Hi everyone,
Thank you for your kind words. I was shaken up by this incident but I'm okay.
Here's my report about what happened.
I did my usual scream along with the soundtrack thing in the stretching room and got punched in the face for it. It was not a head on punch, the punch came from my right side and slightly behind me. I was able to feel the individual curled fingers and the palm of the hand that hit me. The person who hit me used their right hand.
Before I screamed, while the lights were still on, I stepped away from the people around me so I wouldn't be screaming in anyone's ear. I was hit after I finished screaming but before the lights came back on. I initially thought Fly or Martydog had snuck around behind me and tried to scare me as a joke, something like putting their hand over my mouth but ended up hitting me by accident. When the lights came on, Fly and Martydog were still standing in front of me, just where they had been before the lights went out. I looked to my right and saw a woman who immediately started scolding me for screaming. She said it was totally unnecessary (DUH, but we all do it) and I had ruined the ride for her small child. I calmly said to her, "Thank you for assaulting me." Her husband who was holding the child responded with, "Thank you for scaring our three-year-old son." Meanwhile the banshee was still scolding me. I asked in an agitated voice (hey, I'd just been physically assaulted and now was being verbally assaulted) why they were bringing a child who is so easily scared on this ride. I said, "It's a Haunted Mansion. It's scary." Both the husband and wife continued to shout at me. My plan was to ignore them, continue through the line and report the punching incident to the cast member loading the ride.
But the two just wouldn't shut up and were doing stuff like shaking their fingers in my face. So I shouted back in an angry voice that there are skeletons that pop up and such, the ride is scary. They still wouldn't let up. I said in an angrier voice, "I'm serious. There are skeletons that pop up in the graveyard scene and the ride IS scary." That's when the husband lunged at me and Fly and Martydog jumped in to physically defend me. The husband appeared to be attempting to punch me but his wife restrained his right arm. His left arm was busy holding the child. Meanwhile the banshee was still screaming at me. At that point I had had enough of these people, said I was going to get security and ran back into the stretching room. The door shut behind me and I was in the stretching room all by myself while it reset. That at least put me in a safe place away from people who were physically and verbally attacking me. I then told the cast member greeting guests at the ride entrance that I needed security.
Then lots of cast members showed up, took me backstage and asked me all about what happened. They said I did nothing wrong by screaming. People do it every time. I got to repeat my story a gazillion times while the various cast members doted on me and repeatedly apologized as if it were Disney's fault the banshee hit me. I made a point of explaining my negative behavior - screaming and then shouting back at the family. The cast members were wonderful. At this point we were in three different groups. Fly, Martydog and Alyce were in the ride loading area I believe, I was backstage with cast members and the family was somewhere else.
Security explained to me that it would be a while but my story, my party's story and the family's story all matched up. After the various cast members and security members did a lot of running around (I assume between the three different parties involved) I was asked the big question, did I want to press charges? I would have been pressing charges against the woman and really had to think about what to do. In the end, I decided not to press charges but asked security to tell the family four things. It was MY choice not to press charges, I was sorry I scared their child, the room itself screams and I wasn't the only person screaming. I assume they did that.
My fight or flight adrenaline was rushing through my system the entire time so I was shaking a lot and burst into tears a few times. Once everything with security was taken care of and I calmed down, we continued with our night.
So, that's pretty much what happened. I may have been a bit rattled but I learned something very wonderful as a result of the incident. I have great friends who will step up to protect me no matter what.
If it's not obvious, I have a very low opinion of the family. I don't care who was screaming, it was totally inappropriate to hit the screamer. The mother set a fine example by physically assaulting a stranger who posed no physical threat to her child. The father who most likely believes he was protecting his child, put his child in physical danger by attempting to physically assault me. He led with his left side, the child was essentially a shield. If Fly, Martydog, Alyce or any other guest had decided to get physical with the guy, most likely the child would have been harmed. A totally stellar example of parenting - NOT!
It amazes me that it was MY screaming that scared the child. Many people screamed. The room screamed. In addition, we were plunged into complete darkness then surprised by what seemed to be thunder and lightning. Anyone who looked in the direction of the noise and light had a lovely view of death hanging from a rope. But in that family's pea sized brains, it was my screaming that scared their child. I'd call them morons but that would be an insult to morons.
In any event, I'm okay and I learned my friends love me enough to come to my defense. I'm guessing the family learned nothing positive from the experience and will continue on living their lives ignorantly and arrogantly.
Thank you again for your kind words and support.
Ruth
I'll bet their kid is going to grow up to be just as violent as his two idiot parents. It's amazing to me what people think they can do and get away with. I admire you for keeping your cool. I don't know if I could have!
