Too sensitive over Eeyore

[TinkerPixie]

I patted one of the Country Bears on the behind once...... Maybe he should have reported me!!!

 

[sofifi97]

I'd totally forgot about a similar situation until I read the title to this thread. I have to share this:
On July 27th we attended one of the last character breakfasts at Crystal Palace. My mother came along with us, this was her first such experience. The characters were all very friendly and we had a blast, but my mom complained about Eeyore. While my husband, daughter and I were getting food at the buffet - mom said Eeyore came over and hugged her from behind (she was sitting at the table eating) and squeezed her shoulder/neck area. She was a bit upset about this. My husband and I told her she was overreacting and laughed about it (sorry mom). She insisted it was odd and very uncomfortable for her, but we left it at that.
I'm not saying she was GROPED, but I guess sometimes a character can be more 'touchy-feely' than some guests are comfortable with. My mom wasn't interacting with the characters either, so keeping to herself didn't discourage this.
Again, no accusations, but it's interesting that someone else had a similar experience.

 

[A kid at heart]

oh and what a feel it is too with all that material that they wear over their hands. And I thought my 5 yr old had a vivid imagination!

 

[DaisyDebbie]

Hmmm, seems to be a pattern with this particular Eeyore.

It's probably some nice older gent just being friendly

 

[eeyore0062]

I think that some people just don't like that close contact, and not being able to see the face makes it even more uncomfortable. I am sure that Eeyore was commisserating with "mom" for being left behind while the rest of the family was at the buffet table... nothing more. It would be entirely within Eeyore's personality to seek out the other alone soul in the room and try to make her feel better. The person in the costume was just staying true to the character by offering comfort... I think it was very sweet, and your mom took it the wrong way. She, having never been to a character breakfast probably was not expecting this, nor was she wanting it.

Certain cultures and certain age groups may be uncomfortable with characters showing affection (there are but so many ways for them to communicate, since they aren't face characters and cannot talk). They can read some people, but they aren't mindreaders... If you are one of these people who aren't touchy/feely, and don't like others to be, please do yourself and the characters a favor, and let the hostess/ server know, so they can pass it on to the characters. They are not out to make anyone feel uncomfortable, and would probably be very upset if they knew they had irritated anyone in anyway.

 

[Tiggerlover91]

When DH and I visited EPCOT and stopped in Italy to see Masquerade, we also took pics. As I took a pic with the male he was rubbing the back on my neck with his forefinger. I told my DH because it was killing me not to laugh. I was trying to take a "serious" picture and I had a Masquerade character rubbing the back of my neck. UGH!! They're not allowed to talk so they have to interact with the guests as best they can without being offensive. I got a kick out of it and DH also told me that the female character was doing the same to him. Offensive...please...just a CM doing their job!!

 

[eeyore0062]

Tiggerlover... that is too funny! Did you ever get a picture? I think they do that so you will crack up in the picture, just like I think they pull you close, so everyone will fit in the picture.

 

[figment27]

rugrat,
I am sorry to hear you, and your husband, were made to feel uncomfortable by Eeyore's gesture.
Others may say you are being oversensitive to the situation, but maybe they have not experienced subtle forms of discrimination as you, and your husband, may have been subject to in the past.
Having said that, I know on a visit to WDW over 10 years ago, Goofy gave our son the same "soulman handshake" so I do not think it was specific to your husband.
It is so difficult to assess what is politically correct these days, especially at WDW.
Figment

 

[Kenbar]

Would you give Eeyore a foot massage


Vincent Vega

 

[Uncleromulus]

The really interesting thing is that we aren't exactly sure who is IN those costumes...

Take one of those tours where you go into the tunnel area--you'll see what I mean. I suppose the eeyore in this case could have been a black teenage female!! Or white teenage male. Or most anything else.

 

[nutz4dzny]

Last month at the LARGEST discount store in USA.....a senior citizen man age of 72 works part-time there. He is a people person and loves to talk and help. A women came to him and asked him where a particular item was. He smiled and proceeded to take her to the item personally! However he placed his arm around her shoulder and guided her to the item all the while happily chatting.

One week later the Main Manager came to him and asked him if he remembered helping a lady to such and such aisle. He couldn't but then the Manager asked him if he put his arm around her shoulder. Ahhhhhhh but he said he usually does that in a friendly grandfatherly way. Well...the manager showed him a complanit the women filed and named him and this store in a sexual harrassment lawsuit!!!!!

