There is a long history of disabled people being infantilized and talked down to or ignored altogether. Examples are being spoken to like a child as an adult because it is assumed understanding is impaired. Or another example is someone asking other adults around you questions that you can answer directly “what would Voxparse like for dinner?”. Hey slow down you’ll get a speeding ticket. You’re so lucky to have a chair. That must be fun.
I can go on but you get the point. The chariot comment is not an issue in a vacuum but after a life of lived experiences where being treated different is common, the joke lands poorly. All that said, it isn’t even funny or clever.
I don't think it's intended to be a joke, but I do firmly believe that CMs have aimed squarely at those who they believe may not be typical mobility device users; those folks are often grieving the sudden loss of their mobility and perceived independence at this most Magical Place during their vacation that was supposed to be perfect, just like on the TV commercials. It's an effort - however poorly thought through you might find it - to actually make them feel less unhappy about the situation, and to help them create a positive memory out of the need to utilize a mobility device on their vacation. The Guest goes home and tells everyone how cute it was that the CMs called it their "chariot", or their "land speeder" or whatever. It puts a smile on someone's face for a while, and makes them feel like they are just a bit special, as opposed to feeling sad, mad or even despondent about the situation. It is literally intended to be harmless.
Lord knows, (as do all my friends here) that I *ugly cried* the first time I had to use an ECV at WDW. I thought the world was ending. (Yes, there was a certain amount of drama, to be fair). We were staying over at POFQ, and the 2nd or 3rd night we went up to POR for the evening to see YeeHaw Bob. As we passed by the horse-and-carriage ride, the driver said "Oh, look at that magic buggy! She needs no horses at all!" It was the first time a CM "played" with me when I was using the dreaded, hateful device, and yes - it did make a difference to me, and my memories of that trip.
But there was another side of things back then. If you don't remember the "old days"at WDW, I'm really, genuinely glad for you.
Believe it or not, when I first started using a mobility device at WDW (which was where I first had to use one) the moment I sat down in that ECV, 90% of the CMs never spoke directly to me again on that entire trip. My family kept trying to redirect them to speak to me, to ask me questions. Back then, it apparently never occurred to Disney that if you have to use wheels, you don't automatically lose your ability to hear! But 10+ years on, that is no longer an issue at WDW for me; CMs speak directly to me, and recognize me as an independent human. They ask thoughtful questions about my needs regarding transfer or other accommodation. It is a whole different World now, and I feel that it has changed for the better. Is it perfect? No. Might never be, but we are all a work in progress.
I
choose to "play" with the CMs when I am at WDW. I get to do that, because they treat me like any other person in the Parks. Just like they might compliment someone else's custom Disney shirt, or a cool backpack, I often get compliments on my personal mobility device, sometimes because of how it looks, or at night because of the undercarriage lighting. I don't mind. It's an extension of *me*. It replaces my legs. So yeah, I'll take a compliment. I'll play along, and spin my "land speeder" for the Storm Troopers. I'm not in the real world; I'm playing in the Disney Bubble; for once, I'm having fun both *in* my chair and *with* my chair.
I decided a long time ago that I could not go through life bitter and angry because I have a degenerative issue that is slowly robbing me of myself. I can't change that, and I count myself fortunate that I have a great medical team, and I live in a time when technology continues to advance mobility devices to be more practical, more comfortable and more available. I know that there are still injustices in the world; that there are places where we - those of us who are full-time device users - are treated horribly, and are often the target of disrespect, shame and even overt sabotage of our devices. But that's not what's happening at Disney World.
Join in the fun, or ignore it. Shoot, wear a t-shirt that says "Please don't call my wheelchair anything but a wheelchair!" if you want. But don't ruin someone else's fun. There's enough folks in this world right now ready to do that. Let's don't do it to each other.
