#BanSelfieSticks - Help Us Spread The Word!

[Nrthwnd]

Selfie sticks are pure E-Vil.

[gromithere]

www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2015/03/03/smithsonian-bans-use-of-selfie-sticks-in-all-of-its-museums/

 

Not quite making it to the amusement parks yet, but it is a step in the right direction!

[K1ngdaKa88]

Haha LOL Selfie Sticks aren't allowed in Swiss museums!!!

Sorry, it is German

[KarlaKoaster]

I was at London Fashion Week recently and they were not allowed there so that's good. What I will say though is that strictly speaking they're not allowed on coasters either... they might not be specifically banned, but loose objects and cameras aren't normally allowed and selfie sticks are most certainly loose objects/cameras. Hopefully the tide has turned against them though and hopefully theme parks will ban them from shows etc too.

[KarlaKoaster]

London's National Gallery has also banned selfie sticks: http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-31829535

[Gnome]

Do you guys ever think that you're being a bunch of themepark hipsters hating on the mainstream population?

 

I definately agree that the should be removed from areas where they're especially intrusive (like museums And shows and the rides themselves) but banning them all together is a bit absurd

[cfc]

^If they're used properly and in a way that doesn't annoy or interfere with other people, selfie sticks are OK . . . oh, who am I kidding? People will always find new ways to misuse them.

 

I think they should just call them "Narcissisticks."

[robbalvey]

Do you guys ever think that you're being a bunch of themepark hipsters hating on the mainstream population?

 

I definately agree that the should be removed from areas where they're especially intrusive (like museums And shows and the rides themselves) but banning them all together is a bit absurd

 

From the original post, maybe you need a refresher on why we feel it's annoying and they need to be banned:

 

In "concept" the idea is fine, a stick that extends your arm to get better pictures at moments when either you are alone or don't want to ask someone else to take a photo of you.

 

But then let's introduce "humanity" and this is what happens...

On top of just flat out looking stupid with your "Selfie Stick" people are sticking them up during shows blocking views, and TAKING THEM ON RIDES extending beyond the reach envelope that rides were designed for!

 

Add this to the annoyances of iPad video, vertical video, parents putting kids on their shoulders during shows, and do we really need yet ANOTHER annoyance at theme parks?

 

Help us spread the word! #BanSelfieSticks

 

Thank you!

 

--Robb

 

 

Again, we aren't trying to ban them because the actual "idea" behind it is bad, we are trying to ban them because people are idiots and this invention is making people more obnoxious.

 

Thankfully, though, I haven't seen many at the parks lately.

Edited March 12, 2015 by robbalvey

[K1ngdaKa88]

^you're absolutley right!

I got my new GoPro a few days ago and we also bought a set with several mounts, including a selfie stick. When I tried it at home, I used it to see our flat from different angles and it looked funny. But I don't take it to theme park or even on roller coasters because that stick doesnt looks very safe. Just as I pulled it out I saw that it wasnt that stable and if the GoPro is at the end of the stick which isn't that light and and the stick is also a little bend. If you think what happens on a roller coaster with several G's....

PS: when I used it in our flat, it was my stuff that would get broken if I didn't was careful!

[GwaziBSRider1]

Last week, I saw my first Selfie Sticks in the wild. There were several people in Dubai and Abu Dhabi that were using them. I spotted them at all of the typical tourist areas like Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Dubai Mall, and Burj Khalifa. Fortunately, I didn't see anybody using them inside of the parks.

[Dar]

I've seen one selfie stick in the wild, and that was in a shopping centre with the two guys using it for up-skirt shots of the women walking about!

 

So yeah, ban selfie sticks

[SingleRiderCam]

Last week, a classmate had a selfie stick out during class and I told her that it's pretty useless and idiotic and she (and her friend) talked angrily back to me. Even though I explained why they are idiotic, she was still ignorant for defending that narcissistick. So it's official, while only a few of the percentage with the stick are smart with it and a lot of people who poorly use it, we now get to the category of teenagers who will defend the product in some mean ways. Well good luck with it at Coachella .

[cfc]

I've seen one selfie stick in the wild, and that was in a shopping centre with the two guys using it for up-skirt shots of the women walking about!

 

[medoman]

a selfie stick has a knob on the end.

[IsThisTheRealLife]

Meanwhile at NYC,

 

[Gnome]

Last week, a classmate had a selfie stick out during class and I told her that it's pretty useless and idiotic and she (and her friend) talked angrily back to me. Even though I explained why they are idiotic, she was still ignorant for defending that narcissistick. So it's official, while only a few of the percentage with the stick are smart with it and a lot of people who poorly use it, we now get to the category of teenagers who will defend the product in some mean ways. Well good luck with it at Coachella .

Looks like coachella has jumped on the coachella ban

 

http://www.dailydot.com/technology/selfie-sticks-banned-coachella-lollapalooza/?fb=dd

[GCI Wooden]

Oh no! Petco has released a selfie stick for dogs AND cats!

http://unleashedby.petco.com/index.aspx

 

Happy April Fools Day, everyone.

