Starting Tuesday, Disney tourists will be forced to rely only on their arms for taking photos. The selfie stick has been banned from the land of Mickey Mouse.
Tragic, we know.
“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,” a Disney spokeswoman said Friday.
She’s not kidding. Earlier this week, a roller coaster passenger at Disney California Adventure park pulled out a selfie stick mid-ride, shutting down the coaster for an hour, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Disney previously tried banning the sticks only from rides in which they would be dangerous, but tourists kept bringing them out anyway. (Did they think you can pull out a selfie stick discreetly?)
This week’s incident seemed to be the last straw. As of June 30, selfie sticks will be confiscated and stowed at security at all Disney theme parks.
The news is another marker on the road to the selfie stick’s demise. The cheap metal rods have been banned from peak selfie destinations across the world, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to Lollapallooza, from the Kentucky Derby to the Wimbledon tennis championships. You can still selfie-stick at the Lincoln Memorial, but there will be no sticks near paintings of Lincoln in the National Portrait Gallery.
1. Because you could damage the art.
2. Because you can damage another human.
3. Because you look stupid.
Or do you?
The longer selfie sticks are around, the more they are banned — but also, the more they seem … normal.