Selfie sticks, considered by many as the most important piece of equipment on their touristy outings, have been fully banned by Disney in all its theme parks. The company had earlier banned the use of the narcissists’ best weapon on some of its rides, and now it’s introducing a blanket ban on the contrivance across all its properties.
Disney is not the first tourist destination to ban the handheld folding pole, though. It’s been banned from a whole range of historical monuments, sporting arenas and art galleries for the alleged nuisance value it brings along. So come July 1st and all Disney theme parks will prohibit these sticks within their premises, security will be searching visitors’ bags for them.
Earlier, Disney’s California theme park had to bring its California Screamin’ roller coaster ride to a halt after a passenger pulled out a selfie stick mid-ride. Now imagine the camera dislodging off the clasps and flying straight into one of the occupants’ face. Ouch! See the hazard angle now?
[blockquote cite=”Disney” type=”left”]We strive to provide a great experience for the entire family, and unfortunately selfie-sticks have become a growing safety concern for both our guests and cast[/blockquote]
Disney parks aren’t the first establishments to ban the equipment though. The Colosseum in Rome, the Palace of Versailles in Paris, the Wimbledon, Brazilian soccer stadiums and the Soundwave Music Festival in Australia have all banned the telescoping devices. These places of touristic interest, however, don’t comprise even a small fraction of the list of places to have banned the item.
Apart from their obvious hazards on moving objects like a ride in an amusement parks, the large amount of area these selfie sticks sweep, along with the oblivious users who are swinging them around nonchalantly makes them dangerous for use in public places.
Sure, the cheap metal rod saves you the trouble of asking a stranger to hold your expensive phone and shoot you, but you do feel irritated when the same stick blocks your way in a public gallery as a couple pouts against it.
Get the picture?