[Nrthwnd]

^ That's great! In all the wrong ways.

 

Happy Fools Day!

[Cj1990]

Only really concerned about these on rides. Otherwise, personally, I'm too focused on what im doing that jumping into someone else's business. Even during shows they've never bothered me. Perhaps ride operators just need to be better about the loose objects policy. I used to work X2 and it wasn't ever difficult to find items that people were carrying or asking them to grab a locker.

[BCTom]

Selfie shoes anyone?

 

[Generational]

I think it's ridiculous that people are that self-centered. I actually had an interaction walking around campus the other day when someone using the selfie stick walked into me. Now I take some responsibility due to the fact that I wasn't paying attention, and only saw her at the last second, but she didn't see me AT ALL. Then she continues to scold me to look out the way, meanwhile her line of sight is planted on her device.

 

It doesn't make much sense to use it at theme parks anyway. You pay a decent amount of money for a ticket into the park, and then you spend most of your time on your phone. It's getting out of hand.

[gad198]

I think it's ridiculous that people are that self-centered...You pay a decent amount of money for a ticket into the park, and then you spend most of your time on your phone.

If this whole thread could be summed up in two sentences these two statements would do it. Great post.

[robbalvey]

I think it's ridiculous that people are that self-centered...You pay a decent amount of money for a ticket into the park, and then you spend most of your time on your phone.

If this whole thread could be summed up in two sentences these two statements would do it. Great post.

I actually think that spending time on your phone at parks and the use of selfie sticks have absolutely nothing to do with each other.

 

I spend a lot of money to get into parks, and I also spend a considerable amount of time on my phone while I'm there. But here is the huge difference between what I do and what people using selfie-sticks are doing...

 

I AM NOT IMPACTING ANYONE ELSE DURING MY VISIT!

 

The selfie sticks are an issue because they block people's views while at shows, they create a danger or at least an annoyance while on rides. (I've been on a few rides now where I'm trying to record something like a normal person only to have the audio ruined by the staff having to come over the PA system and ask someone to put their selfie stick away. Thanks moron!)

 

I personally think it's totally unfair to pass a judgement on what someone should or shouldn't be doing at a park. It's none of your business. I've seen people pay to get into a park just to sit and watch people all day. Would I do that? No. But I'm certainly not going to judge them for it.

 

As long as they aren't bothering me or what I want to get out of my day, why should I care? And why should you?

 

Sorry, but I guess you can say I completely disagree with those two sentences.

Edited April 7, 2015 by robbalvey

[Generational]

@Robb Well yes, you have a point about cell phones. But when I have to constantly move out of the way of people on their phones, it becomes a problem. Sure, if you sit on a bench, it's not directly affecting me. But if you are walking with your phone, with your head down, and your entire peripheral vision is taken up by Facebook, it becomes a problem. Sure, you can use your phone on line where you don't really have to pay attention, but on the main walkway, like there is in most parks, there are little kids walking around and other people, and if you're on your phone, making your way downtown without looking, problems are sure to arise.

 

I know a lot of people only check it every now and again, and that's fine. But I have seen, on numerous occasions, where people just charge their way through crowds with their heads down. Again, that's where the problem comes from.

 

I completely agree with you about the selfie stick, though.

[christianscoasters]

It really bothers me when people say you shouldn't use your phone at a park. I DO NOT use my phone on rides, except for an observatory ride such as a train or elevator. Also, more and more parks are creating apps that are increasingly useful while you're in the park itself. For example, when I went to Florida in February, we used the app that Universal Studios had created to check out wait times and where a good place to eat was. Then, at Busch Gardens, their app would actually give you directions on how to get to another attraction.

 

Also, I like to take pictures at parks! I don't go crazy and take a picture of EVERYTHING, but I'm taking momentos and of course I would wanna take a few selfies with friends. I don't see the harm in wanting to take pictures with your friends or family while you're on a vacation.

 

And the biggest thing I bring my phone for: I HATE waiting in lines. I'll generally buy a parks skip-the-line offering if I think it's worth the price that day. But sometimes it just so happens that I end up waiting a little bit. I'm pretty ADHD and just the simple act of standing and doing nothing really bothers me. So I have my phone to play games on, check facebook, all that kind of stuff. I will say this though, particularly at the Universal and Disney parks, my phone usually stayed away as the queues were highly detailed and entertaining in themselves and I enjoyed being immersed in the experience. My friend wanted to keep doing single rider lines, which I did a few times, but with Escape From Gringott's, Forbidden Journey, and a few others, I actually wanted to go through the line to see everything, especially because the wait was usually about 20 minutes.

 

Like Robb said above, the use of selfie sticks and the use of phones, while related, they are completely different subjects in this context. My friend got whacked in the head with a selfie stick at Blue Horizons at SeaWorld, and there were several times at other Florida parks where we actually had to move out of the way to avoid getting hit. Ban them!