'Mum Club Karen' clashes with scooters over little kids at park
All parents will have been in at least one of these positions. Whose side are you on in this divisive clip with 7m views?
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A confrontation between a high-profile scooter professional and a 'Mum Club Karen' shows a problem happening at skate parks everywhere, every day.
The situation arises when young children use the areas for playing, rather than equipment to ride on, which can pose a safety risk to everyone. (Just take a look at 'skatepark accidents' on TikTok.)
The trouble is, not everyone agrees on how skate parks should be used.
In the viral clip, Bradley, who goes by @scootabrad on social media, asks a group of mums to please move their young children, who are not using any wheels on the ramps at the time.
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"Can you please move to the side?"
In the clip, Bradley, who describes himself as "New Zealand's highest grossing scooter rider," is at the skate park in Tauranga City council, New Zealand.
He asks a group of mums who are with the kids to "please move to the side," pointing out they shouldn't be on the ramps if they're not on wheels.
The mums are gathered on the platforms, are supervising their kids, who at the time of filming are generally playing around and not using their scooters or boards. Bradley asks them to refer to the signage about usage and age limits, but one mum responds, "Please leave us alone."
The group argues passionately with Bradley about their children's right to use the skate park, and insist he should share the space, especially as they were "there first."
After the situation escalates, the police are called.
Bradley eventually posted a clip of the incident with the text, "Mum Club Karen freaks out being asked to watch from the side."
According to another media outlet, some have claimed that the video has been heavily edited, and that a separate video sent to RNZ shows Bradley loudly telling a mum to "read the f***ing" sign.
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"The road is also public, they should play there"
The comments section on the video is more than 7k strong, and it's heavily divided.
Many, such as this viewer, agreed that there shouldn't be 'loitering': "I’d never think it was ok to stand in the middle of a skatepark. Ugh. You’re keeping so cool about it!"
This person added: "Standing in a group and having a full conversation in the middle of a skatepark is wild."
A major point of contention was people discussing whether the children should even have been there in the first place. The mums had argued that as "taxpayers" who according to then built the park, they did.
But another viewer shared this perspective about 'rights' and 'entitlement': "The road is also public, should [the kids] also play there?"
Then, many thought that Bradley could have "waited his turn" and been more "accommodating."
This viewer said, "At the 48 second mark you could’ve went. Yes they were on the park but they weren’t in your way anymore. You really didn’t need to continue standing there. Male Karen."
Watch the video above and decide for yourself.
As a parent myself who has been in both positions, with a younger son and then a tween, I want to say I've seen many near-misses, and some accidents, involving speed and force, and guidelines should always be followed by everyone.
"The key points overlooked in the comments"
Speaking to Kidspot, Bradley wanted to point out "The key points overlooked by some in the comments section."
He said, "It's important to make it clear I'm talking about skate parks, not playgrounds in general. A skate park not playground.
"I didn't ask the mums and kids to leave - I just asked them to not play in the space where the ramps were being used as they were designed to be used."
Her further added, "My content isn't monetised - I'm not getting anything out of this clip - this is purely for safety."
In a follow-up video, Bradley showed viewers the written signage at the park, which states that it is recommended for ages six plus.
In many jurisdictions in Australia, use of a skate park is not recommended for children under six years old.
For further information about children and skate parks, see council guidelines.
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Originally published as 'Mum Club Karen' clashes with scooters over little kids at park