I have this auditory processing issue. (My son has it, and after he was diagnosed, I realized I suffered from it as well and didn’t even know it!) Basically, I can’t shut off what I’m hearing. I hear everything at the same time, and can’t filter out the background noise. This is problematic when I’m listening to one person, but somewhere else within earshot there is another conversation going. What I’m hearing is both conversations overlaid on each other. This makes it EXTRAORDINARILY difficult for me to comprehend EITHER conversation. As a result, when I’m in noisy situations, I find conversations difficult.
The same problem, though, happens when I’m watching a movie or TV or something. If someone is talking, I am unable to comprehend what is happening on the screen, no matter how hard I try. Even just a few words. LIke, my son will innocently ask my wife about what just happened on the show that he didn’t quite understand. The exchange lasts 10 seconds. But it 10 seconds that I have NO CLUE what the dialog was on the show. So, instead, if someone starts to talk, I immediately press pause so that we can focus on that person and not miss anything.
All that’s to say that for SOME PEOPLE, the distraction of others is far more of a problem for some than for others.
Yes, very good point. I, myself have some trouble understanding all the words in the Disney shows. However, it’s not like the plot of the little mermaid show at HS is very complicated…
I think a lot of people who think my family was rude have not read well or understood well the situation. We were NOT talking non stop (not even close) and a LOT of other kids around were making much more noise than us. Anyway, if she had been polite I would have apologized and we would not be discussing this. I guess my main point is that we were yelled at and cursed at, including our 7 year old, by adults, at Disney World. I am surprised some people could find that OK.
He saw the movie a few times (in french) but still wanted to know what exactly Ariel was saying. It’s not a matter of knowing the plot, I think. If so, that argument could also go the other way (i.e. these people didn’t need to freak out, I am sure they knew the story). The entire trip, he made us translate whatever people were saying to us and asked us to tell him how to answer people in english. Basically, he wanted to learn the language I think.
I just thought hard about this and I actually agree. It should be for everybody. However, I think everybody should also keep in mind that there are many kids there, be lenient towards normal behavior of children, stay polite and calm when situations happen and avoid using nasty language in front of said children.
But, the use of the term “entitled” here got me thinking more about this.
The fact is, EVERYONE has paid handsomely to be there. Every experience we have is framed in various amounts of sacrifice just to make it. And those experiences are worth a lot of money. So, it is hard to even call it “entitled”. Probably “earned” is a better word.
The problem comes that EVERYONE has earned that right, but each person/family is there for themselves, and can lose sight of the fact that they aren’t the only one who earned it.
In the end, we must offer grace to one another, even when someone isn’t on their best behavior, otherwise it risks ruining things for us as well. That person who is rude might be at their rope’s end, and perhaps in another moment, would have been super pleasant. I’m diabetic. When my blood sugar drops low, for example, I become a crab. But that’s not who I am usually. Someone might catch me when I’m low, however, and just think I’m a jerk when really I just need some sugar!
It is this word I dislike. It seems to be so prevalent in all aspects of society today. I sense from your various posts that you would never swear or be agressive in front of a child and I trust that everyone on this forum will agree that this was an inappropriate reaction. I come from the ‘children should be seen but not heard’ generation but I hope that if I ever bother to see Little Mermaid at WDW, I would not put my ‘needs’ before those of an inquisitive little boy, wanting some help with translating.
We should indeed. I sometimes wonder what happen if the Titanic happened now. Would the children be saved first or would some adults say, 'I paid for this cruise, so I am more entitled to a life vest, life raft etc?
That is not ok. Under any circumstance. And just to be clear, even though a party might have cause to be upset that is no justification for an inappropriate or disproportionate response. I had an experience similar to yours at Candlelight Processional a few years ago (no children involved, though). I had absentmindedly forgotten to remove my hat after I sat down. The little jerk behind me actually two-finger punched me in the shoulder blade and then showered me with some choice, angry words about how I was blocking his wife’s view. His poor wife seemed mortified, and his testosterone level plummeted when I stood and showed him the size of the bear he was poking. I apologized to her, reminded him that he could have accomplished the same thing with a polite request, and cautioned him against antagonizing strangers in the future.
I’m sorry you had to experience that kind of behavior. There’s no excuse for it.
No no, don’t misunderstand. No one is determining that cursing out anyone, especially a kid, is OK. I believe more that most everyone in this thread is attempting to look at the situation from all sides.
For myself and reading what I have here, if I were in the same situation I could easily misinterpret that your family was bored of the show, using the show as a rest from the heat and just were talking through it. As I do not understand French beyond an idiot’s grasp, I wouldn’t know you were repeating what you are seeing and hearing. To me, you could’ve been discussing last night’s festivities or where you’re going for lunch. But I can’t really know the nuances of the experience as none of us but you were there.
That doesn’t mean I don’t sympathize though. The family that cursed you out was clearly in the wrong when they went on the offensive. I don’t care if you somehow ruined the whole show for them, because what exactly did they lose aside from some audio from a show that is basically a condensed version of a movie that almost everyone knows? They still got the visuals and they still got to see the effects.
In this, I feel they are one and the same. You are entitled to a good time because you earned your place there. If one isn’t entitled to a good time after paying that much money to be there, what’s the point of going? But that doesn’t mean, as you said, that you shouldn’t be gracious to others. After all, it’s just a show. And one that replays several times over in a day at that.
There is a time and a place. In the middle of a show is neither. I don’t think it is too much to teach the kid that during a show is not the appropriate time to demand translation.
If you know the kid is going to demand it and you’re not going to teach him time and place, sit at the back away from other people so you don’t disrupt others. Especially if the kid doesn’t understand whispering.
As I just said, use it as a teachable moment that there are times when immediate translation is not appropriate. In a show is one of them. If he refuses to understand that, choose to sit in an area away from other guests. And teach the kid to whisper.
Again, I am not defending the woman’s actions, but the street goes both ways. By indulging the constant translation, you were not respecting her right to see a show without constant talking.
I agree that the word “entitled” has accrued some unpleasant connotations lately. I think you got closer to the central issue with the word “right.” People seem to overlook/forget/fail to realize that every right comes with a corresponding responsibility. I have just as much right to enjoy myself at WDW as anyone else who bought a ticket. But I have a responsibility to ensure that my behavior does not unduly limit others’ right to do the same. Sometimes that means I don’t get to do everything I want to do precisely the way I want to do it. Sometimes it means I don’t get to say everything I want to say precisely the way I want to say it. It always means making extra effort to get along. It’s Sharing 101. Stuff we were supposed to have learned in kindergarten.
Just as it was, I think. It didn’t come to blows and @jflafond’s day wasn’t ruined it seems. If the angry couple had their day ruined…ah well, sucks to be them. That’s what you get when putting too much emphasis on a Disney show that runs repeatedly throughout the day.
Yes, because children learn by example. If adults swear and curse at or to them, this behaviour will be normalised. This is why I hate reality shows and soap operas.
