General Public...a myth?

[paulm12]

I posted what some of the GP had said in the amazing topic titled something like: Weirdest things you've heard the GP say, but it got me wondering: so many people on these theme park websites consider themselves "Superior" in both opinion and recommendation to what the the "General Public" think or say, as if the General Public is to blame for the addition of a ride we don't like or approve of, and that the General Public doesn't know anything about what makes a good ride, thus their ideas should not be listened to. Is the GP a 'group' and the enthusiasts a "group" (or different) as well? Or are there in between/transitioning points between the qualifications that define whether or not your opinions have a right to be considered? Discuss...

 

The human culture has had a tendency to create a 'scapegoat' of society, as we need some sort of physical, palpable "thing" we can blame our issues on. Have the "enthusiasts" created an image of dumb, mass amounts of people who don't care about rides, and are like walking "zombies", there to take up space in line, who exhibit criminal behavior (like graffiti and litter and mass-production of sh*tty food, with the exception of the funnel cake), that will who ride anything but only like those rides in particular which are suspiciously in conflict with our own opinions? Are the general pop. to blame for poor rides, decisions on rides to be demolished, and other things? Too many people have the attitude in which they are better than those who they consider the "general". If my history teacher is correct, this is one of the ways the holocaust got started. (Insert joke tying in holocaust with parks becoming death camps, but not specific enough to offend anyone, while many who disagree with this post will say I am senseless to make my opinions seem 'irrelevant'). In other words, we need to hire artists to create offensive political cartoons if we are to make the world believe the GP are not people, but instead wood/steel killers who want an end to all good coasters and a rise to those that are crap.

 

In my opinion, the general public is a lot of people, a lot of people with different, yet equally important ideas and opinions. In general, I believe "they" agree with us for rides that are good and bad. There are people on sites like this that nobody would think twice about calling a member of the GP, who will like a ride we don't or vica-verca because of their personal opinion and preference. Its just that in the world, there are so many people, the amount that disagrees with "us" is overwhelming enough to make us feel "alone" in opinion, when really, in fact, we have just as many of the GP who agree.

 

Paul "Just my 2 sence (pun intended)" Mayer

 

P.S. I didn't really know what to call this thread.

 

P. P. S. Keep in mind these are my opinions, if you don't agree with them or dislike my oppressive satirical attitude that I carried though this article, that's totally fine; nobody will call you "Coaster Nazis" (not yet at least)

[the ghost]

I am going to respectfully agree with the bulk of what you are saying.

 

In your first paragraph you said that the enthusiast community says that the GP does not know what a good ride is and should not be listened to. For the most part this is flat out untrue... for example, the GP are the reason why SFMM got Apocalypse instead of an El Torro clone or the reason that Canada's Wonderland got a B&M. No one has EVER said that these are bad ride, even with Leviathan people aren't complaining it is bad... just that it is very similar to Behemoth... but the quality of ride is not being disputed.

 

Second of all this is a COASTER/ THEME PARK ENTHUSIAST WEBSITE... we talk about the overall industry, about specific parks and rides here. Also(this is my personal opinion and some may disagree) we have the ability(not necessarily the right) to be more elitist just because we know about other coasters. This is a site to share news and express opinions... we don't dislike the General Public... because we realize we(enthusiasts) are in the minority of park goers and that overall majority rules.

 

In other words, we need to hire artists to create offensive political cartoons if we are to make the world believe the GP are not people, but instead wood/steel killers who want an end to all good coasters and a rise to those that are crap.

No... lets see some notable coasters built in the last 10 years well received by the GP...

El Torro, I305, Green Lantern First Flight, Maverick, The Voyage... the list goes on... and these are just in the US! As mentioned we are in minority... those coasters would not have been built if they were opposed by the GP... but they were built.

 

So what may seem elitist to you is really just a group of park lovers expressing their opinions(which is the point of a forum in the first place) to those with similar interests. Doesn't necessarily mean we are more important than the GP or anything like that... certain threads (like the GP thread) are, to quote a website I will not mention... "for the lulz." Also we are certainty not making fun of every single person at parks... just those who stand out with ignorance or flat out stupidity... like your post in that very forum where the member of the gp did not realize Viper went upside down when you can see it... that is a member of the gp... but no one is implying everyone in the GP is like that... it's just fun to point out "extreme" examples of someone acting dumb... in this particular forum about coasters.

