Popular Mechanics publishes Sensationalistic Garba

While at my parents yesterday I noticed the latest copy of Popular Mechanics. On the front cover of the magazine is a cover of an Inverted Coaster with the words "Fatal Attraction". There was additional text under the headline stating that 52 people have been killed on thrill rides since 1987.

Obviously I was intrigued and a little surprised to see that there was going to be an article that was going to actually show that thrill rides are truly dangerous and at fault for these deaths.

Well, after about reading 2 paragraphs of this article (Markey is mentioned), it quickly changes tone. Now instead of attempting to show how dangerous these rides are, instead it begins to discuss that is really no danger at all and that this has been proven through various research studies.

I found this sensationalism tactic to be quite infuriating. I know this is an effective way to sell magazines, but this was too much for me.

I couldnt find the article online, but I did find a shot of the cover:

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I like roller coasters.

Check out the monstrous thread "What Do I predict?" on this very subject...

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A day is a drop of water in the ocean of eternity. A week is seven drops.

Here we go again..

.*insert Paul Reuben joke*

*insert pool orgy reference*

*insert paul Reuben in a pool orgy statement*

I think it is bad to sell magazines like that. Imagine the people who glance at the covers and don't read the actual magazine, and a week later say something like, "well, I saw at the store something about people getting killed on coasters...blah blah blah...they are bad...we shouldn't ride them..." and so on. Just bad stuff right there....

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RollerCoasters aren't my whole life... they just make my life whole

I read it ... it was written by the industry's biggest tool.

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-Rob
A.C.E. member since 1990
Posting @ Coasterbuzz since 2000
E.C.C. member since 2002

The other thread was too joke filled for me to post :) I just don't get it. OK, I know he's a wank, and a tool, but.... Why anyone in their right mind would shoot themselves in the foot like that? If you are "employed" by an industry why would you write an article about how dangerous it is? It does seem at time he was trying to be factual, but well, you know...

BTW, when did someone die on Double Loop in the recent past?
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- "I used to be in the audio/visual club, but I was kicked out because of my views on Vietnam........and I was stealing projectors" - Homer Simpson
*** This post was edited by Peabody 7/18/2003 12:09:46 PM ***

...and yet it's working for the magazine. The goal of crap like that is to get people to buy the magazine. It's working -- I know a number of enthusiasts who are buying it, so that they, too, can be outraged.

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--Greg, aka Oat Boy
My page
"Another visitor. Stay a while. Stay FOREVER!"

Can't I be outraged *without* buying the magaizne....;)
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If you're not outraged, you need to pay closer attention...

Well, 5000 more magazines for outraged enthusiasts ain't gonna put a burp in their sales....but the gazillions of GPerz. ;)

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"SOME people have NO class!" - Mom from the Whizzer queue

52 people? Doesn't that seem a little high? That would mean about 3 people die each year.

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Top 3
1-S:RoS @ SFNE
2-Boulder Dash
3-Yankee Cannonball

I wonder what the ratio per time spent in the park is. Then it could be compared to other activities. I'd imagine that jogging is much more dangerous...preaching to the choir of course.

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"SOME people have NO class!" - Mom from the Whizzer queue
*** This post was edited by janfrederick 7/18/2003 12:38:47 PM ***

We have a choir?

mOOSH [tenor]

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A random Mooshter's Dawntionary listing: Innoculatte [v.] - to take coffee intraveneously when running late.

All that I have to say is...Popular Mechanics is definitely the place that I head to when I want to read about roller coasters.

Sean

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"Ever hear of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates...Morons!"

I thought it was especially funny how they have a huge picture of a stalled Boomerang with a cherry picker. The picture has this tiny caption that reads something like "nobody was hurt, but accidents like this provide sensational pictures like this".

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"See it in an other light, you'll see it working out all right."

SFNE Dude said:
52 people? Doesn't that seem a little high? That would mean about 3 people die each year.

That's about the average. There have already been two this year, and summer's only half over. The thing is, those deaths will get factored into the statistics, yet neither one of them was due to a faulty or unsafe ride.

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Come on fhqwhgads!

What confused me was the fact that the article came to the conclusion that rides are generally safe.

And yet the cover's headline reads "Fatal Attractions" and the article includes several pictures of valleyed rides.

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The Trip: CP, SFWoA, PKI, KW, HW, IB, SFGAm, MiA and LeSourdsville too.
8 Days- 10 parks. May 2003

bassisist sang bass, moosh sang tenor, me and little dawn would join right in there...

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Touchè, teacher, touchè.

Matt - easy answer: sensational headlines sell magazines.

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A random Mooshter's Dawntionary listing: Innoculatte [v.] - to take coffee intraveneously when running late.

Peabody said:

BTW, when did someone die on Double Loop in the recent past?

I checked a site devoted to amusement park accidents, and couldn't find it. Of course, if Paul Ruben and PM say there was a fatality on Double Loop, it must be true!
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“When you know a thing, hold that you know it; when you know not a thing, allow that you know it not; this is knowledge.”
-Confucius
*** This post was edited by Railshark 7/18/2003 3:00:25 PM ***

*** This post was edited by Railshark 7/18/2003 3:18:39 PM ***

I can lip sync....

And hey, stop pickin' on Paul! After all, he was the Walrus...
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"SOME people have NO class!" - Mom from the Whizzer queue

I too can not recall any incident on Double Loop at SFWoA within the last five years (the article lists deaths from 1997-2002). I sent the editor a message about this issue last evening, and I am waiting to hear back from him.
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alpengeist13