Kemah threads show ugly side of TPR

[texcoaster]

I've been reading the threads involving the Boardwalk Bullet and I've noticed something that's rather disturbing...

 

It seems that people aren't entitled to their opinion about something unless it lines up with someone else's.

 

Case in point: coasterdave went to ride the Boardwalk Bullet, a coaster that has been getting raves from folks such as myself and Guru and coasterphotos. Dave liked it, but not as much as we did. Rastus posted a slightly more negative review of the Bullet as well.

 

In both cases, there were posts that said to the effect, "It's about time that someone posted an honest review"

 

WTF? Firstly, you can't possibly judge which reviews are "honest" or not unless you have your OWN experience to compare it to. If you haven't yet been on the coaster, you have no business judging whether someone's review of it is honest or not.

 

Secondly, even if you HAVE been on the coaster and you didn't like it (or hate it) as much as the other person, that doesn't mean that their review wasn't honest. It just didn't agree with yours. Chocolate tastes like chocolate for everyone. Some like it, some don't. It's just a matter of preference, nothing more. Those reviews of Bullet that put it in the top 10 were honest for THOSE PEOPLE and what they like in a coaster. There were at least two folks I know who put it as their #1 wood coaster. I wouldn't rank it that high, but I'm not going to tell them that their assessment of the ride is dishonest. It's what THEY like.

 

Thirdly, you must understand that a coaster (and especially a WOOD coaster) gives a different ride every day. Sometimes, every hour. Most of the people who raved about this ride have ridden it many, many times over the course of several days. Their experiences cover lots of different conditions, from dry track to freshly-oiled track to rides in the pouring rain. Many of the reviews here are the result of an average of the different conditions... then along comes someone who rode it a few times all on one day and suddenly his is the "honest" review. Give me a freakin break. If those rides had been in the rain, his review would've been OMG, #1!!! and nobody would've believed him. Instead, they'd wait until someone else posted something less enthusiastic, and then would shower him or her with "it's about time someone posted an honest review."

 

Let's all just take a deep breath before we post a comment about someone's ride review (either good OR bad)... and think:

[1] Have I actually been on the ride myself?

[2] Do I have the right to tell someone that his opinion is valid or not?

[CoasterFanatic]

I understand where you are coming from, but everybody is entitled to an opinion (just like you are here). Those who like it will like it and those who don't won't and there is nothing that anyone can do to change their opinion.

 

In your mind, it is a good ride. In Jason's it is lackluster. Some people choose to believe you and some people choose to believe Jason and Dave. That is just the way it works.

 

I might even thank Dave for giving an "honest" review, because I have travelled with him to parks before and know that his likes and dislikes are pretty much in line with my own. Same goes with Rastus. I have read many of his reviews and I have a lot of respect for his opinions concerning wooden coasters.

 

In the end, it is all opinion (whether it be the reviewer or reader) and should be treated as such. No need to worry yourself over it.

[DerekRx]

Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but to me someone who isn't a local, posts some good/some bad things, or hasn't been posting about how excited he is to ride it before he gets there has a more "honest" opinion to me than a local who has been enthrawled by this ride since it was just in blueprint form. Some people it seems put blinders on when it comes to their homeparks or something that they may want to make the world aware that "they rode first". They want to like something so badly that they ignore anything that may be wrong with the ride, and you can tell they'll like it before they go ride it and come back with a review.

 

I get that feeling anytime I see someone with a "countdown: 97 days until I go to Knoebels for the first time!". Sure, Knoebels may be a great park, but if you're hyping it up THAT early, we already know you're most likely going to love it, even if you only do 3 rides there and eat 1 funky food item.

 

It's not that your review may not be honest, it just may come off that you're homepark biased. And even if you're not, it's still taken with a grain of salt, just because that's the way it is in this world. It happens with every ride. Same way I ignore everything ACE says in their magazines, because they praise everything, even if it's terrible. And then when the ride is removed, they'll let out "yeah, that ride really was terrible, most people aren't sad to see it go". I know it's all PR and PC, but to me it holds no weight at all in my decision to want to go somewhere to ride something. It's like asking what movie Steven Spielberg thinks people should go see and he picks the movie that he directed.

[mcjaco]

What kind of chocolate are we talking about? I love chocolate.

