richards.adam Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 It always seems the the GP get a horrific representation in general on this website; but the bottom line is we love them. If you were in a shop, for example, and someone lit a cigarette or pushed in front of you, would you go on a forum and rip that type of human being together? I hope most of you said YES It is unacceptable, disgusting and shows a lack of all common sense. However without the majority of the general public we would have zero parks or coasters. I'm not sure if I am a thorough hard core fan or not, but without some of them we would have no-where to go, nothing to talk about during our weekends away. It's like supporting a local sports club; soccer, baseball, basketball etc etc, and people can be pretentious, but without those who flood your favoute club/park with money, it would not exist. I think some respect is due from enthusiasts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbalvey Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I don't agree with this sentiment at all. There is absolutely NO EXCUSE for people to be horrible and horrible people do not deserve any respect. I've spent the last week in Japan where people are polite, follow rules, and are respectful of others. I don't have any complaints about the "GP" here. And going back toy our post, there is a HUGE difference between the "general public" and the "general public that do terrible things that we complain about." And to quote Scott Pilgrim... "At least it'll give us something to complain about" --Robb "The bottom line is we DON'T love them...at least not the annoying ones." Alvey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coasterbill Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Unless I'm misreading something I think you're both saying the same thing. Right? Richards.adam made it a point to say that he wasn't talking about the people with no common courtesy but he thinks everyone else deserves respect. So basically you're both saying that you like people that follow the rules and are polite and respectful and you don't like people that don't. Am I missing something? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCjunkie Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 It always seems the the GP get a horrific representation in general on this website; but the bottom line is we love them. I think some respect is due from enthusiasts. Sorry, I cannot agree with you. Until the majority of the GP change their behavior at parks they will not earn my respect. And I don't love them either, I just consider them a 'necessary evil' that is needed to support the economics that allow parks to build the big toys that I like to play on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ernierocker Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 And to quote Scott Pilgrim... "At least it'll give us something to complain about" This is what Scott Pilgrim thinks of this thread: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 And here is Lurch's reaction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.J. Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 And going back toy our post, there is a HUGE difference between the "general public" and the "general public that do terrible things that we complain about." I totally agree with this! I'm okay with the "nice" people in the general public, such as: The "normal" tourists who pay attention to park rules and plan their trips well... The nice locals who have been going to the same park for years and know their way around... The all-around "pleasant" people who are courteous and understand that other people want to enjoy their park stay just as much as they do... I'm absolutely NOT okay with these kinds of people: The "Orlando multi-park goers" who use their experiences at the competing park in an attempt to get special treatment at the other one (I dealt with a lot of these people during my time as a CM)... The people who assume that every Disney park is exactly the same... The people who make up stories about roller coasters and rides and subsequently get their friends to believe them... The people who deliberately act ridiculous on roller coasters to terrify less-seasoned guests... The people who assume that a ride is "broke" every time it slows down or stops moving... The people who think that under all circumstances, the best ride in the park is the one that is the tallest, fastest and/or has the most loops... The people who basically throw any sort of decency and common sense out the window as soon as they step through the park gates... UNFORTUNATELY - the coaster enthusiasts, the "nice" general public and the "dumb" general public all contribute to a park's bottom line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Superbatboy Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 The majority of the GP acts civil and follows rukes, all it takes is for one group of heathens to sour an experience. So out of say 5,000 guests, a group of 10 knuckle heads is only like 0.002% Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajfelice Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I don't think we are too harsh on the General Public. We poke fun at their lack of knowledge because, well, it's funny. It's not meant to belittle them as second class people or anything, it's just funny to poke fun because many of us are more educated about the rides and attractions so the GP's shortcomings sound outrageous to us. Coming from someone who works closely with the GP, what we say on here isn't nearly offensive. Actually, you wouldn't believe how much the GP makes fun of enthusiasts when they see them in parks. The banter goes both ways, and there is little to no harm to what is said on here or what people say about enthusiasts in parks. Until things get personal, no harm done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I kind of think "GP" doesn't means General Public here. When people say general public, they probably means normal visitors. But GP means stupid annoying people in amusement parks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rcjp Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 ^Agree. I think that's also what Robb meant when he said: there is a HUGE difference between the "general public" and the "general public that do terrible things that we complain about. I don't demand that every person is an expert on amusement parks and coasters but I do want them to be respectful and behave decently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
