Since when did being a jerk become a theme park strategy?

[larryz]

Well, in the interest of full disclosure ...

I didn't run through those gates until August of 1955. I was twelve. And lived almost three thousand (pre-interstate) miles away. But, following my grandfather's death in early December of 1954, my grandmother bought a shiny new Pontiac (a huge, gray barge of a thing) and announced that we (she and my father, my mother, my aunt, my brother and I) were going to California (the trip that my grandfather had always wanted to take with his family). And we went in August because my grandmother was, among many things, a farmer, and she wanted us to see the country's harvest.

Disneyland was not on her agenda. I'm not sure that she'd even heard of it. But the rest of us certainly had.

One of my maternal aunts, her husband (whose own family of recently-immigrated Swedes had settled primarily in Illinois) and their two little boys lived in Oxnard. And I'm certain that by the end of that summer they cursed the name Disney in two languages. Because the six of us must have been the fourth or fifth group of suddenly-very-close relatives to arrive on the doorstep of their small three-bedroom home that summer.

My uncle has always said that he had never been so grateful for his scandinavian stoicism as he was in 1955.

We took a week to drive out from West Virginia. A week to drive back. And stayed a week on the coast. Knott's Berry Farm and Corriganville took a day. Los Angeles (and Hollywood) another. A third was spent with my father's former co-pilot in Ventura. A fourth driving up the coast to Santa Barbara. A fifth was filled with off-shore fishing (for select adults - my grandmother was also a mean fisherman) and a fabulous smorgasbord and the sixth, finally (For Pete's Sake!) ... at California's most amazing creation. And on the seventh day we, biblically, napped.

I've flown across the country since. And traveled a little here and there. And I do love Disney World. But no vacation, and no place, has ever come close to being, for me, as magical as was that trip and that still-raw Disneyland.

As for 'adorable'? That was kind ...

And I do still have a couple of poodle skirts and a few of those matched sweater sets (the cardigans, when worn alone, correctly buttoned up the back). My single strand of pearls. And a very well-preserved pair of saddle oxfords (my favorite).

So, do you suppose, if I wore a large 1955 button on my sweater and my Mickey Mouse watch and ears, that anyone at next year's Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party would get it?

But it would take me longer than from now until then to train up to even a short sprint. So, I think I'd just skip.

ETA: It seems to me that my own generation has a curiously split personality. That those of us born just before or during WWII (and who completed our secondary education in the very early 1960s), while definitely spoiled, have nevertheless always been more than a little in awe of the two truly remarkable generations before us - if imitation is the most sincere form of flattery then, no matter how poor the end product, our very flattered parents and grandparents can never doubt our sincerity - and found watching our 'grown-ups' (and many of their mores and manners) fade from public and private dominance unnerving. In short, I think that many of us preferred being kept to ... keeping.

On the other hand, I don't think that anyone would dispute that those of our siblings born after the war ended in 1945 gave new meaning to the word rebellion. And to say that they couldn't wait to run the world (and to rearrange or replace its social tapestries) would be monumental understatement. Things, to put it mildly, changed.

Now, it's our turn to exit stage left (mostly ... ) and I hope that I live long enough to see what our kids ultimately do with the place.

But, if this thread is any indication, constants remain. For instance, in our family whining has been met for generations with the question "You know what ...?" To which the only acceptable answer is "Yeah ... I'll live."

You should write a book...

 

[larryz]

Karma...

My favorite bumper sticker: "My Karma ran over my Dogma."

 

[siskaren]

November? I thought the Disney marathon was in January. Is there a different one in November?

The Wine and Dine Half Marathon is on November 7. From January 7-10 there's a 5K, 10K, half marathon and full marathon.

 

[cart-mom]

Honestly, I think YouTube is proof positive that rudeness comes in all ages. No need to beat each other up on here. We are all here to commiserate and share our stories/experiences however awesome or gross. For the record, my family witnessed a woman changing a diaper on a table at Columbia harbour house just a few feet from a bathroom. Needless to say, we all lost our appetites at that moment.

Let's play nice

 

[DVCcurious]

Wait....is this thread about being a jerk, doing gross stuff, or boobs?

I want to make sure I remain on topic.

There was this woman with huge boobs pushing people as she walked through the hub while she was picking her nose.

