female skippers

[lillas]

I hesitate to bring it up because it's so UN-PC but here goes. These female Jungle Cruise skippers are a big mistake. It just dosn't work (neither does male story book hosts) Women don't do stand up well (spare me the lists of women you think are funny) it's not in their nature. When I was hired on as a CM in the good old days, attractive girls sold merchandise and the boy next door types worked attractions. They got around the legal ramifications by calling it casting. Everybody else in the kitchen or busing tables.
PS I'll never tell where they put me

[Alex S.]

There's a legitimate issue here that can be discussed, but I just want to pop in and remind everybody to watch their behavior. If this slides downhill we'll worry about it then.

As for my comment:

I have no problem with the female Jungle Cruise skippers. I won't list funny comediennes (though there are certainly many) but I will suggest that women are just as capable of stand-up as men, but that the behaviors that lead to stand-up are more strongly discouraged in young girls than in young boys.

I've only been on Storybook a couple of times in my life and don't think I've every had a male guide, but I also can't think of a reason why it wouldn't work (though I agree that a big biker bar looking dude might seem silly talking about miniature houses).

[cstephens]

Originally posted by lillas
I hesitate to bring it up because it's so UN-PC but here goes. These female Jungle Cruise skippers are a big mistake. It just dosn't work (neither does male story book hosts) Women don't do stand up well (spare me the lists of women you think are funny) it's not in their nature. When I was hired on as a CM in the good old days, attractive girls sold merchandise and the boy next door types worked attractions. They got around the legal ramifications by calling it casting. Everybody else in the kitchen or busing tables.
PS I'll never tell where they put me

It's not about being PC, nor is it about being a male or a female. Men are not inherently able to work Jungle Cruise better, nor are women inherently able to work Storybook better. It's not about generalities but about specific people.

I will completely not respond to the "women don't do stand up well...it's not in their nature" comment.

I've been on both attractions many times, and I've had good CMs and bad CMs, both male and female. While I love being on one of Maynard's boats on the Jungle Cruise, there is a female CM who is a friend of mine who gives a great cruise, and while I suppose I could be viewed as being biased because she was my friend before she was a CM, the people on her boats seemed to have a great time. Conversely, I can think of a few particular CMs whose boats I never wish to ride again - the male CM was boring and sounded bored, but not in a Steven Wright way, and the female CM was so shrill that it hurt to have to listen to her. I could point out the same examples for Storybook.

It's not a matter of deciding on male or female. It's a matter of picking the best CMs to do the job.

[dgthx]

I love being on one of Maynard's boats on the Jungle Cruise

What makes a cruise with Maynard's cruise special? What does he do? I've never experienced the JC with him.

[AgentLaRue]

I've never experienced Maynard on the Cruise, but would love to. As for female skippers, I can only speak from personal experience, which is much more limited than man AP holders who live in the area. The best skipper I've ever seen was a lady. She was fantastic.

PC or not, I agree with CStephens; if they're good, they should have the role over a male who isn't as good. I also disagree that "women don't do stand up well." I've seen many funny comediennes. I also think it is very shaky ground to suggest that women in general have a "nature" that does not permit them to excel at a particular task. If the ladies of this site are offended by the statement, it will be no secret why.

P.S. Is there a male OR female who can actually make Storybook interesting?

[DisLee]

Sorry, but the last time I was on the Jungle Cruise we had a female skipper and she was FANTASTIC - absoulutely hilarious. It was the best time I've had on an attraction there in months. I had forgotten how funny the cruise could be.

Yes, maybe it's not in MOST women's nature to be stand-up comedians but let's not throw out those who ARE very funny and are PERFECTLY suited to the job.

I wish I had gotten her name... she was great. Had long redish hair I think.

But your other point I agree with... I have no desire to sail to StorybookLand with a male decked-out in an Alice in Wonderland dress. I think the Alice dresses look best on women.

[lisap]

Lillas,
While I don't necessarily agree with your arguments, I do applaud your willingness to put yourself out there and state your opinion. In this era, you must have known you were going to get a beating! (actually, people on this thread are being unnaturally civilized.)

I think that there are fewer excellent women to choose from, perhaps because of Alex's suggestion that women are not encouraged to do stand up. However, I read an excellent book by Deborah Tannen a while back that discussed female verses male behaviors (be it genetic or environmental) that show men naturally gravitating to that "center of attention, aren't I funny, all eyes on me" thing, while women naturally seek the "hey, how are you doing, tell me about yourself, I'm not going to grab the spotlight" thing.
So perhaps that is why we don't see as many women who break from this to do stand up--or Jungle Cruise. Men and women are different!

I really hate to open up this can of worms, but there it is. I lay myself open for any and all disagreements. Please be gentle...

