it was YOUR kid writing something! Very rude, IMHO. (PPs not the OP)

My favorite was the water-gunning of the kids on shoulders and diving into the moat. LOL! Quite a little video in my old head!

It was posted on a public forum as a work submitted for school - so, I'm not sure what you expected? Empty platitudes about how this child is a genius, brilliant, OMG, tears are rolling down my face as I read this, ROFLMAO, and twenty pages of thank yous?