Edited October 30, 2011 by the ghost

[CoasterBeagle]

General public to me is people who leave common sense at the front gate but then act like they know everything about the park and rides.

 

There are different levels of general public and it has been said in the wierdest things gp has said.

There are the annoying under the influence arrogant gp.

There are the causual riders.

There are the casual riders with some coaster nerdness (like me I can't name off specific facts but I know general coaster knowledge. Though I know specific facts about my home park)

Then there are the hardcore nerds which are the hardcore enthusiasts.

 

Keep in mind this is how I rank it. Others might do it differently. You also have to remember that the one thread is just for fun and face palming at the stupidity.

[asimowalk]

In all industries, there is a separation between the 'general public' and industry enthusiasts. The general public accounts for the majority, while the enthusiasts is the percentage that is more knowledgeable than the average person. If you look from the park employee perspective, everyone including you and I are part of the general public. Again, it's the separation between the majority and those with more inside knowledge.

 

Parks cater more to what their majority wants, which happens to be the GP. That's where the majority of open wallets are.

[osm]

The GP is the reason that theme parks and roller coasters exist. Without them, parks would not have the money to build awesome new rides, or throw all of these great enthusiast events. Since they make up about 99% of theme park-goers, obviously not every single one is stupid. However, there are a lot of dumb people in general, and they are liable to say extremely stupid things about a topic that they know nothing about, such as roller coasters. And I think that we enthusiasts have the right to have a laugh over some of the more ridiculous things that they say.

 

Not all good coasters are hated by the GP, or vice versa. However, when I see the GP queue up over an hour for a Boomerang, or when both my friend and my cousin refuse to ride El Toro just because it's wooden, it definitely says something. Also the GP generally has a "bigger is better" complex, or the belief that Kingda Ka is the best ride ever created.

 

I think that the definition of a GP is someone that goes to a park without very much or any knowledge about coasters or the like. And that's okay, not everyone is as nerdy as we are! And I still think that it's fine to have a laugh at their expense, I would hardly say that we're dehumanizing the GP by making fun of them, or anything like that.

[nannerdw]

There's always the one teenage girl who asks "Does this ride go upside down?" I wouldn't use the term "General Public" to describe her, just "bafflingly ignorant."

 

All park visitors are part of the general public.

[A.J.]

General public to me is people who leave common sense at the front gate but then act like they know everything about the park and rides.

That about hits the nail on the head right there.

 

When I would go into the Magic Kingdom park on my days off (Space Mountain <3), I could easily tell who had left their common sense at their hotel and who hadn't. For example, I would be in the queue for, yes, Space Mountain, and then I would board. I would immediately turn my backpack around and wear it forward, then pull the lap bar down, and I would be ready to go within about five seconds, not only because I had been on the ride enough times to know to do that, but also because I am aware of the safety procedures that go on about boarding an attraction.

 

It's the "general public" who leave their sense at the hotel and have no idea what to do when boarding an attraction even with the massive amount of signage Walt Disney World puts in front of their rides.

 

It's the "general public" who really don't care about how an attraction works or the overall experience of an attraction, as long as it's a "new ride", such as the case with Cedar Fair's Dinosaurs Alive.

[DirkFunk]

The overwhelming majority of "enthusiasts" are just members of the general public trying to overcompensate for shortcomings elsewhere in their lives by being the elite among people who spend lots of money to partake in an activity geared towards children and adolescents. The general public as a whole isn't a "myth", but the idea that by buying more than one season pass and by riding X x 100 number of coasters that your money and opinions are better than the person who doesn't is basically delusional.

[beatle11]

Maybe the term "General Public" is just too general (no pun intended). I just think of it as those people who just talk out of their ass, or are just plain stupid. Not all non enthusiasts fit that category.

