‘Teen Takeovers’ have been all over the news lately, as groups of teenagers and young adults take to social media to plan ‘takeovers’ of certain areas. The controversial events include large groups of youth overwhelming an area, causing chaos, and turning to violence. Well, it appears that Florida‘s Disney park has become the latest location for the Teen Takeover trend.
The incident took place during the highly anticipated Lorcana merchandise drop. Disney fans are well aware that people wait in line for hours for new merchandise like this, and items are often sold out after just a few hours of the stores being open. That makes the fact that the youth cut the line and rampaged inside all the more offensive – it’s entirely possible that their actions prevented people who waited peacefully from getting any merchandise at all.
Unsurprisingly, the clip has made it to the internet, and the comments section has some unflattering things to say about the people in the video. Sentiments such as “This generation sucks,” and “Low-class trash,” fill Reddit’s comment section.
Many people noted that the chosen location doesn’t quite fit the message that Teen Takeovers are presumably meant to convey. As one internet user pointed out, “Nothing says I’m a [expletive] like rushing to get into a Disney park to do a Moana sing-along.” Another echoed, “This is the least hard thing ever, hahaha.“
Others suggested that, rather than being a typical Teen Takeover focused on the chaotic hangout, these people were actually on a mission. One Redditor suggested, “Probably all scalpers, running in to buy whatever card game went on sale today.” Another agreed, “Yeah, they’re scalpers trying to get the new Lorcana card drops.“
As of the time of writing, the youth’s motive remains unclear, but the assertion that they were scalpers is certainly possible. Or, it may have been a smaller version of the Teen Takeovers many major cities and theme parks have been seeing lately.
Interestingly, it seems that Disney was targeted in the incident shown in the clip, as there have been reports of other Disney locations experiencing similar disturbances. According to one Redditor, a Disney store in London also saw a similar issue with young people causing chaos. Similarly, the California-based theme park Knott’s Berry Farm was recently targeted for a Teen Takeover.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that the trend of Teen Takeovers will die out any time soon. It’s bad enough when adults and non-Takeover teens are affected by these shenanigans, but ruining Disney magic for young children is a new low.