[Rastuso]

I agree with Derek wholeheartedly. I praise myself on always being unbiased. I'm amazed at how many people give blanket praise for parks and rides that are obviously slanted because that person wants to make the park happy in hopes it will pay off soon. Heck, I remember Mike Kalley posting that the transformation in DCA's ToT was every bit as great as the 4th dimension room. And vehemently defending that opinion. Seeing as how that transformation effect is something you could do on your home PC, his opinion holds very little water. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, but some opinions are wrong.

 

Also, sometimes opinions are slanted because of the event or crowd surrounding the riding session. This is why Legend was so highly rated after the first Legendary Stark Raven Mad. When you get a few hundred people together that share a love for coasters, and many other lifestyle issues, they bond on a different level and the coaster becomes part of that. A park benefits too. Holiday World coasters rank a lot above where they would rank elsewhere. Put Legend, in it's exact operating form, at Six Flags Great Adventure, and it would be a middle of the road coaster. I think if you put Voyage there it wouldn't be #1 either.

 

The Boardwalk Bullet has it's staunch lovers. One of them is Mike R, whose coaster opinions I respect. My opinion differs from his. My opinion differed from his on Astroworld too. I think his opinion is impacted by the fact that Bullet is in Houston. That's not a bad thing. BUt people do get their opinions shaped by things other than just the ride. Hell, my 6 Bullet rides were right next to my son, and I saw how much fun he was having, and that made my night even better. Kentucky Rumber was his first big event coaster, and we both love it, partly I'm sure because of that.

 

You CAN NOT judge how good a coaster is by the reports from the first week of operation, or right after a big event. Media days exist solely to make the riders happy by getting free rides, free food, and free chotchkes. Kemah didn't do that, or you'd see even more glowing reviews probably. But Kemah did let us crazy's ride in the rain, which was a marketing masterstroke if they realized it or not. THose rain rides were phenomenal. As Derek said, the first reports are always from people who have watched the ride get built, and anticipation is enormous. Those people are going to be ecstatic to just be on the damn thing.

 

I think Flare's review on RRC was a very honest one, and he and I are hardly buddies. Don't come to Houston thinking the next great coaster is on the boardwalk. There is a fun coaster there, a great, but very aggressive, one in the rain for now. And also one with perhaps the best park food ever right next door. BUt also one that needs some help or it's probably going to be awful next Summer.

 

-R

[Real]

Since there is no definitive truth in this case, no one can call their review "Honest". Honest would be defined as stating truth in the case that there is truth. This is a completely objective and opinionated situation - just like reviewing ANYTHING (movies, coasters, cars, etc).

 

When it boils down to liking or loving something, there is no "honest opinion" since there is no "true opinion" because if it were true, then it wouldnt be an opinion. It would be fact or fiction.

 

 

If you wanted to talk about the forces of a ride, which are definite, then you can talk truth and fiction. Its completely silly to say that someone who lives closer has a lesser review than someone who lives farther away. Ive traveled to parks far away and rides that people adore I didnt care for. Likewise, I live close to some rides that people adore that I dislike and vice versa - that I love and they hate.

 

Personal preference cannot be boiled down to honesty. To call someone elses review dishonest (if its not honest, it has to be dishonest) is shameful and arrogent.

 

I think the wisest thing we could all do is watch our word useage when we disagree with someone elses completely valid opinion.

[Rastuso]

Agreed. However, with experience, you can learn who posts more unbiased reviews than others. Anyone who posts extreme things, how they almost fell asleep on a ride, or they were totally bored by Millennium Force, are quite questionable. It boils down to integrity.

 

ACE has no integrity. They never say anything bad about a ride. Parks probably love that, but it makes ACE nothing but a PR tool. Do you like movie reviewers who give every movie at least 3 stars? Or how about people who said the effects in Transformers were horrible. There is no credibility there. It's an opinion, sure, but so is "9/11 was an inside job". Proof is a very hard accomplishment. Prove that your mother is really your mother. Sure, a DNA test does it to a very high percentage, but not 100%. So, really, you can't prove who your parents are.

 

You can not read someone's review of a ride and take anything from it without knowing a little bit more about the reviewer, or accumulating multiple reviews from multiple reviewers. But, as Josef Goebbel's realized, the vast majority of human's opinions are very easily controlled. Look at Iraq for the perfect example of how unending propaganda can change the opinion of millions of people. This is also why people are paid to visit forums and websites to post positive things about companies.

 

The reader is left to decide what opinions they give weight to. And most readers give weight to the opinion they hear the most, and nothing more.

 

-R

[bovinejumpsuit]

My chocolate tastes different to your chocolate.