[robbalvey]

I posted what some of the GP had said in the amazing topic titled something like: Weirdest things you've heard the GP say, but it got me wondering: so many people on these theme park websites consider themselves "Superior" in both opinion and recommendation to what the the "General Public" think or say, as if the General Public is to blame for the addition of a ride we don't like or approve of, and that the General Public doesn't know anything about what makes a good ride, thus their ideas should not be listened to. Is the GP a 'group' and the enthusiasts a "group" (or different) as well? Or are there in between/transitioning points between the qualifications that define whether or not your opinions have a right to be considered? Discuss...

 

The human culture has had a tendency to create a 'scapegoat' of society, as we need some sort of physical, palpable "thing" we can blame our issues on. Have the "enthusiasts" created an image of dumb, mass amounts of people who don't care about rides, and are like walking "zombies", there to take up space in line, who exhibit criminal behavior (like graffiti and litter and mass-production of sh*tty food, with the exception of the funnel cake), that will who ride anything but only like those rides in particular which are suspiciously in conflict with our own opinions? Are the general pop. to blame for poor rides, decisions on rides to be demolished, and other things? Too many people have the attitude in which they are better than those who they consider the "general". If my history teacher is correct, this is one of the ways the holocaust got started. (Insert joke tying in holocaust with parks becoming death camps, but not specific enough to offend anyone, while many who disagree with this post will say I am senseless to make my opinions seem 'irrelevant'). In other words, we need to hire artists to create offensive political cartoons if we are to make the world believe the GP are not people, but instead wood/steel killers who want an end to all good coasters and a rise to those that are crap.

 

In my opinion, the general public is a lot of people, a lot of people with different, yet equally important ideas and opinions. In general, I believe "they" agree with us for rides that are good and bad. There are people on sites like this that nobody would think twice about calling a member of the GP, who will like a ride we don't or vica-verca because of their personal opinion and preference. Its just that in the world, there are so many people, the amount that disagrees with "us" is overwhelming enough to make us feel "alone" in opinion, when really, in fact, we have just as many of the GP who agree.

 

Paul "Just my 2 sence (pun intended)" Mayer

 

P.S. I didn't really know what to call this thread.

 

P. P. S. Keep in mind these are my opinions, if you don't agree with them or dislike my oppressive satirical attitude that I carried though this article, that's totally fine; nobody will call you "Coaster Nazis" (not yet at least)

 

paulm12, you are reading way, way, way, way, waaaaaaaaaaay too much into this.

 

Are you seriously comparing an amusement park industry term to the holocaust? Really? REALLY?!?!?!?

 

Someone here said it best...

In all industries, there is a separation between the 'general public' and industry enthusiasts.

In the video games industry we called them "Die-Hard Gamers" and "Casual Gamers."

 

It's just a way of telling apart who has some industry knowledge, and who doesn't.

 

Please don't read any more into it. And it has nothing to do with the holocaust. Seriously.

Edited October 30, 2011 by robbalvey

[XYZ]

The GP is NOT a myth. The General Public are normal park-goers without the experience and especially the knowledge of theme parks. MOST (not all) General Public are individuals that know about theme parks but often get confused with statistics, where coasters are, etc. Such as yesterday I was in CGA, I was talking to a group of GP and they thought the Matterhorn & Big Thunder Mtn. WAS in CGA and was torn down. It is stupid to say that if you are an enthusiast though with the GP, you just accept that. Though, most GP know about the theme parks they go to very well, they don't know how tall the coasters or who manufactured them, though they know the basics such as Vortex being a coaster where they stand up on and Flight Deck being a coaster that your feet dangle on. They don't know the terms inverted or stand-up but they basically know what they are such as people comparing SLCs and B&M Inverts, at least they know both of them your feet dangle.

 

Then, there is the bad GP where they don't care what you say, think they are coaster enthusiasts, think that rides will kill you, back up their confusion for eternity, etc. Though, I bet they act the same in real life and thankfully there are more good GP than bad GP.

[jzoole]

I think there are varying degrees of ignorance in the general public. I'm always intrigued by how some members of the GP are much more observant than others. For instance, one person might not even understand the difference between a wood coaster and a "metal" one. And then there are people who may not know very much about roller coasters, but can make observations about them. For instance, my cousin noticed that Pandemonium was similar to Gotham City Gauntlet, except that the cars spin, and it's a little more twisty than zig-zaggy. So I don't think it's really fair to generalize the GP as a giant mob of slobbering idiots who think a boomerang is the coolest ride in the world because it goes backwards. But the GP definitely exists.

