"My home park is the best" is just not cool...

I have read on other sites that there is a CP/PKI bias here at the buzz.  IMO (the only one I have), that's a load of "stuff".  Jeff and the mods are NOT the people on cb with a biased viewpoint, from what I've seen.  Now I love my home parks of BGT and WA, but I am in NO WAY blind to their flaws.  Likewise, ALL other parks have room for improvement.  That's not to diss any park (I love 'em all), but I've found in my extensive time on cb that the real bias comes from those buzzers who feel that any criticism of their "home park" is unwarranted, unjustified, and untrue.  Now, it IS true that many buzzers come from the OH/PA area, and there are also a bunch in the SoCal area, but consider this: "that's where the parks are".  Everyone wants good things said about their local parks, but criticisms that are valid, well-spoken, and constructive in nature should be seen as "opportunities for improvement", not as bashing someone's fav park.  That being said, it IS important to eliminate the "park X sucks" posts and the mentality that goes with it...enough said.
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the buzzer formerly known as gatorwoodie
Son of Drop Zone - PKI CoasterCamp I Champions!!!

On the other hand, if you are a member of ACE you are encouraged to talk publicly only about parks' good aspects and ignore the bad.  That's probably a good attitude to have in life in general, if you want to be happy.

I don't mind people who love their home parks more than any other, BUT I hate it when, as it is the majority of the time, those people have been only to their home parks, or to just one or two others.

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You can't spell "dishonorable" without "honorable."

Yea, I agree. There are lots of great parks that people talk about how much they "suck," when in reality they're just trying to pump up their home park. For example, it would be ignorant for me to say that 'CP is the best and Holiday World sucks because they only have 2 coasters.' It's crap like that that needs to go. (no, that comment was not really made, I just made it up to illustrate a point).

I've been really irritated at some parks by the way they run things, but it's hard to write off any park as "sucks." Saying that a park with a dozen coasters only has "two or three good ones" and in the same breath say a tiny park has two good ones and is therefore better isn't much better.

The ironic thing is that the people accuse any forum of being biased toward anything never see the countless threads that get deleted for being "sucks" threads.

What can you do. Some people are never happy unless they're complaining about something.

Den, I caution you about using "the majority of the time," because all too often that kind of generalization comes back to bite you in the you know what. Yeah, a lot of kids don't know much beyond their backyards, but the alleged "seasoned veterans" probably root their beliefs and opinions on those same experiences of their own teen years. You know? Sense of home is a powerful thing.

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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"

*** This post was edited by Jeff on 11/8/2001. ***

Jeff, you are right.  And I agree...even though PKI is not my favorite park, I certainly feel like I'm home when I'm there.
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You can't spell "dishonorable" without "honorable."

And of course the self-proclaimed 'hostile one' has to offer a dissenting opinion.

There *IS* a bias here on CoasterBuzz towards Cedar Point. Quite often, when a thread starts about another park, Cedar Point gets introduced into the conversation. And Heaven forbid you dare say something about one of their coasters here. People will automatically assume you either a) didnt ride it, b)didnt ride in the "magic" seat, c) only caught it on a bad day, or d) are just a 'troublemaker', 'troll', or 'dont like any rides'. Some of this is said in jest, which is cool, but often there is a cult like ferocity in some of the more scathing retorts.

HOWEVER, that is not a reflection of the owner/moderators. If I'm not mistaken, two of the mods are actually more partial to Kennywood and one to SFGAm (and incidentally, has never BEEN to CP). No, that is a reflection of the prevailing populous. And there isnt much that can be done about that. People are always going to have opinions.

On the other side, there are also two parks in particular that seem to "catch a beat down" quite often on the forums. And again, if one goes against the grain and has something positive to say about them, there is often a 'hot and bothered' reposnse. But as I said before, that's what happens in an opinionated discussion.

So what about the so-called 'too hostile"?
Personally, I can give or take most of this SH. I know that most of it has no real bearing on the important things in my life (God, Family, Friends, work/school). However, I often post the opposing view partly because I believe it, but mostly because I think it provides for more lively discussions. There are a ton of things I read that I agree with, but I dont feel like I'm adding appreciably to the conversation if I just say "I agree", so instead, I nod my head to my computer and move to a thread where I can actually say something worth(my)while :)
lata,
jeremy
--who isnt really sure why he felt the need to add that last paragraph...

i've never been to a park that completely sucks. all parks have something good about them. my home parks are sfne, canobie lake and funtown all within 90 minutes of boston. a lot of locals complain about canobie lake's yankee cannonball and say that it's too small (60 ft). any coaster fan  who visits the park from another part of the country loves the coaster and it turns out to be one of there favorite parks.

I'm glad you cleared that up, Jeremy, regarding the way the site is run. I can accept that someone thinks we're CP-fan-heavy, though that shouldn't come as a surprise given the number of people who feel strongly one way or the other about the park, but it's also refreshing to see that someone understands that the site operators are equal-opportunity noise killers.

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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"

I think "bias" is perhaps the wrong word to use in a case like this as we all have biases towards the things we like or don't like. Try "immature", which I think is a much better way to describe some opinions here. I don't care if people rally around Cedar Point ALL day long, it's a great park and plenty worthy of  most of it's praise. But comments like," Park A will *NEVER* be as good as park B, just because I say so" or "You better love Millennium Force or else"! is just silly, and in my opinion has less to do with park enthusiasm, and more to do with personal insecurities.
But it's not about being that deep. Isn't this suppose to be fun? People who yell and scream about coaster counts, SF "sucks", SFMMvs.CP(even when the thread has NOTHING to do with either), I have to wonder..........why are these young people so unhappy?
OK off my box.  
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I'm a reasonable man, get off my case, get off my case. -Radiohead(Amnesiac)

*** This post was edited by DWeaver on 11/8/2001. ***

Just realized, maybe I should've titled this thread "my park's better than yours, and your park sucks pondwater"...LOL!  Saying "my home park is the best" is OK, by me at least, as long as it's meant as praise to the park, and not meant to be a "comparative" which belittles all other parks by its very nature.  I hope this makes sense, 'cause much like virginiareelfan, I've also never been to a park that completely sucks...(or one that was perfect in every way)!
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the buzzer formerly known as gatorwoodie
Son of Drop Zone - PKI CoasterCamp I Champions!!!

If only 1 or 2 parks are "worthy" of having hardcore or loyal fans who defend their park at any cost, what the heck are we suppose to do with the other 250 parks and their fans? Think about it... 

Because it's that sort of arrogance that breeds  such hostility towards *certain* parks.
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*** This post was edited by DWeaver on 11/8/2001. ***

I really haven't seen much "my homepark's better than yours" stuff lately, but I used to see alot. Maybe that's just because the mods are filtering more of the junk than before. It seems to me like alot of the people that say my park is the best are SFMM die-hards. Don't take any offense to that though, it isn't to say anyone that likes SFMM is bad. I was just saying alot of the people that do the "my homepark is best" stuff are talking about SFMM. I must admit I used to do the my homepark is best stuff sometimes, but then I went to lots of other parks and I have wised up.