 

p.s. you're making a mountain out of a pile of wood.

[jten11]

^^^ I agree. I mean an opinion is an opinion, regardless of how close you live near the ride. Even if the review was a little biased, that opinion is just as valid as someone who lives a little further away. Why is even there a thread about other peoples' opinions anyway?? Its all up to you if you want to believe them or not. Or even better yet, ride it yourself and formulate your own opinions.

 

Like someone said earlier, it all just boils down to personal perference, either you like it, or you don't. But dont bash the people who really like the ride and gave positive reviews just becuase one gave an "honest" one. So what, the one's who really liked it wasnt honest enough? Why? Because they didn't say enough negative things about BB? It's really not that serious...

[Team Thriller]

I agree. But yet, like you said, "It's my opinion" so if someone doesn't like it, give them a break!

 

 

But of course, I think that the ride looks cool.

[GuruGuys]

I've not posted my opinionated review of the coaster since I have not ridden enough coasters to compare it to. I may have given some experiences on the ride in different conditions, but I would never call any of my posts a review.

 

I think the gist of Texcoasters post was that by some people saying "Thanks for an honest review finally" many people will assume that the other reviews are dishonest, which texcoaster appropriately pointed out they are not, they are just opinion. They might be biased, they might enjoy things that you don't, but I doubt they are dishonest with themselves when posting.

 

I never try to debate opinion even though I unintentionally did in another thread by choosing the wrong words in a post.

 

I've read some of Rastuso other reviews and after comparing them I came away with a pretty positive review of the Bullet for his style of review. I don't know where he is talking about that will allow some teenager to reach up and touch the train thus getting their hand chopped off, but otherwise I had nothing to argue with as it is all his opinion, much of it I agree with anyway.

 

-GG

[ebl]

In my own experience, the very same ride can vary from visit to visit, and sometimes even from ride to ride on the same day. It's just the nature of the beast.

 

We like what we like, and we don't what we don't.

 

Eric

[Rastuso]

^^ Right as you come up to the turnstile, above you the track goes over the queue. It's probably only 12 feet above the queue, and there are hand rails to stand and climb on. We all noticed it almost immediately when we queued up at opening. Perhaps they've fixed it. They better.

 

-Rastus

[calcajun]

Like i said in mine. It will be one of those coaster that will be split. Some will love it, some will hate it. I guess i can understand local enthusiasts or those near by not liking that someone does not give it a good review.

 

Now, as far as my review went, seems it was deleted on another site.

It was the same exact review since i create em in word then paste.

I just figured to leave that site and never go back. Very dissapointing to have a post deleted.

 

I love milk chocolate. Can't stand dark chocolate!

Your taste may vary.

[Skramp]

Ok, so if we're voting on the most pointless TPR threads, I vote for this one. Let's have a whole thread where we "debate" freedom of speech and how people are entitled to say what they want about anything, but then tell them we're wrong. While we're at it, let's talk in circles about nothing. This thread is dumb. No one's point here is more valid than the other's. Anyone who posts on here is entitled to state whatever they want, if you don't like it or agree with it, ok, move on. Don't start debates about something just for the sake of debating it.

 

P.S.-Sorry Robb if this is a bad rant, I'm just tired of this "piss and moan" attitude we've seen on here lately. Everything from this crap, to "why aren't you posting updates faster," "why isn't 'insert name here' in any of the pictures in the update." It's just getting incredibly juvenile lately and all people do is bitch, makes it not much fun.

[ginzo]

Ok, so if we're voting on the most pointless TPR threads, I vote for this one. Let's have a whole thread where we "debate" freedom of speech and how people are entitled to say what they want about anything, but then tell them we're wrong. While we're at it, let's talk in circles about nothing. This thread is dumb. No one's point here is more valid than the other's. Anyone who posts on here is entitled to state whatever they want, if you don't like it or agree with it, ok, move on. Don't start debates about something just for the sake of debating it.

 

P.S.-Sorry Robb if this is a bad rant, I'm just tired of this "piss and moan" attitude we've seen on here lately. Everything from this crap, to "why aren't you posting updates faster," "why isn't 'insert name here' in any of the pictures in the update." It's just getting incredibly juvenile lately and all people do is bitch, makes it not much fun.

 

You are wrong!

[robbalvey]

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. If you can't deal wtih that, don't post to TPR.

 

'nuff Said.

 

--Robb "Closing stupid, pointless thread." Alvey