So I took my daughter to the zoo this morning as I work evenings and her mum works days and kindergarten is closed. Beautiful day for a trip to the zoo, only I decided to treat my kid and myself to a different zoo, one in the Netherlands, one we have never gone to before. So everything is going great we enter the zoo see a few animals mainly birds, a few reptiles etc and then we hear a noise in the distance, a loud bellowing noise. I start hyping up the sound thinking it was monkeys or some form of ape. Until we are literally around the corner from where the ruckus is emanating. My kid was excited to see some boysterous monkeys and I matched her excitement by saying things like “ooh I think they might be getting fed” or “do you think we will see some baby monkeys?”
We were walking around the corner big smile on my face, me holding my kid and bouncing her a little chanting “monkeys monkeys monkeys” only to be confronted with a disabled adult day trip. There were multiple adults in wheelchairs with varying degrees of disabilities and their carers all enjoying the sight of the wallabies.
The noises we heard were made by a few of the disabled adults.
I felt like absolute shit and I just froze and felt myself tear up from embarrassment. I told myself I was speaking English the entire time so maybe nobody paid attention. But deep down I know that the carers at least likely speak English and heard me.
TL:DR
Went to the Zoo without checking the map and mistook the noises of a group of disabled adults as animal noises, resulting in insulting them massively.
This will probably get asked, I live in Germany but am English my kid is multilingual.
Comments
Big ooof. They probably didn’t notice…. Maybe…
They probably didn’t hear every word and assumed you were just hyping up your kids about zoo animals, not referring to them while doing it
I do actually think you’re safe enough on this one. Chanting Monkeys to a small kid at the Zoo is not the same as if this happened in a shop or something.
I would assume its just normal Zoo talk about animals if overheard.
I’d assume that they thought you were excited to find the monkeys. I bet that was an interesting talk with your daughter after that though!
Did you go see monkeys after?
If you were at a zoo and heard a father hype up his kids to go see some monkeys while playfully saying he can hear them, would your assumption be he’s making fun of a nearby group of disabled adults or he’s getting his kids excited to see those monkeys?
Don’t overthink it.
Awww which zoo did you go to?
That absolutely could be a bit on Its Always Sunny
Oh honey, that must have been awful. But if I’d heard you, your reaction when you saw us would have cleared my mind of any ill will towards you. An honest, mortifying mistake. As a mom, I send you love and forgiveness for an honest mistake. All is well.
Why would they think you meant them?
I worked with developmentally disabled adults for quite a few years. Most are not capable of the mental leap you’re trying on. If something is said to their face, they may well recognize it as insult, but not something as abstract as hearing someone from the other side of the building.
They are not capable of processing much information. Most of what is not directly in front of them is ignored, as is most things not in their normal routine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Idiots
Thanks for the laugh!
As for feeling guilty, it’s not like the zoo plan has disabled adults listed. How were you supposed to know?
this is one of those “kill me now” moments but like… unintentional and painfully human. you matched your kid’s energy, not mocking anyone. just maybe whisper next time 😅
Just last weekend I was at the spray park with my kids and saw a little girl laying on the blanket under a small kids tent. I said rather loudly oh jeez she’s having a nap. Must be tired from playing. Then noticed her wheelchair and realized she had to have a severe disability and was very mobility limited. Yup. Foot in mouth and slow clap.
One time when I was driving through my neighborhood I saw a woman walking two very energetic huskies and seemed to be kicking at them every so often. I didn’t recognize the woman and couldn’t even tell you what my thought process was other than, “she’s kicking the crap out of those dogs in public, WTF?”.
I worked with dogs and was preparing myself to give her some sort of lecture, but thought better of it at the last minute, pulled over, and asked her if she was ok.
She proceeded to wave TWO floppy jacket arms at me, explained she has to manage the leashes with her feet, and the dogs were just having their normal walk. She had no arms 😱
I probably gave one of those pitiful little laughs you do when you’ve embarrassed the shit out of yourself, and drove home and 💀💀💀