Americas Stupidest Public Comments
The general public could care less about your membership credentials. Half the fun of going to amusement parks has always been tall tales being passed on from generation to generation while waiting in line.
If George Lucas only made Star Wars for his hard core following he'd be broke. Let the guy tell his daughter something in line. Your lucky that guy didn't let you have it for making him look like an idiot in front of his daughter. *** Edited 12/2/2005 3:34:28 PM UTC by Industry Force***
The humor is in the details...please do not leave me hanging!
"So I go into my wallet and pulled out my ACE card, and it almost seemed like a drug bust. The guy actually knew what ACE was and said "OK MAYbe I kinda made that one up, sorry" and quickly turned around."
IF (and I want to reemphacize that IF) that story is true (and not slightly embellished for dramatic purposes) then I do truely agree with the following "ANOtHER STUPID PERSON BUSTED" comment.
The guy would have to had been a totally stupid, idiotic, moronic, backwards simpleton if that card impressed him that much!
Looking back over the countless hours that I have spent in line for coasters over the years, I have to ask myself... wich is more annoying and more tiresom... the 18 year old kid in front of me trying to impress his girfriend (or his buddies, or who ever he is with) by telling them that this coaster is absolutely the tallest and fastest on the planet....
- Or -
the "coaster enthusiasses" behind me who are trying to convince each other that this coaster does or does not suck based on the lateral forces, the speed, the height, the number of bolts used (or welds if steel) in construction, its merits when compared to a similar coaster 3,500 miles away, etc or who are laughing at others who claim that said coaster is 200ft tall when every one should know that it is 200ft 8 inches tall or laughing at people who refer to it as "Superman" as opposed to its correct name (Superman: Ride of Steel, Superman Ultimate Flight, etc) because, again, there is another coaster several hundred miles away that is also named Superman...
Given the choice of listenting to the two...
18 year old: "Steel Force is the tallest rollercoaster in the known universe." (my thoughts: Eh... not quite... but does not affect me)
- OR -
Two Enthusiasses having a long dissertation on how the coaster in front of them is total crap, how they hate it, how it should be torn down, how it is the worst waste of material on the planet, but are excited because on the way up the lift they can look over to the left and catch a glimpse of the "bone yard" behind some bushes and buildings (note: I acutually heard this on the lift of Villian). (my thoughts: It doesn't affect me... except for the fact that I wish they would just shut the hell up because I am getting tired of listening to their constant whining and "expert" opinions).
Well... can't wait to ride Steel Force!!!!! Tallest in our local arm of the Milkyway Galaxy.
But just when you think it can't get any worse...
Now add on to this... An enthusiass who is not only an enthusiass but is a card carrying enthusiass who proves that fact by actually whipping out his card!
Where is the duct tape! Need to wrap it around my head so that when my head explodes, I'll at least have all of the pieces!
I don't talk coasters at parks. I'll be at Dollywood this month again with around 20 other enthusiasts. We have other more important things to gossip...err...discuss.
And I don't ever, EVER make it a point to let people know I'm an enthusiast unless directly asked. That makes one look like a tool.
Oh, no, acting like a know it all tool makes one look like a tool. Letting people know I'm a coaster nut just makes people look at me weird. *** Edited 12/5/2005 3:18:24 AM UTC by TeknoScorpion***
While I agree that pulling out an ACE card (something I don't own)was pretty stupid (like owning an ACE card makes you an automatic expert on everything coaster-related. Not.), sometimes there can be a legitimate point to correcting or informing someone.
Example A: Informing someone of a restraint change like on the Flight of Fear etc. if they had previously disliked the ride due to old restraints
Example B: Informing someone that a ride is open that because they were on the other side of the park, they didn't know had reopened
Example C: Informing someone that yes, the flying coaster (the Vekoma version) in RCT is real
(the above are all real examples)
As far as talking coasters (or other subjects) with strangers at the park, it's a great way to kill time while waiting in an endless queue. It's fun to catch up with acquaintances and talk about what parks you've been to during the operating year. I also like to get other enthusiasts and non-enthusiasts take on the homepark. You'd also be surprised at how many non-enthusiasts have been to other parks far out of their particular area (SFMM is the most commonly mentioned park) "X" is a frequent source of conversation.
I recently got out a book called "Aceing the Corporate Personality Test." Since I've taken a few of them, I was curious to see what they're looking for in the statements. One of the statements went something like "I have no trouble making small talk with complete strangers." If you were to answer "disagree", or "strongly disagree", it would mean a) your anti-social or b)you're not cut out to be a salesperson
So does that mean that the majority of coaster enthusiasts are working in cubicle farms, or stocking the shelves overnight at WalMart?:)
Besides. My merfolk deck totally crushed that last ACE deck I played against.
Ok. My dorkiness has gone too far.
Hobbes: "What's the point of attaching a number to everything you do?"
Calvin: "If your numbers go up, it means you're having more fun."
I'm with you. I don't go to parks with enthusiasts, I don't wear clothing that would peg me as an enthusiast, and I certainly don't talk like an enthusiast, unless someone I'm with specifically wants to know a fact about a ride.
The reason is that there's a whole lot more to talk about, and most of it is a lot more interesting than coasters.
Once in my life, I went to an amusement park with a large group of enthusiasts, none of whom I had ever met "in the real world" until that day. Literally, LITERALLY, all day long, no one I was with said a single word that wasn't coaster-related. It was nearly intolerable.
My turn ons are chocolate, Janet Jackson, Halle Berry, Tyra Banks, Shakira, Kirstin Dunst, and that girl off Legally Blond.
Turn offs are pushy people, know it alls, and an "I'm never wrong" attittude.