I nailed all three of them in one sentence!

 

[EmilyS90]

I see an appalling example set by many parents today of the 35-45 age crowd. So many were raised by parents who told them they were so super special and no one should be telling them what to do that they bought into their own press. They need to learn that you don't always get to be, or have to be first. It's not a contest and there is no prize at the end, not even a trophy or a certificate.

To be honest I see so much more entitled attitudes in that age group than any other. And in the generation before that. I don't get it. But I don't really think they were the "everyone gets a trophy" generation. So I don't know where the entitlement is coming from.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Wait....is this thread about being a jerk, doing gross stuff, or boobs?

I want to make sure I remain on topic.

There was this woman with huge boobs pushing people as she walked through the hub while she was picking her nose.

I nailed all three of them in one sentence!

How old was she?

 

[MrKnight]

This is terrible! I'm sorry to hear that your poor son was a victim of this craziness.. I agree with you, as stated by a PP I think a combination of higher-than-ever prices, pre-planning (FP+, ADRs, etc), and the environmental factors (Florida heat, long queues, etc) have made some people become more entitled than normal on their Disney vacations, not to mention unaware of their surroundings.

 

[fly girl]

To be honest I see so much more entitled attitudes in that age group than any other. And in the generation before that. I don't get it. But I don't really think they were the "everyone gets a trophy" generation. So I don't know where the entitlement is coming from.

Really? Why do this all over again. Good gravy.

This has been beaten to death. Poor OP's thread has been hijacked enough already.

ALL AGES can be jerks! Period.

 

[EmilyS90]

Really? Why do this all over again. Good gravy.

This has been beaten to death. Poor OP's thread has been hijacked enough already.

ALL AGES can be jerks! Period.

Sorry if I upset you. I'd only started the thread today and was just agreeing with the person based on what I'd seen at the parks and in a lot of tourist-type places. Not trying to start or re-start a war!

 

[fly girl]

Sorry if I upset you. I'd only started the thread today and was just agreeing with the person based on what I'd seen at the parks and in a lot of tourist-type places. Not trying to start or re-start a war!

You didn't upset me at all! It's all good.

I'm standing by my statement though...ALL AGES can be jerks.

Singling out a demographic just leads to an uproar and it is really silly. I find it ludicrous to pin the bad behavior on a small demographic when it's clearly not true. Even if it wasn't my generation, I find it unfair.

Moving on ...

 

[sersee05]

Lol...yes the.point is to quote Spongebob..."Dont be jerk".

 

[sersee05]

A@

Lol oops ! Don't know how I did this

 

[Summertinkerbell]

Wait....is this thread about being a jerk, doing gross stuff, or boobs?

I want to make sure I remain on topic.

There was this woman with huge boobs pushing people as she walked through the hub while she was picking her nose.

I nailed all three of them in one sentence!

You just made me actually "Laugh Out Loud!"

 

[sersee05]

I really was just venting. I know people are jerks every where. One poster called me a whiner. Whatever. Im venting about Disney on a disney board. I have not seen any rules that state we can only write positive remarks about disney. There were some things I was disappointed with at Disney. I didnt discuss those.

I was pissed that someone could knock over my kid.. It wasnt a light tap. I would have felt better if he at least said sorry or helped up my son. But no. He was concerned with his business.

I understand people are jerks everywhere. But I'm venting about what happened at disney. I normally don't have people running and knocking my kids down to get somewhere.

I know there is every excuse in the book as to why it could have happened. But, I was hot too. I was also tired. I had some place to be after the show too. But I didn't push anyone out of the way to get where I needed.

Anyway.. I added the poop incident because...lol that truly shocked me.

Hearing about someone using their boobs as a people mover cracked me up.

I don't mind being hijacked... I didn't state an age range though. Not at all. ..just to make sure that is clarified.

And if someone doesn't like that I started a thread to vent, you aren't required to read it or post. I think it's funny to complain about my complaining.

 

[fly girl]

You have every right to vent! I would've been ticked too. And where better than the Dis for people to feel your angst! What that guy did was not only wrong, but shocking. You barrel over a kid and keep going? Yep, you are a jerk of the first order!


