Even In Disney World, Mr. Katsav
Even In Disney World, Mr. Katsav

 

The news was shocking. I reread the article again and again. I couldn’t believe that someone I admired, someone I respected for He is an icon, looked up to by children. He is….Donald Duck.
so many years could have been accused, let alone convicted, of doing such a thing. Accused of harrassing, assaulting a woman?! How could he have laughed it off as a joke and pretend nothing happened? He is an icon, looked up to by children. He is….Donald Duck.

While everyone else in Israel was reading about former President Moshe Katsav’s conviction on rape charges, and his denial of the charges, I was intrigued by the story out of Disney World in Florida. A woman claimed she was harassed by Donald Duck when visiting the theme park in May of 2008.

April Magolon, 27, was on holiday with her family at Disney World and went over to the person dressed in a Donald Duck costume to get an autograph.  She alleges that she then was inappropriately accosted by the Donald Duck, while she was holding her baby. She says the person inside the disguise then made a joke about the incident.

Magolon said she had since suffered nightmares, headaches, anxiety, nausea and stomach problems following the sexual harassment, all symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Disney tried to have her lawsuit dismissed, but a judge in Philadelphia, where the woman is from, has now ordered the company to answer it.

It is not the first such case alleging assaults in Disney World. Another case found Michael Chartrand , who was dressed as Tigger, not guilty after his defense argued that the physical constraints of the costume made it difficult to be fully aware of the environment.

As terrible as this incident is, and in no way do I condone the person in the costume, I can’t but help feel sorry for the image of Donald Duck. Did Donald ever act this way before? I knew he had a rivalry with Mickey, but I never saw him harrass Minnie Mouse or assault his own girlfriend, Daisy Duck.

 I mean, what do we really know about this character, aside from his semi-intelligible speech. Donald Duck’s dominant personality traits are his short temper and stubbornness. His short temper always seems to get him in trouble. As animator Fred Spencer once wrote:

“The Duck gets a big kick out of imposing on other people or annoying them, but he immediately loses his temper when the tables are turned. In other words, he can dish it out, but he can't take it.”

Still, what it always comes down to with Donald is controlling his temper and controlling his emotions, self control.

Exactly four years ago Moshe Katsav held a press conference where he lashed out at then Channel 2 news anchor, Gadi Sukenik, accusing him and his channel of conducting a which-hunt. Katsav absolutely lost his cool that day. It was a tirade that would have made Donald Duck proud.

And what about his conduct with members of the opposite sex?  Well, Donald Duck used to greet females with ‘"Hiya, toots!", I can only guess how our former President addressed them.

But the bottom line is that when you don’t have a clear value system, don't keep your desires in check, when you lose self-control, when you must get your way no matter what, well, you get caught up in something you should never have done.

I don’t care who you are, it doesn’t matter if you’re a president or some guy dressed as a famous duck, it’s wrong, and you will be held accountable.