This old man was devastated. He could not believe that his friendly gesture was mistaken for a sexual one!!! The good news is the lawsuit was dismissed.

The bad news...this Gentle Man is no longer the happy-go-lucky person and now is on his guard and will never be the same person.

How sad our society has become.

 

[I <3 Eeyore]

I was just kidding when I posted about being groped by a character. I did have one pat my butt but I thought it was just payback. After all, they get patted all the time.

 

[Penny12]

I'm white and I'm female. I have received 'the handshake' a number of times. Remember, these characters can't talk, it's all about exaggerated action and so most everything they do is more theatrical in nature otherwise, quite frankly, they'd be a little dull to interact with otherwise.

I haven't received any gropes or even near misses! I have received touches and hugs and not thought twice about it though. That's just what characters do, remember too, that just because a character is male, doesn't mean the CM inside is...

 

[kdibattista]

I don't know about anyone else but I cannot believe this is a ligitimate topic of discussion. Granted, it's good entertainment first thing in the morning but.....what's next?

 

[jipsy]

Sorry if you and your husband were offended but I can't imagine that whoever was in that Eeyore costume was being racist in any way. The political correctness of our society has gotten extremely out of hand. It is as if we look for these types of things. I am a white southern female living in the NE and I get asked stupid questions all the time by people who have never been down south but I don't take offense at it. It's just lack of knowledge on their part. I doubt Eeyore was trying to point out to the crowd that your husband is black by giving him a "soulbrother" handshake. I'm not even sure what that is.

there is nothing vaguely erotic about a back rub...

I beg to differ - my back rubs are quite erotic.



This thread cracked me up. Thanks for the morning laugh

 

[Eeyore1954]

This thread is a hoot!

At 1900 Park Fare both Tigger and Eeyore gave my DW big "smacks" (I guess these were kisses). When Eeyore came around to my seat for a picture, I accidentally whacked his head/nose. I realized suddenly the poor person inside must have his/her ears ringing and I began apologizing for the unintended whack on the costume. The CM gave me a big hug -- well, as big a hug as Eeyore can give and a rather loud "smack" -- loud enough for a couple of tables around us to hear. I must have turned 12 shades of red as several people began laughing. My DW nearly fell off her chair laughing and I swear I could see Eeyore shaking with laughter. Maybe the CM was getting "even" for the whack?

I agree with many others... the characters have to be exaggerated to "communicate" since they are not allowed to speak. Back rubs, soulman handshakes, neck rubs, etc. are not uncommon. Like others said, if the character really gropes you, then you have a complaint.

 

[time101]

On a trip to the MK back in 1997, we had a group of 8 of our friends with us. Near Splash Mountain we came across Brer Bear. Some in our group decided to take pictures with him. There were 3 teenage girls plus 1 young woman. Did Brer Bear have fun with them! First he put his monstrous paw over two of the girls faces and completely covered them up. Then, when the cameras were about ready to take the next pictures, he moved his paw to the young woman's waist and started tickling her as the camera was going off. (We got some priceless pictures of that!!) Finally, as the group was leaving him, he grabbed one especially pretty 19 year old girl and wouldn't let her go. Every time she tried to walk away he would strengthen his grip on her shoulder.

Anyway, we laughed about the Brer Bear ordeal all day. Even though I had been to WDW many times before, I had always shied away from the characters thinking that they were "just for kids". How wrong I was! The thought never occured to any of us to be upset by the character's actions.

Tim E.
Dreamfinder's Other Concoction

 

[Penny12]

Actually, I forgot, I once had a character pant heavily in my ear. It was Pluto - I'm thinking it was probably just a dog thing though...

 

[figmentvi]

nutz4dzny.........That is indeed a very sad story. We are turning into a society that will not longer be able to express any sort of affection for another human being for fear of being sued.

Hypersensitive political correctness makes me sick. But it sure makes some lawyers very happy. (Please note that I did say SOME lawyers)

 

[travelitis]

My dd played with Eeyore's tail on our last visit, so if that was a racist handshake, she got even for you.

My rule of thumb is that if you have to ask if you should be offended, it's usually a clue you should not.