And there are some out there that if you say anything negative about Disney you'll get attacked. They drink the koolaid and you'll never change them. (I created a thread a while back on the restaurant board about over rated food. I got accusations of being a bully about it. Hilarious.)


No worries @sersee05 your post gave us entertainment and drama. That's what the boards are all about!


When is your vacation over? Hope you get a few more days to make some great no jerk or utterly gross memories!

 

[sersee05]

Thanks fly girl! We ended today. I'm still in the car..lol

We did have very good days. Ak the first day was great! It was rainy..lol who knew I'd hope for rain. It made it so much better!
Most of the vacation was great!

 

[fly girl]

Thanks fly girl! We ended today. I'm still in the car..lol

We did have very good days. Ak the first day was great! It was rainy..lol who knew I'd hope for rain. It made it so much better!
Most of the vacation was great!

Sounds like you had a great time, despite some crazy events.


Safe travels home!

 

[JoshuaShaw]

You should write a book...

I would buy it.

 

[Dentam]

Well, in the interest of full disclosure ...

I didn't run through those gates until August of 1955. I was twelve. And lived almost three thousand (pre-interstate) miles away. But, following my grandfather's death in early December of 1954, my grandmother bought a shiny new Pontiac (a huge, gray barge of a thing) and announced that we (she and my father, my mother, my aunt, my brother and I) were going to California (the trip that my grandfather had always wanted to take with his family). And we went in August because my grandmother was, among many things, a farmer, and she wanted us to see the country's harvest.

Disneyland was not on her agenda. I'm not sure that she'd even heard of it. But the rest of us certainly had.

One of my maternal aunts, her husband (whose own family of recently-immigrated Swedes had settled primarily in Illinois) and their two little boys lived in Oxnard. And I'm certain that by the end of that summer they cursed the name Disney in two languages. Because the six of us must have been the fourth or fifth group of suddenly-very-close relatives to arrive on the doorstep of their small three-bedroom home that summer.

My uncle has always said that he had never been so grateful for his scandinavian stoicism as he was in 1955.

We took a week to drive out from West Virginia. A week to drive back. And stayed a week on the coast. Knott's Berry Farm and Corriganville took a day. Los Angeles (and Hollywood) another. A third was spent with my father's former co-pilot in Ventura. A fourth driving up the coast to Santa Barbara. A fifth was filled with off-shore fishing (for select adults - my grandmother was also a mean fisherman) and a fabulous smorgasbord and the sixth, finally (For Pete's Sake!) ... at California's most amazing creation. And on the seventh day we, biblically, napped.

I've flown across the country since. And traveled a little here and there. And I do love Disney World. But no vacation, and no place, has ever come close to being, for me, as magical as was that trip and that still-raw Disneyland.

As for 'adorable'? That was kind ...

And I do still have a couple of poodle skirts and a few of those matched sweater sets (the cardigans, when worn alone, correctly buttoned up the back). My single strand of pearls. And a very well-preserved pair of saddle oxfords (my favorite).

So, do you suppose, if I wore a large 1955 button on my sweater and my Mickey Mouse watch and ears, that anyone at next year's Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party would get it?

But it would take me longer than from now until then to train up to even a short sprint. So, I think I'd just skip.

ETA: It seems to me that my own generation has a curiously split personality. That those of us born just before or during WWII (and who completed our secondary education in the very early 1960s), while definitely spoiled, have nevertheless always been more than a little in awe of the two truly remarkable generations before us. If imitation is the most sincere form of flattery then, no matter how poor the end product, our very flattered parents and grandparents could never doubt our sincerity. And we found watching our 'grown-ups' (and many of their mores and manners) fade from public and private dominance unnerving. In short, I think that many of us preferred being kept to ... keeping.

On the other hand, I don't think that anyone would dispute that those of our siblings born after the war ended in 1945 gave new meaning to the word rebellion. And to say that they couldn't wait to run the world (and to rearrange or replace its social tapestries) would be monumental understatement. Things, to put it mildly, changed.

Now, it's our turn to exit stage left (mostly ... ) and I hope that I live long enough to see what our kids ultimately do with the place.

But, if this thread is any indication, constants remain. For instance, in our family whining has been met for generations with the question "You know what ...?" To which the only acceptable answer is "Yeah ... I'll live."

I enjoyed reading this! You have a talent for writing!