Oh, and I may break out into song (and dance) at any time. I'm fun at parks, once you get to know me, and never talk about coasters...when I'm RIDING them!
That being said, I would never correct someone in line in front of me. Why in the world would I want to ruin their day by being a total a**hole? I say it is much better to let them have fun and learn to keep thy mouth shut!
Gay, gay, gay, gay, gay, gay, and gay! ;)
TeknoScorpion said:
My turn ons are chocolate, Janet Jackson, Halle Berry, Tyra Banks, Shakira, Kirstin Dunst, and that girl off Legally Blond.
Ugh. We have to end this friendship. Janet Jackson and Halle Berry are SOOOOO 2004.
Kirstin Dunst almost makes up for it though. Maybe I'll forgive you. ;)
Den said:Literally, LITERALLY, all day long, no one I was with said a single word that wasn't coaster-related. It was nearly intolerable.
Reminds me of my visit to Clementon to ride Tusnami (in all of its politically incorrect glory BEFORE it's name was changed to J2)
It was right after it opened... perhaps opening weekend, I don't recall. Anyway... I was waiting in line, minding my own business. It's my turn to board so I sit down. I was riding single (my wife didn't feel like a 6 hr roundtrip drive to ride one coaster) so when this guy sat down in the empty seat next to me, I didn't mind. I don't know if he had his ACE card with him, but his T-shirt and hat proclaimed this (not sure if it was embroidered on the back of the jacket that he was wearing or not).
The talking started before the restraints were locked closed. While this was my first ride, he had ridden it before. I believe the first topic was just how much better this coaster could have been if it was built by a firm other than S&S. Then, screaming over the roar of the train as it went through its course, he proceded to yell out every turn, element, etc.
Getting back in line for my second ride, he stepped in line behind me. I commented on both the speed and steep angle of the first drop. I then got a 10 minute dissertation on how the steepness of the drop is not that important, because some coaster somewhere is "considered by most enthusiasts" to be one of the best coasters in existance, and its drop is not all that steep. "That is a common misconception that steepness equals speed... blah blah blah"
More name dropping of the coasters he had ridden while we were standing in line. Then he followed me into the same car again, and as the restraints closed, he began the part of the lecture on how much better "Buzz Bars" are when compared to ratching lap bars.
As the second ride began, he was sitting there comparing the experience this time to his last (front seat compared to back seat) and how much better the back seat is on coasters and all of the different nuances. He was very upset because he didn't think he got quite enough air on the top of the second hill, and it sort of ruined the entire ride for him.
Back in line for my 3rd ride, he was still tagging along. This time more name dropping of parks. I then labeled myself as just some ignorant peasant. He asked me "Ever been to Holiday world?" I said "No." He looked at me like I suddenly sprouted a second head on my right shoulder (or at least a third eye in the middle of my forehead). The rest of that wait in line turned into an Travel Channel infomercial on Holiday World. Having previously listened to his Cedar Point infomercial, I was really starting to tune him out. Blah blah blah.
After hearing him quote the same stats of different coasters, and the same critiques of Tsunami, and the same gripes about the "General Public", etc for my first two rides and three waits in line, I found myself wondering as we asceneded the lift hill for the third ride... "If I can wiggle out of this restraint, how many seconds would I be in free fall before I hit the ground? And would I pass out before I hit? If I wouldn't pass out before I hit, would death be instant? If it would not be Instant, would it be painful? If it would be painful, would it be as painful as having to sit here and endure another ride listening to this little dweeb?"
I did five total rides that day, during wich I was enlightened by this "enthusiass" for each one. Granted, it's my fault. After the first ride or two and his constant yammering, I could have said "Shut the Hell up! I don't care! Leave me ALONE!", but I am too polite to do that (I gotta work on that!).
Compared this to riding X-Flight at Geauga Lake this past summer. In the front row with two kids. According to them, this was the greatest coaster they had ever ridden... no better on the face of the earth... And their enthusiasm for this ride, they conviced me to actually ride it with out holding on to the grab handles on the restraints...
While I will admit that, given the chance, I would sooner take a ride on Tsunami... I mean J2... than on X-Flight... but I will also admit that I had a heck of lot more fun riding X-Flight with these two enthusiastic and excited kids rather than riding Tsunami with this jaded, "know it all", name dropping, pompous bore of an "EnthusiASS".
End of rant... I feel much better now.
I talked about this recently. On our first trip together in 2001, my riding partner and I only knew to talk about coasters at first. When we got to Dorney Park on day 2, I was about to hit the roof from all the coaster talk until we hit the waterpark. For an hour-and-a-1/2 we just chilled with amusement park talk. Over the course of time we've discovered that we had a lot of things in common:
a) We like a lot of the same bands and have influenced each other tastes over the years(although I still can't get him to like Killing Joke:))
b) We both like movies
c) We're both avid billiards players
d) We're both musicians etc., etc.
I'm really not sure why people are trying so hard to be "cool." Take any hobby, and there are bound to be enthusiasts. There is an equivalent to Coasterbuzz for just about any hobby. If you don't believe me, step outside the amusement park world for a second and do a search on common and uncommon hobbies and you'll be sure to find another forum-based site.
Let's not make assumptions about people too. Just because you're wearing a park/coaster t-shirt, it doesn't make you an enthusiast.
what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard.
Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it.
I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
I was there to ride Tsunami... so I rode it and got back in line 5 times in row.
By the way... I was glad the line was not a walk on. The ride is "agressive" (to say the least)... and the 10 to 20 minute wait was just enough time to let the human body recover from the previous ride before beginning the punishment all over again.
Back to the rant for a moment...
Suffice it to say that some of the most outrageous comments, and some of the most annoying conversations that I have overheard or been involved with, actually came from so called "Enthusiasses"... not those who most would label "General Public".
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