[EandCDad]

I'll just throw in that I've had one funny female skipper (out of maybe three) and about two or three truly funny male skippers (out of maybe 100). The women are leading in the percentage, but the two un-funny female skippers were truly dreadful.

Skip the storybook boats and see all the minature stuff via Casey Jr. You don't have to listen to the annoying patter of the CM but still get to appreciate the artistry.

[AliKzam]

That's right, Lily. You just keep telling yourself woman aren't funny. Just keep telling yourself that... Stay safe in your own little world.

[Dlandmom]

I recently had a really boring experience with an older gentlemen in the skipper role. It had nothing to do with his age or his sex...he was just plain boring. I agree with all of you who say that it's just a matter of whether the right person is cast in the right role, male or female.

Years ago, I applied to be a CM and practically begged to be a skipper, but at that time, no women allowed. I was told that perhaps I'd be interested in guiding the Storyland Books (surprise surprise).

Well, I'm not saying that I would've been the best skipper, but I sure wish I would've had a chance to be in the role (can anyone out there shed some light on this?). These days, I really wonder how people become skippers...there are good ones and there are just downright boring and uninterested ones. For every one "boring" one, there's got to be at least 10 out there who are animated and who would love a shot at it!

[cstephens]

Originally posted by AgentLaRue
P.S. Is there a male OR female who can actually make Storybook interesting?

Well, I suppose if you don't like the attraction, then no one can make it interesting for you

I happen to love Storybook and don't get to ride it as often as I'd like. It's especially cool during the holidays. I love all the miniatures, and I also really like the spiel - when it's done correctly. It's nice to look at from Casey, but roaring past it from higher isn't the same as trolling past it at eye-level.

[Dlandmom]

I think it's great that you posted your thoughts, and I don't think it's a pc or un-pc thing to do so.

I'm so tired of people trying to be "pc" for one reason or another. We all have different opinions, and this is a great forum for us to express them. We're all individuals. We can't please everyone all of the time, so all we can do is express our individual ideas and share them. We don't all have to feel the same way about every topic. And sure, sometimes what we feel may be offensive to others, but as long as it wasn't expressed intentionally to offend (and I don't think that was lillas' intent), then we all have to remember that we all have opinions that might not always be appreciated by everyone else.

Kudos to:

lillas for bringing up one viewpoint
Alex for keeping us "clean"
Everyone else for expressing their viewpoints

[lisap]

Dlmom, you are so money.

[3894]

If the Jungle Cruise female skippers bother you, did the Submarine Voyage female dock workers and drivers bother you, too?

[Dlandmom]

Thanks, lisap, it was something I've wanted to say for a long time, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity!

And, by the way, I find that when people try to be pc, they end up offending more people than they were trying to appease in the first place! Take a look at what happened with the supposed pc update of Pirates!

Okay, I'll get off my soapbox now!

[lillas]

Thanks everyone for being gentle, you all bring up some excellent points. Maybe the real problem is it's become more difficult to find quality cast members in this strong economy. Disney simply dosn't have the pick of the litter like it used to, so their forced to fill positions with substandard employees. Personally when I was 20, I would have worked for free, it was a bonus to be paid $4.85/hour but you can only mooch off Mom and Dad for so long.

[Napsto]

i had a girl skipper and it was late but she left the motor on the whole the time so i couldn't hear her. it sucked.

[ODV CM]

The funniest skipper I've ever had was female, unfortunately, I don't remember her name any more, but I did give her a compliment. However, as for the ratio of funny male skipper to female, its probably about 5 to 1 male in my experience. The theme of the ride I think lends itself towards a male skipper. I mean, how many of us imagine going off in a jungle safari with a female guide? Maybe I'm all alone on this one, but I sure don't. And I think the reverse can be said for the Storybook Land Canal Boats. Fantasyland in general, with the exception of the Matterhorn, and maybe the Tea Cups, looks better to guests with female CM's working the rides. I still think that guys look weird in the Fantasyland costumes, even though they redesigned them to look much nicer than the white and blue ones.

[Morrigoon]

Huh, actually, I very much like the look of the Fantasyland guys. I preferred the old costume (with the blue pants), but the new shirts are pretty nice too. The old costume, despite its flowery decoration had a funny tendency to make the guys wearing it look masculine (must be a contrast thing). Also, it was a compementary look for many guys.

As for female jungle cruise skippers... I've had some very funny ones. I've had some funny guy skippers too, of course (Maynard, for example) As for that 5:1 ratio... keep in mind the ratio of ACTUAL male skippers to females.

Some people seem born to do J C... some weren't. Luck of the draw, but it has nothing to do with gender, except as your OWN biases color your enjoyment of their performance.

But bravo for having the guts to be un-PC

[dghosthost]

I'd like to see a girl done up a la Laura Croft. I agree with the first post...I have trouble seeing this big bad girl going on the dangerous jungle cruse...I wonder if they era it represents adds to this prejudice.