Judging by FIRE

[Elle]

I am such a queen of judgmentalism it's not even funny. And I have reformed considerably over the years thanks to certain people's beneficent influence. But never, ever, never could I have found it in myself to blame parents whose two year old is fucking EATEN BY AN ALLIGATOR. What the FUCK, world? Is Orlando in some kind of vortex of evil right now and we just don't know the truth? But human beings who respond to this by blaming the parents should really trade places with victim in this case.

[Mike]

Same as with the gorilla. Same as with parents who forget their kid is in the back of the car. Same as the kid who gets lost while camping. As parents, every single one of us has done some boneheaded shit, or even just had the briefest of lapses (the toddler was yelling, so I turned my attention to her for 10 seconds, and when I turned back, the six-year-old was just gone), and in the overwhelming majority of cases, nothing bad happens. The truth is that this sort of thing could happen to anyone. But by blaming the parents, other people reassure themselves that this could never happen to them. Finding fault with the parents lets you convince yourself that YOU have the magic talisman that will keep the bogeyman away from your children.

The core of the problem will be determined in court, and I think it will be summarized as follows:

Q: Was Disney Resorts aware of the danger of alligators?
A: Yes.

Q: Was the possibility of alligators one of the primary reasons for the "No Swimming" signs posted?
A: Yes.

Q: Does this court feel that a "No Swimming" sign is sufficient warning for the average resort guest to adequately protect themselves from the danger of alligators?
A: No.

I don't care how adamant people are about saying, "But it's FLORIDA! You should have KNOWN that there's alligators in Florida!" Does the average guest know enough about Florida and alligators and the Disney Resorts to know that alligators are a potential danger on the resort grounds? Do you think that a visitor from Scotland or the Ukraine or New Zealand should know enough about Florida to know that "No Swimming" means "Don't get within ten feet of the water, because ALLIGATORS"?

People blaming the parents just want to feel superior so that they can keep up their superstition that tragedy only strikes stupid people, and clearly we are not the stupid people.

[Elle]

There are no f****** alligators in the Wilds of Nebraska which is where these people were from. And because Nebraskans don't live in the sordid armpit of the universe that is Florida, they can't very well be expected to know that an alligator is likely to burst out of a Lagoon at Disney World when nothing of the sort had ever happened before. It distresses me to consider the legal ramifications of the case when someone's precious child has gone in this most terrible way. I do think they're going to collect an enormous settlement however.

[Cazmonster]

Given everything Disney can control at the resorts, this is a thing they damn well would control.

[Reika]

[Elle]

I'd be content if they didn't make an entire fake beach leading up to the place where deadly animals lurk, with the no swimming sign serving only to tell visitors, you know, No Swimming, as opposed to "going anywhere near this place could lead to a vicious and deadly alligator attack."