OK, bit of a moany one today. Well...not so moany but ranty. Sometimes we all need to get things off of our chests and that's what I'm doing here today! You may disagree with me, you may get offended (but I'll try my best to keep it civil), all I ask is that if you do have any feelings after reading this, just comment below on here or on Facebook and let's have a proper old school debate about it.
Anyway, deep breath, here we go.
The Whinging
Oh god. The incessant, non-stop whinging. Mostly from fanboys who can't see past the end of their nose (more on that later) but my god, I know we're a moany old bunch of arseholes but it seems recently that we've taken the moaning to a new level. Park announces new ride, enthusiasts whinge. Park doesn't announce a new ride, enthusiasts whinge. The poor old parks can do nothing right it seems, and even when they as much as fart the coaster community is down their necks like a bunch of vultures. *Slaps wrists* STOP IT! I want you all to take five minutes to sulk in the corner of your room next time you feel the urge to whinge and then return to your keyboard. And yes, I see the irony of whinging about people whinging, and I'm not sorry.
The Lack of Debate
OK, so I'll admit this HAS gotten better recently, but I don't know whether that's because I've migrated more towards different groups. I'm (I hate to admit it) edging towards the older side of the coaster enthusiast spectrum and as such remember these fossils known as forums where we've often enjoy heated debates about the theme park industry, often for weeks at a time. And there was no animosity. It never (really) got personal and was often well structured and well argued. This doesn't have the same effect on Facebook and you either have precious flowers claiming somebody has upset them or the other extreme of some ogre calling your mum a whore because they disagree with your coaster taste.
Fanboys
If I have to look at another picture of the construction site of SW8 at Alton Towers I might hang myself. Yes, of course it's exciting. NEW WOOD! I'm excited, but I don't need daily pictures of dirt and steel to masturbate over. And this very much ties in with the above two moans. Trying to argue with fanboys is pretty much like smacking your head against a wall and an activity I try to avoid for the most part because often these people are so blinded by their own fanboyishness that it's impossible for them to see reason - often resulting in rage-fuelled insult slinging in the comments.
Stupidity
So, when I first started out on CoasterForce I went in with a very basic level of knowledge. I was aware of this, but I was honest about it and open and willing to learn. At the risk of sounding like a moany old cow, what the hell happened? The newbies nowadays are so bloody arrogant and argumentative! I guess it's just how the internet has evolved, but I'd never have dreamed to tell somebody they were wrong when they clearly had more knowledge and experience than me. It's crazy to me how often I've (shamefully) found myself arguing with 14 year olds about why spending £200 on Olympia Looping means you have no grounds to stand on when you're claiming you can't afford to go abroad to visit different park. Face. Palm.
Lack of Wanderlust
When I hear younger or less well travelled enthusiasts complaining 'oh I'll never get to go there' when it comes to theme parks it really gets my blood boiling. When I was younger it was less 'I wish' and more 'one day I'll go'. The difference was the determination. There seems to be an assumption that those of us who do travel have it all paid for by our parents or something, when in reality it's just the result of bloody hard work and saving. If you want to go somewhere enough, save the money and bloody-well go! I appreciate there will be some people for whom this is not possible due to life situations and such, but honestly in my experience those people tend not to be the ones complaining.
And breathe. Those are some things I needed to get off of my chest. Scroll through any theme park Facebook group now and I guarantee you'll come across at least 50% of these. So please, let's all take a step back, put on our grown-up hats and try to spark a little more positivity back into the coaster enthusiast community. I'm not exempt from this either by the way, in case any of you were wondering!
Talk later xoxo,
2 comments
Well said!!! Loving this blog and all it contains! Keep it up!!!
ReplyDeleteFantastic read, thanks!
ReplyDelete