[paulm12]

One of the things everyone here (or at least most people) is good at is laughing at themselves, along with laughing at others, which is great (I've known my fair share of people who love to tell jokes until its on them). Like I said in my original post, the 'weirdest things the gp have said topic' is an amazing, hilarious topic I really enjoyed reading. I think it's the name "general public" that confused me; in some aspects it is used to describe every guest at a park, others the large handful of people that are not strictly enthusiasts, and the last being the small minority who are strictly dumbasses. As for Robb, I wasn't at all connecting the whole coaster enthusiast community with the holocaust, instead it was based on the people who look down on the GP as 'inferior' and unworthy to visit theme parks because of a lack of appreciation (I'm dead serious; I've heard people say stuff like that. There are people who have given death threats to my friends who said they should tear down a certain ride) The real General Public is probably smart enough to differentiate the rides between one another, but do not have the same knowledge/obsession enthusiasts do. In that topic "weirdest things you've heard the GP say," the GP is everyone who are not enthusiasts, and in that post they are talking about those specific individuals who either act like they know everything but don't, or those who just seemingly don't know anything. I think, from what I've heard people say here, Generally the public looks for rides that are bigger, faster, etc, but there are those occasional park goers that do not have the same opinion, and there are the enthusiasts who know bigger and faster isn't always better. I just saw myself looking at many members of the GP as 'uneducated' about coasters (which might be true to an extent), when really I was the same way for a long time. They may be 'uneducated', but they are not mindless zombies without opinions worth consideration. Like someone on here said, there are enthusiasts and general public for almost anything in the world. I'm just merely speculating the attitude towards the majority of non-enthusiasts. The holocaust analogy was a bad decision on my part to bring in, as it is such a strong example. I was merely warning people not to have the same kind of ' we are 'superior' mindset we see in so many other enthusiast groups today, when coasters (and enthusiast communities for that matter) are ment to have fun.

[Angry_Gumball]

I kind of see it much like how CoasterBeagle described it...there are people who check their brains at the gates (or perhaps at their doorstep when they left their homes) who are just flat out ignorant, then there are the 'casuals' who have common sense yet they don't know squat about coasters other than they're amazing things. Then there are the coaster enthusiasts (at varying levels) who are more savy with park operations, coasters, etc. Lastly, there are the park employees who could potentially consider all of us as the "GP" (or 'jeeps' as I like to call 'em).

[VinTheAttendant]

I can see where Paulm12 is coming from with the technical term of the word, but I guess it's become such a staple in the coaster community since there really is no other word that describes the people doing less-than-proud worthy acts within the gates of an amusement park. While I do use the term in the precise definition of the word, I think that using it in the "Weirdest Things the GP have Said" thread is a lot better than making up a much more derogatory term. And from that, I agree that there are the "GP" that forget how to use their brain inside the park (most of them actually function very well outside the park, though), there are the more knowledgeable "GP" who don't ride as a hobby, but are actually aware of most of the park rules. Then there are the enthusiasts who are just brats and think they know everything about roller coasters and are not afraid to hide it (I used to be in that category), and then there are the enthusiasts who respect the rules and still have a very wide knowledge of the amusement industry. Then, of course, there is the business sense of the word where contractors and business men refer to when developing.

As an employee, it's a little tricky to pick out the enthusiasts, but I have had many conversations with great people and it's only then that the enthusiasts are picked out. As for "GP", all you have to do is spot the parent spitting in your face because their daughter is half a foot below the height limit.

[CoasterBeagle]

I kind of see it much like how CoasterBeagle described it...there are people who check their brains at the gates (or perhaps at their doorstep when they left their homes) who are just flat out ignorant, then there are the 'casuals' who have common sense yet they don't know squat about coasters other than they're amazing things. Then there are the coaster enthusiasts (at varying levels) who are more savy with park operations, coasters, etc. Lastly, there are the park employees who could potentially consider all of us as the "GP" (or 'jeeps' as I like to call 'em).

 

Lol ya I was thinking about saying at their doorstep but I decided to give them some credit.

