Interesting Poll Results so far
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Does this mean that 33% of us believe that we really are not much different than the GP, just a little more informed (I say that is the case) or that they themselves are well in touch, but not many others are?
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"I wasn't always this cynical, but then I started kindergarden..."
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--Greg
"Beat the rush, sign up for your post-Mean Streak MRI now..."
My page My other page And my coaster page
I wonder if the more "learned" buzzers actually voted closer to the "not at all" side rather than the "yes" side.
*Side Note* Kinda like when I was 18 I thought I knew alot... but at 27, I wonder if I know anything at all. :)
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Homey G, proud founder of the CCC. Join up now! :oÞ
As is being discussed so much lately, the parks don't cater to ride enthusiasts, they cater to to bank books. Whether we as enthusiasts like it or not these parks are businesses - bottm line. We represent a vast minority of the income these parks generate, they have no reason to build a ride to impress those who feel they know more about the rides or appreciate them more because of their enthusiasm.
The end result for the parks and amusement industry is to make the most money possible by means thought best.The end result for enthusiasts is to experience the most mind blowing, intense, cutting edge rides out there today.
Two totally different agendas, really.
Why does it matter? Well, when you read countless questions like "they should build" or "why don't they build" or "why doesn't Intamin build a," you find yourself being a broken record and repeating over and over again that, yes, these aren't charities for us.
Sometimes you get a situation where you've clearly explained something, like the concept of return on investment, and suddenly you see the term ROI thrown around like a new toy in instances it doesn't even apply. That's kind of discouraging as well, and I realize that it's generally the younger folks. The problem there is that you start to feel like the American education system is failing to teach people the basics of how our economy works.
I don't know... it's a problem, but not one that will cause the end of time. I just wish people would pay attention.
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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"
Jeff said:
The problem there is that you start to feel like the American education system is failing to teach people the basics.
I fear this everyday.
Another side note to the topic is that many enthusiasts have a sense of superiority to them (in general, not everyone) and think they either deserve these rides or that the enthusiast community actually holds enough influence that their enthusiasm for the rides will transfer to the general public and in the end equal those coveted dollar signs.
Neither could be further from the truth. For many it is hard to remember the days before the internet and the advanced sense of community and knowledge that ride enthusiasts have today. I'm 28 and have been on the net since 1997. I've been into coasters since I was 13. I'd only really consider myself an "enthusiast" since maybe 1999. I can easily remember the many years I spent as a huge fan of these rides with very little knowledge of what was being built outside my general vicinity. The internet has made too many "experts" out of people. Everyone thinks they know more or know better than the next guy (even me sometimes as this rant proves)
What I see today is a bunch of newbies to the world of coaster enthusiasm (such as myself) who've only read about 95% of whats out there and experienced very little first hand yet still feel they know all they need to.
Anyone who's disappointed by any parks newest addition is missing the point of it all entirely.
.
*** This post was edited by Lord Gonchar on 11/26/2001. ***
There are different areas that you can "know" things as well. It's easy to learn who the manufacturers are and get a hisotrical feel for what they've done. It's quite another thing to understand what goes on in the industry community, which is really a lot smaller than you think. Everyone really knows everyone, especially between the American parks and manufacturers. But like any business dealings, you don't talk about that sort of thing publicly.
The most disturbing thing to me is that any idiot who can put up a Web site can post something and it's taken as the gospel by a portion of the audience. How many times do you see some crap like "confirmed!" only it's crap? How many of these "confirmed" things fester into fact? Not cool.
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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"
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Ohio - Coaster capital of the world
On the other hand, there are also a lot of coaster enthusiasts who understand that the amusement industry is a business and when a park does something, they have a reason for doing it. They understand that the amusement industry is about more than rides and that parks can't and aren't going to build record breaking rides every-single year.
It really bugs me when "so-called" coaster enthusiasts whine and complain about how a certain park is building a ride that isn't big enough or fast enough for them. Parks have reasons for choosing the rides that they build. Some enthusiasts need to accept what is happening in the industry, and not go whine and moan about it.
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There is no force like Millennium Force
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Danny
PKI 2002- "The Rollercoast is Toast!"
So the point I'm making here is that while the internet has spawned a lot of dumb enthusiasts, it has also made a lot of us more informed of the way it really is.
I voted "for the most part". Probably a bit optimistic, but hey...you've got to have some faith in mankind!
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Without the chaindog, you'd never get up the lifthill...
Chaindog said:
"So the point I'm making here is that while the internet has spawned a lot of dumb enthusiasts, it has also made a lot of us more informed of the way it really is.I voted "for the most part". Probably a bit optimistic, but hey...you've got to have some faith in mankind!"
What I dont understand is why "informed" has become associated with "enthusiast". Just because someone doesnt know EVERYTHING about coasters does not necessarily discredit their enthusiasim. Nor does knowing a lot automatically qualify you for "enthusiast" status. Of course I dont consider myself an "enthusiast" anyway.
ciao,
moi
--BTW: I belive in the 'total depravity of man'.
2Hostyl said:
What I dont understand is why "informed" has become associated with "enthusiast".
It was the poll that made that reference. There's something to be said about raw enthusiasim (for lack of a better term), though. It would be much easier and cheaper if I didn't know there was two world - class rides in southern Indiana, or they are working on X in California. And "enthusiast" is just a word that now seems to mean a person who likes coasters. I personally like the term "coaster geek".
I'm open for a better term, though. Any ideas?
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Without the chaindog, you'd never get up the lifthill...
Thank God I'm not the only one who feels that way! I get so much crap from people who get pissed because I don't list their sites here or post every little "news" item out there. Like I said, just because it's on the Net doesn't make it gold.
Chaindog said:
"Granted, it's about 80% trash, but the other 20% is what makes it work - at least for me."
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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"
Jeff said:
The most disturbing thing to me is that any idiot who can put up a Web site can post something and it's taken as the gospel by a portion of the audience.
See, this ALMOST makes me yearn for 1988, MY first exposure the great Internet. Email, Netnews, and FTP was as good as it got, and we LIKED it that way.
But you know, what, in many ways it was no better back then (which is why I said I ALMOST yearn for those days). Netnews has certainly gotten more verbage as more people have gotten on, but the signal-to-noise ratio is about the same. And I'd happily bet that roughly the same ratio carries over to the Web. Used to be knowledge of how to use rn (or some variant) was enough to make you a self-proclaimed expert. In some ways, it's become easier, but the same thing still holds.
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--Greg
"Beat the rush, sign up for your post-Mean Streak MRI now..."
My page My other page And my coaster page
I think it is for the most part people who do not pay attention, but that is off the topic.
I think if the enthusiasts think before they write a post, then they know what they are talking about.
Just think a little and see what the consequences + pluses to a business deal (wicked twister (ex)) The public will love it, and it will bring in visitors.
So, I have full confidence that MOST of these enthusiasts know what they are talking about if they stepped back and thought about the situation for a min or two. Just my opinion.
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Six Flags Magic Mountain is the place to be for top notch thrills in 2002! X is the ultimate thrill machine!
Think about the children man!
There is so much crap out there, this is one of the only sites I trust, and mostly only the news.
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Six Flags Magic Mountain is the place to be for top notch thrills in 2002! X is the ultimate thrill machine!
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