awclark Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 I agree with many of these responses. Working in a theme park for a summer season was a HUGE lesson for me in terms of patience (or lack there of) I have for the GP as well as respect I have for the employees and general park rules. But I swear, from what I have witnessed many GP's IQ's plummet the second they pass through those entry gates. Many don't follow rules, expect special treatment, blame you for problems that aren't your fault, and as such become combative when they are wrong in a given situation with a rideop/employee. If you are respectful of the park rules and understand that they are in place for a reason, then you aren't 1 of the many people who've gotten slammed up in this forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nannerdw Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 There's always that one teenage girl who attempts to "flirt" with the ride operator by asking dumb questions like "Does this ride go upside down?" and "Is this ride scary?" even though she can clearly see the entire track from the queue. Of course, she never actually waits in the queue, because she can just tell everyone in line that her friend is waiting for her up ahead. Then she proceeds to put on her duckface and waddle on past the 2-hour wait up to the station, leaving a thick orange cloud in her wake as the wind blows away her spray-tan. ...Yeah, you know the one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VF15 Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 I don't hate the General Public. Most of them are relatively nice, and follow the rules. I just hate certain people in the GP, including: -people that think that wooden coasters (and roller coasters in general) are unsafe. -people that think that since they traveled so far and paid so many dollars to get in, they should get special treatment. -people that make false and unreasonable claims about coasters ("I fell out of the loop, landed back in my seat, and survived.") -people that think that the world's best coasters are the tallest and fastest by default. -people that think a ride is bad because it has no "loop-de-loops". -people that slow things down by breaking rules (trying to bring their child that's not tall enough on a big coaster). Yeah, a few bad apples can make a day at amusement park more miserable, but without them, we would not have amusement parks, so I guess we should be at least somewhat thankful for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 (edited) I have no problem with the general public, I have problems with people that don't follow rules, are rude and are disrespectful. I see rule breakers from the general public and the enthusiast community. Actually I see a higher % of people that bother me from the enthusiast community. One example, Holliwood Nights the first year Voyage opened. Enthusiasts were holding places for their friends, people were trying to cut ahead of others for select seats. I had one enthusiast sitting next to me that was wearing a GPS device on his forearm and whacked me in the head multiple times because he insists riding with his hands up. On every TPR Trip I have seen rude enthusiasts that push others to get to the queue first. Even seen people that refuse to leave the first or last row during ERT when others have not ridden in the row yet. Robb and Elissa make it very clear that you should give up your seat in the first and last rows after each ride if anyone else wants your row. Sometimes a train comes into the station and 3 people are waiting for the first row and the 4 currently on the train refuse the leave their seats because they all think they are entitled to ride again. I've seen people on TPR trips disregard park rules plenty of times. And it is not an "accident" but when repeat they actions over and over throughout the trip. Someone mention that the general public acts entitled when they travel far or pay a lot of money to get in, but I see that sense of entitlement more often from enthusiasts. People that prefer crappy coasters because they are fast and have loops don't bother me at all. That allows me shorter waits for great coasters such El Toro and I-305. The general public subsidizes new rides in parks. I'm more amused than annoyed when someone quotes incorrect facts, actually I'm more annoyed by know-it-all enthusiasts who spew facts all the time. The only actions that I see exclusively from the general public and not enthusiasts that bothers me is the slow pace they walk and how they will congregate in front of on open ride deciding whether to ride or not. Edited March 29, 2014 by larrygator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djboss302 Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 I have friends in the GP. Just as long as they're nice, I don't have a problem with them. Like people have said before, the people I DO have a problem with are the ones that do the following: -Brag about breaking park rules -Claim the best coaster in the park has to be the tallest and the fastest -Expect special treatment because they drove for god knows how long -Make up bogus stories about coasters like "40 people just fell off of that coaster!" -Slow things down at ride stations because they yell at people for not letting them because they're too fat or something like that. -People who say wooden coasters are unsafe because they're wooden. -Claim RMC woodies are steel. -Claim a ride has to do a million loop de loops to be good. -People who cut lines claiming someone is holding their spot. -People who can't tell how many times a ride goes upside down even though the coaster is right in front of them Yeah those people can be frustrating, but you shouldn't let a few bad apples ruin your day. Anyway, we like to make fun of them, they like to make fun of us. Let us have our fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarheel1231 Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 -Claim RMC woodies are steel. You'd be surprised at how many coaster enthusiasts think this. Have you checked the Six Flags Great America thread? The finalized support structure pictures for the lift hill of Goliath only fueled more fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trj820 Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 The people who basically throw any sort of decency and common sense out the window as soon as they step through the park gates... The fault in this statement is that it assumes that those people have any sense of decency and common sense to throw out the window in the first place... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