 

Lasts night haunt though was the Zenith of leaving brains wherever they are from, coupled with alcohol. Facepalm

[Mechanic]

It all boils down to, "Us and Them".

 

[robbalvey]

One of the things everyone here (or at least most people) is good at is laughing at themselves, along with laughing at others, which is great (I've known my fair share of people who love to tell jokes until its on them). Like I said in my original post, the 'weirdest things the gp have said topic' is an amazing, hilarious topic I really enjoyed reading. I think it's the name "general public" that confused me; in some aspects it is used to describe every guest at a park, others the large handful of people that are not strictly enthusiasts, and the last being the small minority who are strictly dumbasses. As for Robb, I wasn't at all connecting the whole coaster enthusiast community with the holocaust, instead it was based on the people who look down on the GP as 'inferior' and unworthy to visit theme parks because of a lack of appreciation (I'm dead serious; I've heard people say stuff like that. There are people who have given death threats to my friends who said they should tear down a certain ride) The real General Public is probably smart enough to differentiate the rides between one another, but do not have the same knowledge/obsession enthusiasts do. In that topic "weirdest things you've heard the GP say," the GP is everyone who are not enthusiasts, and in that post they are talking about those specific individuals who either act like they know everything but don't, or those who just seemingly don't know anything. I think, from what I've heard people say here, Generally the public looks for rides that are bigger, faster, etc, but there are those occasional park goers that do not have the same opinion, and there are the enthusiasts who know bigger and faster isn't always better. I just saw myself looking at many members of the GP as 'uneducated' about coasters (which might be true to an extent), when really I was the same way for a long time. They may be 'uneducated', but they are not mindless zombies without opinions worth consideration. Like someone on here said, there are enthusiasts and general public for almost anything in the world. I'm just merely speculating the attitude towards the majority of non-enthusiasts. The holocaust analogy was a bad decision on my part to bring in, as it is such a strong example. I was merely warning people not to have the same kind of ' we are 'superior' mindset we see in so many other enthusiast groups today, when coasters (and enthusiast communities for that matter) are ment to have fun.

 

I'm gonna say it again...

 

You're reading way, way, way, waaaaaaaaay too much into this.

[RAWKIN_coaster38]

I think of the GP just as the term describes: "General Public". It's kind of a comparative analysis... there are experts in any industry and there are GPs in any industry. But GP doesn't have to equal stupid. The ones described in the "Weirdest Things the GP Have Said" are some of the more ignorant ones, but I don't think we're suggesting that most GPs are stupid, reckless, ignorant, or unthoughtful. We talk about the ones who are because there's more to say about them then about the ones who come to the park and follow all the rules.

 

All of us were GPs at some point, and depending on your definition of GP, some of us still are. The term doesn't have to be a bad thing.

[WFChris]

We are the theme park 1%.

[Skycoastin Steve]

This is an unfortunate thread. And to make it better, I give you.....the cutest video ever!

 

[robbalvey]

This is an unfortunate thread.

Agreed. And to make it better, I give you a drunk Piers video...

 

[alpengeist04]

OK, this thread has gotten a whole hell of a lot better in the last two posts.

[The SETGO Guys]

I think of it like this

 

Both coaster enthusiasts and the GP will ride a coaster. The reactions are different.

 

GP-"Boy that was a fun ride"

 

Enthusiast-"Boy, that B&M was a bit shaky today. I think I got more airtime in the back than I usually do....."

---

Its the same thing with my friends who are into baseball, everyone watches the same game, but they say- "Oh, wow that was a cool hit by (insert name here), that will raise his batting average! They might go to the worlds series."

 

Myself-"Wow, the player hit the ball"

---

 

Goes for any fans of any hobby.

[SKULLY]

I guarantee you guys that we walk into other industries and sound just as bad to its respective experts in that specific arena. I'm heavily involved in aviation and I kind pf slap my face each time somebody calls a 757 a jumbo jet or claims that their aircraft nearly crashed during landing. As such, I am also confident that I have made quite a few people elsewhere want to give me to boot and start a discussion regarding how people like me ruin their particular hobbies. I'm pretty sure that we all come out near even in the very end.