ytterbiumanalyst

Okay, you must not remember the 90s. It's "asshat," that is to say, one who has their head up their ass. It comes from comedy legend Fred Willard's character Red Foreman in the 90s sitcom "That 70s Show":

During Brews & BBQ, there would be absolutely no good reason to leave that area at all.

Not right now. Can you divide 529 evenly by 17?

In a nutshell, the group is NAMI, and they advocate for people with mental health issues. I've had nothing but positive interactions with them honestly. They're one of the groups that supports autism research, so I've dealt with them several times. California NAMI is apparently different from NAMI in the Midwest, though, and they've gotten a bug up their butts about asylums being used in haunted houses for some reason. One key figure in this is Rick Warren, who is a right wing mega church preacher. He wrote a self-help book a few years ago called The Purpose Driven Life. You probably saw it prominently in your local Wal-Mart but never actually read it. So due to the prodding by Warren and NAMI, Knott’s removed FearVR, which featured a research institution, not an asylum, but these asshats apparently couldn't tell the difference and didn't care to. As a result of Knott's decision, several theme parks across the country are removing asylum-related features of their haunted houses. As for Dinoslaughter, I don't think it's directly related. I understand it was closed for staffing reasons, which may be the indirect result of this nonsense. Good post, Andrew...well stated! Thanks! This whole thing feels to me like when one of your friends gets in a fight with another of your friends and tries to make you choose. I'm just trying to say, "I like both of you. But NAMI, that guy you're dating, Rick Warren, he's a dumbass. Dump him."

I have a feeling there's a pretty good reason there are no underground tunnels at CP. I could see them trying to take the wooden drop record from Dollywood, though.

Yep. They rub lots of cycles out with that woody.

Well, they won't wonder for long!

^ I agree. I think NAMI is being irresponsible by pushing this agenda. And I say this as one who has neurological conditions and as the father of a son with neurological conditions as well. So I'm not against NAMI per se. I think they do some great work educating people about mental health issues. But I don't think that shutting down haunts is productive toward their mission in any way. It won't help people to understand, and it will just prevent people from having fun. Cedar Fair is really put in a bind here. As you say, they don't have enough time to put together a good alternative this year. I'm sure they weighed their options and felt it wasn't in their best interests to fight it, and I can totally understand why. No company wants to be perceived as being against the disabled, and that's exactly where NAMI has put them. Unfortunate, too, since in my experience with Cedar Fair, I've found them to be incredibly sensitive and accommodating to the needs of people with disabilities. They simply didn't deserve this attack.

Isn't all this crap covered under the freedom of speech and expression? I hate to get political, but yes, all this crap is covered under the First Amendment: the right of parks to provide entertainment in the form of haunted houses, the right of advocacy groups to complain about it, and my right to call them asshats for complaining about it. It covers us all equally. The First Amendment only prevents government from censoring speech, and since government isn't involved in any way in this scenario, it's really a moot point. What's happening is that a company is making changes to the services they provide in response to a complaint from a non-profit organization. This is all being done completely in the private sector, and completely on a voluntary basis. So although we have right to complain, Cedar Fair has the right to run their business how they wish. The Bill of Rights only guarantees no government interference; it doesn't guarantee that things will be how you want them to be.

If it were me, I'd pick option #2. In my experience, guest services line moves very slowly, and right before they open is their busiest time.

I know Fiesta Texas's mazes are free. Surely, though, the cost of mazes at Great Adventure is less than a plane ticket to Texas....

^ I don't care about political correctness at all; I care about using your brain. I believe in not trying to offend people, and also not taking offence where it wasn't meant. If you intentionally try to offend people, or if you take offence over nothing, then you're being an asshat, and I will call you that.

Assuming you're asking a serious question: look at the license plates. At Disneyland you see California, Nevada, Utah, Oregon, etc plates. At WDW you see Florida, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Georgia, Carolina's, Alabama, Quibec, Ontario, etc. Two different markets, 99% of people are not going to visit both. Hello from flyover country! Generally no one takes a road trip to Florida or California from Missouri, but I do know quite a few people that most on here would call "GP" (though I'm generally opposed to the term) who have been to both. Flights to LA and Orlando from here are pretty cheap (RT under $200 pp can be had fairly easily if going off-peak). Most people from here who have been to one have been to WDW--with expenses being roughly equal, 4 parks is generally seen as a better value--but there are more than you'd think who have been to both.

Absolutely. It has not been the requisite 22.3 years.

I have decided to change my avatar. I don't do this often; in fact, it's only the fourth one I've had in four years. But this new one is to remind everyone that it's going to be okay. Nothing is really worth getting worked up over. We'll all get through this together.

"The One Moment" OK Go

Except that it's still not fixed.

^ Great report! You've really highlighted how much there is to do at SDC with little kids. I'm glad you liked Fireman's Landing; it really is a big improvement to that area. SDC has been making huge strides over the last 10 years to get more rides for small children, and it's really paying off. We haven't seen this year's Wild West show yet, but the way you've described it sounds like they haven't changed much since last year. And that's a good thing; it's a very good show. The Hopi hoop dancing is amazing.

In a nutshell, the group is NAMI, and they advocate for people with mental health issues. I've had nothing but positive interactions with them honestly. They're one of the groups that supports autism research, so I've dealt with them several times. California NAMI is apparently different from NAMI in the Midwest, though, and they've gotten a bug up their butts about asylums being used in haunted houses for some reason. One key figure in this is Rick Warren, who is a right wing mega church preacher. He wrote a self-help book a few years ago called The Purpose Driven Life. You probably saw it prominently in your local Wal-Mart but never actually read it. So due to the prodding by Warren and NAMI, Knott’s removed FearVR, which featured a research institution, not an asylum, but these asshats apparently couldn't tell the difference and didn't care to. As a result of Knott's decision, several theme parks across the country are removing asylum-related features of their haunted houses. As for Dinoslaughter, I don't think it's directly related. I understand it was closed for staffing reasons, which may be the indirect result of this nonsense.

As much as I want to believe you, I'm sure you know that saying you have "inside sources" doesn't really go over well here. trust me my inside source always comes through! I'm cautiously optimistic. Considering that the original statement is in no way falsifiable, I'm calling BS. Another coaster is coming...yeah, probably, at some indeterminate point in the future, one will be built there. This is a meaningless statement.

This is good bait. I aim to please. Truth. I think what the "what Walt would have wanted" crowd misses is that what Walt really wanted was to make a sh*tload of money.

I would think there would be a market for it, what with the growing demand for whambulances.

This is definitely in the running for best first post ever. Hi guys. Long time coal miner and lurker here. I felt compelled to make my first post after more than six years of just reading to say coal miners are nearly impossible to offend. We are aware of the jokes and stereo types. Hell, we make them ourselves. Anyway, I'll be at Kings Island Saturday with my 9 year old son, enjoying the crap out of the offensive haunts. Now back to my hole in the ground.

That would be interesting. Considering that go.com is the biggest and most successful search engine in history, and nearly everyone has a go.com email address, I think Disney could transform Twitter into a real powerhouse.