booink Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 I agree with most of what Larrygator has said. GP who respect the rules, who are not beeing rude are totally fine with me and I a lack of knowledge isn't a problem, it can be "fun" in some sorts. I always find it funny when someone says "Kingda Ka has to be the best coaster in the world because it's the tallest". I clearly know it's not, but hey, everyone is allowed to have its own favorite coaster, and not everyone has to know everything about coasters and theme parks; each person is free to have its own interests. I might know a lot about parks and coasters, but very little about english literature, or wine, or anything else and that's fine ! Actually, Know-it-all enthusiasts (or "purists", arrogant as I call them) are usually more annoying than a little-coaster-knowledge GP. The only GP that annoys me is the same as most peoples here, who brake the rules, expect special treatments, cut the lines when I've been waiting for an hour, etc. etc. I CANNOT tolerate these peoples, but outside of the rule-breakers, a lot of GP is perfectly fine and are just at a park to enjoy it as everyone else because without being enthusiasts, they really like that once-in-a-year day to that cool park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. M Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 How can any statement be made about the "GP" when the "GP" is anybody who visits amusement parks other than enthusiasts? The title of this thread might as well be "Humanity In General". As if enthusiasts themselves never do anything worth complaining about. I have friends in the GP. Statements like this are hilarious. Do you think there's a person alive who only associates with other coaster enthusiasts, who doesn't have any other friends at all? I find the whole enthusiast/GP dichotomy, at least the way it's often talked about on this site, to be one of the most ridiculous and pretentious things in any hobby I've ever bothered getting to know. But whatevs, it's cool, I love you all anyway. the people I DO have a problem with are the ones that do the following: -Brag about breaking park rules -Claim the best coaster in the park has to be the tallest and the fastest -Expect special treatment because they drove for god knows how long -Make up bogus stories about coasters like "40 people just fell off of that coaster!" -Slow things down at ride stations because they yell at people for not letting them because they're too fat or something like that. -People who say wooden coasters are unsafe because they're wooden. -Claim RMC woodies are steel. -Claim a ride has to do a million loop de loops to be good. -People who cut lines claiming someone is holding their spot. -People who can't tell how many times a ride goes upside down even though the coaster is right in front of them Like, with the exception of the rule-breaking issues, why would any of this bother you? Who cares what other people say, or what opinions they have? It doesn't affect you in the slightest. What's the point in getting annoyed over it? We should be happy to see people enjoying coasters, even the ones who think rides should have a million loops. The source of your irritation is just pretension, pure and simple, and I ain't got time for that. EDIT: I 100% agree with larrygator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jew Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 ^I agree with that. Enthusiasts are mostly terrible to deal with at theme parks too! The "holier than thou" attitude that some display creates just as many problems for employees. When I worked at SFMM during CoasterCon, parts were stolen from RRv. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A.J. Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 Enthusiasts are mostly terrible to deal with at theme parks too! The "holier than thou" attitude that some display creates just as many problems for employees. When I worked at SFMM during CoasterCon, parts were stolen from RRv. I might be playing Devil's Advocate here, but if a guest, family, etc can't find their way around a park or they want to know what the "best" attractions are, is it a "bad" enthusiast thing to help them out? On a few occasions I find myself doing that and when I see the same people again I ask, "Wasn't that an awesome coaster?" or something similar as I walk by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richards.adam Posted March 30, 2014 Author Share Posted March 30, 2014 I think it is a very interesting discussion and it seems like most enthusiasts got my point! I have met some of the nicest people from all over the world in queue lines; even if they didn't have a clue about the ride they were queuing up for! E.G. Nemesis Sub-Terra was Nemesis just all under ground! But, were they idiots and need to be ridiculed: NO! Do I spend more time than them reading up and talking with others interested in theme parks: YES! I stand by smoking, queue jumping, swearing etc should never be allowed, but maybe, some individuals would learn far more by listening to those who are just there for a fun day out. Who knows, as an expert in return you may pass on your wisdom and knowledge to those that didn't even know such a website and forums existed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 I have no problem with the general public, I have problems with people that don't follow rules, are rude and are disrespectful. I see rule breakers from the general public and the enthusiast community. Actually I see a higher % of people that bother me from the enthusiast community. I agree with Larry, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aCoasterStory Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 I have met some of the nicest people from all over the world in queue lines This. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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