Two men were arrested at Legoland after around 10 parents got involved in a mass brawl in front of horrified children.They weren't horrified to start with, mind you, having been reared in a soap-opera-fuelled culture where the boundaries between reality and fiction have become increasingly blurred and screen violence is commonplace:
At first, some children thought the disruption was part of an act for the pirate-themed ride, but as more parents got involved it became clear that it was a fight.The spectacle, according to one eye-witness, sounds positively Homeric:
'About ten people were involved - even some of the women flew off the ride trading punches'(in the manner, one imagines, of the vengeful Olympian goddesses descending on the battlefield before Troy, albeit rather less divine in appearance).
The Legoland management, predictably, take a calmer view than the tabloid media, claiming that 'An altercation occurred between a family group and a male guest'.
Meanwhile the police state that fixed penalty notices for public order offences were issued to two men aged 29 and 30, which is definitely old enough to know better. What hope is there for the offspring of men who behave like this on a family day out?
Under the circumstances, perhaps it's appropriate that Legoland's statement concludes with a phrase that could have come straight from a nature documentary:
'The group of males and their families were removed from the park'.
(The title is the result of a Google search to answer the question this story immediately brought to mind: 'What is the opposite of anthropomorphism?'. It is, perhaps, significant that a lot of other people out there seem to be asking the same question.)
They weren't horrified to start with, mind you, having been reared in a soap-opera-fuelled culture where the boundaries between reality and fiction have become increasingly blurred and screen violence is commonplace
ReplyDeleteLove it.
I note that the LEGOLAND in question was at Windsor. What kind of families can be found there? Surely not.......
ReplyDeleteI'd be surprised if these men were actually with their offspring.
ReplyDeleteTheir current girl-friend's offspring from various half-remembered previous relationships, more likely.
JH, we aim to please.
ReplyDeleteDemetrius, there's a lot to be said for a bicycling monarchy but a roller-coaster-riding one might be taking it a bit too far.
WY, it may well be a contributory factor; the situation presumably leads to unusually large and ill-assorted family groups at theme parks with predicable strain on queues and tempers.
It's interesting - and worrying - to contemplate the long-term effect on children when what we once called a broken homes means twice as many holidays and treats.