While certain fandoms that were once considered niche have become mainstream in recent years, like fans of comic book superheroes or Star Wars, there are still some that receive a significant amount of derision from at least some corners of the internet. One of those that seems to get talked down to a lot is the “Disney Adult.” Whenever a grown person admits to being a big Disney fan, specifically the theme parks, you can be sure to get some negative comments online. And one person who saw a series of pretty awful comments when her video went viral is now speaking out.
The video in question, which you may well have seen, was posted to TikTok and it shows Sarah Rachul getting a chance to hug Goofy for the first time since the global pandemic, shortly after full contact meet-and-greets were brought back to the Disney parks. Where many saw a touching moment, others saw a woman who must not have her priorities straight, considering she cared so much about hugging a fictional character. Some of the comments apparently really got quite cruel. Rachul tells Insider…
A few of the comments I deleted. They were outright vile. Others were well written but so cruel, like, 'I urge you to seek therapy for what seems to be a very aggressive mental-health problem.
The moment was an emotional one, not only because Rachul loves Disney, having visited Disney World countless times with her family growing up, but because Goofy was a favorite character of her grandfather, to whom she had been very close before he passed away. For her, hugging Goofy was like being close to him again. This fact was part of the initial video, but got stripped out of many of the repostings.
@everydayisdisney ♬ original sound - Disney Parks
While Sarah Rachul says that a lot of people have been quite supportive, there were those that were quite critical of her emotional moment, claiming that she clearly needs therapy or must have had a terrible childhood. Rachul is now standing up against cyberbullying, not simply for her own sake but for others who have to deal with similar situations. She goes on…
It’s not about me. It's the fact that there are teenagers who think it's appropriate to suggest a stranger should go to therapy when they don't know that stranger's history with mental health.
If you’re a Disney Parks fan and you’re on social media, you know that there is a pretty strong community of like minded adults to be found. Everybody is quite supportive within that community because everybody loves the same things, but Rachul’s video broke out of that bubble and when that happens it’s far from uncommon for those that don’t “get it” to poke fun. Though this really went beyond poking fun.
From most reports the cast members in the Disney character costumes love these interactions as much as the guests, regardless of the age of that guest. At the end of the day the things that matter to each of us, that we really care about, are quite different. Some people love going to theme parks and others enjoy going to sporting events. Hopefully, we can all find our happiness wherever we can, there’s not enough of it out there.
