Woman attempts to get family of 10 into Dorney Park without paying

Forgive me if I go a little out of line here, but I've been reading and thinking about CoasterDiscern's comment and I'd like to tell you something I've noticed about Canada in general. Canadians have a much different response to racial issues than we do here in the U.S., and it's almost as if racism (as we know it, anyway) doesn't exist. I noticed it particularly after I spent a week in Montreal recently. Black people live everywhere, certainly, and there seems to be more of a co-existence and less of a cultural divide in Canada.

But it wasn't just this visit- I became aware of this a long time ago when I was an avid listener of Howard Stern's old broadcast radio show. Back then much of his show was censored, but he often made a point of the difference between censorship in the U.S. and in Canada. Here, we tend to censor on-air comments that are "vulgar", and specifically in Howard's case, anything with explicit sexual language or reference. Certain curse words and phrases were included there, too. In Canada, however, those segments of the show passed with their monitors and listeners could hear it all. What they did bleep from the program, however, was any "inappropriate" reference to race, which according to Howard, was everything they said that had any racial reference whatsoever. In other words, Canadians in general don't tolerate racial comments of any sort and are particularly sensitive to the subject. Sex? Sure, that's ok, but race? Better not.

So my point is this. Our neighbors to the short north approach the subject of race differently than we do. While I found CoasterDiscern's question shocking, I have to say that perhaps in reality he's asking the question in a way that socially conscious Canadians might. He did make an effort to tie his question to societal norms and economic factors, as if to say perhaps there's a deep seated reason down here for this woman's behavior. And that's fine, but where he failed with us is an apparent lack of fact finding before asking the question and a clear misunderstanding of how we here in the U.S. would perceive such a question.

I'm not trying to cast blame or defend, and while CoasterDiscern can certainly speak for himself (and has), the unfortunate direction this thread took has bothered me enough to try to get some kind of meaning out of it.

Personally, I side with OhioStater's thought that it's just a "get a load of this dummass" kind of story, which made me laugh really hard. But maybe that's because I'm from Ohio, too, and not Ontario or Quebec.

Great post and you hit the nail on the head. American's are far too sensitive!!

We are an extremely multicultural and accepting country. There is actually no racial divide whatsoever here, or that I know of. My first post was ill timed and constructed poorly and I did not express what I was interested in understanding from the get go clear enough. Not even close! I just asked and didn't realize how it would be perceived on the other side. It also doesn't help I've never been the best writter. I've always struggled to.some degree with it and it's taken me a long time to become decent at it in my mind. Putting thought to paper kinda thing. Thanks RCMAC I agree wholeheartedly with your post from top to bottom.

Getting back to the main story...

From the group who planned this...it was probably based on robberies where thirty people enter a mall store and they scatter like roaches when they grab and go. If a few get caught...most will get away.

What they probably failed to realize is that (especially at the gate) there must be cameras recording everyone who passes through.

JanFrederick is correct. Why would they be allowed in en-mass in the age of cell phones, etc.? At the most, let one person in (Escorted) and the other nine stay outside (Escorted). The person who made that descision is probably going to be meeting with his / her managers.

mlnem4s said:

American's are far too sensitive!!

Yes. Likening Blackness to criminality (even with a connecting stop in poverty) is SOOOO harmless.

mlnem4s said:

American's are far too sensitive!!

And nots goods at grammerses![insert unnecessary exclamation points here]

RCMAC: Thank you for bringing a different perspective. It's hard for me to wrap my brain around concluding a person's race based on their name* but I get, now, that people in other countries have different views on the matter.

*Friends and family know me as Will, based on my middle name. At doctors offices, it's easier to go by my first name: Duane. Several years ago, the receptionist called for Duane. I went up. "You're Duane?" she asked. I said "Yes". "But -- you're not black" was her response.

slithernoggin said: "But -- you're not black" was her response.

"Been that way for three DAYS. Why do you think I'm here?"

ApolloAndy said:

mlnem4s said:

American's are far too sensitive!!

Yes. Likening Blackness to criminality (even with a connecting stop in poverty) is SOOOO harmless.

And then backtracking beautifully...

slithernoggin said: Several years ago, the receptionist called for Duane. I went up. "You're Duane?" she asked. I said "Yes". "But -- you're not black" was her response.

"You're Donna Chang?"

How topical, that very episode was on last night.

I know I deserve to be made fun of and poked at, and for that I will take my licks.

Just wanted everyone to know that I re-read the entire article and then read all the replies to it following up to my first post. It looks so stupid now that l'm looking at it again. I was a complete idiot. Don't want to seem like I'm dragging this on but I do have to admit when Im wrong and when I've made a mistake. It was a stupid post and not thought through at all. Impulse post for sure. The name really did throw my off, and Im still trying figure out why I assumed the writer was attacking black people. Also why I thought the writer was strengthening a stereotype. Stupid guys, Im sorry.

I'm surprised nobody asked if the family was related to Timber-rider. The temper of some of the people on this site, just drives me nuts. It seems like nobody can make a comment without getting jumped on. Sure it was out of line to make the suggestion, but, no reason to turn it into a huge debate. People do stupid things, and people should know by now that race has nothing to do with it.

I think there should be equal focus on the parks mistake of allowing these people through the gate without questioning why they were there. A friend of mine used to do that all the time. he never paid to see a movie by telling the usher that he already paid for his ticket, and friends were waiting for him to return,saying that he just left to use the restroom. Then, when that movie was over, he just blended into the exit crowd, and walked right into another theater to see that movie free as well. He was also a master at avoiding paying bar cover.

I actually got to see half a Britany Spears concert, by telling the usher that I was looking for my friends daughter. That was the truth. I was looking for my friends 14 year old daughter at the concert. But, how do you find a 14 year old girl in a concert arena filled with thousands of 14 year old girls. If I wanted to, I could have watched the whole concert for free! As nobody questioned me. Walked in right during OOps I did it again!!

As for Canada. I have been to Toronto and Montreal, and the difference between how people act towards one another is amazing. You can walk down the street in downtown Toronto at 3 in the morning, and feel safe, and also be walking with 100s of other people who are out and about. Try that at the same time in Detroit. I don't even have to comment.

Timber-Rider said:

It seems like nobody can make a comment without getting jumped on.

I think you're confusing "nobody" with yourself, and "jumped on" with disagreement.

I don't think he understands the point of a message board.

"I post here once or twice a month. You guys need to change!"

I can see why race is such a touchy subject in America especially when I see stories like this:

https://ca.yahoo.com/news/blogs/daily-buzz/lowes-driver-kept-from-m...46230.html

No wonder I read stories sometimes and cant tell if the writer is being bashful (which neither were in this one nor the thread story), but its so easy to misconstrue sometimes when reading. This had nothing to do with the topic but this story still lets you know how bad discrimination is in some places.