The Complaints of the Privleged

[sheetz]

Generally speaking, when reading reviews for consumer goods and services I find that it's the negative reviews that are far more useful than the positive ones. Even if I think some of the complaints are silly I can decide that for myself when reading the reviews. And when the same complaint is repeated over and over that's probably an issue that I should be paying extra attention to.

 

[Missyrose]

My mother fought ovarian cancer for seven years before dying from it 10 years ago. I've battled more serious health problems than every other 31 year old that I know combined.

Bottom line? I don't need to be lectured about the big picture. I come to a Disney message board to discuss Disney planning. If you don't like the threads you're seeing, don't read them or take a break from the boards.

 

[JanaDee]

I don't think people totally understand the point I am making...

There are obviously legitimate complaints about service. Of course, if you go to a restaurant and order something a specific way and it comes out another asking for a replacement is logical. I'm a vegetarian, and quite frequently I have to ask for replacements because restaurants try to put chicken on every salad that comes out of the kitchen.

The point being... there are many who just complain, complain, complain, and they don't take the time to realize how lucky they are. I am using privilege not in terms of first and third world sense (although, those terms are not PC anymore, developed/developing are the current PC terms). I am using privilege in the sense of privileged groups who have access to experiences because of that privilege... (in the case of WDW it would be money, mobility, etc...)

Maybe, I'm just tired of reading complaintfests on here. I'm not talking about those inquiring about things. It is one thing to inquire about the crowds at WDW, and another to post a compliant about how it ruined your vacation that you had to wait in lines. Umm... You're at WDW! Seriously! Or the people who are blaming FP+ for ruining their vacations. Again, it's ridiculous. You can post about your experiences (even the bad ones) without complaining.

At what point do we have your permission to complain about our trips? How much can we dislike it before we're allowed to say something? How many things have to go wrong in our lives before we're allowed to say "this sucks"?

About the time I hit 30, I stopped worrying about what other people thought about my opinions. If you don't like them (and many others like mine), you can easily skip the threads.

 

[Muddypaws]

A Disney World vacation is a commodity that we pay for like pretty much everything else. Are we fortunate to be there? Yes, without a doubt. However, my family scrimps and saves all year long in order to afford to escape winter for a couple of weeks a year. For the last few years we have chosen to give our money to Disney World since we thought that the value we have gotten for our money was worth it. Value is very much on a sliding scale, though, and the needle seems to be dropping at an alarming rate when it comes to Disney World. We are already locked into this year's vacation unfortunately, or we would be spending our money on a different destination. A company the size of Disney that takes almost a year to get its million dollar generating web site (yes, it was pretty much that long before we got the new site to work correctly in Canada) has absolutely no business making these kinds of sweeping technological changes in the time frame that they are trying to do it. If the new system is working for some people, then great for them. The sheer number of complaints and confusion, though, seems to strongly suggest that Disney has seriously dropped the ball this time. Who is right or wrong doesn't matter. We all have a right to voice our opinion of a commodity that we are purchasing.

 

[Jennasis]

I can't see how this lecture belongs on this board.

 

[Magpie]

I can turn this around waaay too easily.

Umm... You're at WDW! Seriously!

Umm... You're on the DisBoards! Seriously!

Complaining about the complaining on the DisBoards is no different than complaining about lines at Disney. This is simply what the culture here is like. Complaining about it won't change anything.

And... I can see the irony in the fact that I posted a "complaint" to complain about the complainers..

Exactly. Whenever I get frustrated with all the complaining on the DisBoards, I know it's time to take a break from the boards.

 

[Freezing Cold B]

My mother fought ovarian cancer for seven years before dying from it 10 years ago. I've battled more serious health problems than every other 31 year old that I know combined.

Bottom line? I don't need to be lectured about the big picture. I come to a Disney message board to discuss Disney planning. If you don't like the threads you're seeing, don't read them or take a break from the boards.

I'm sorry for the loss of your mother. I've lost many family members to cancer, and it is a horrible experience for those who fight it and those who are left behind.

Watching someone die with cancer, who was getting ready to visit WDW, was one of the things that helped put everything into perspective for me regarding the way I viewed WDW. One of the last things she said to me was how she wished she would've been able to take her girls there. It really was a turning point in the realization of how incredibly lucky I was to have my health (well... at least good enough to travel), and the opportunity to go.

 

[Freezing Cold B]

I can turn this around waaay too easily.



Umm... You're on the DisBoards! Seriously!

Complaining about the complaining on the DisBoards is no different than complaining about lines at Disney. This is simply what the culture here is like. Complaining about it won't change anything.



Exactly. Whenever I get frustrated with all the complaining on the DisBoards, I know it's time to take a break from the boards.

Touche!

Perhaps, I should apologize for the title "Complaints of the Privileged"... It may be a little overly dramatic. More than anything I was interested in trying to spark self reflection in those who were interested in it, and I figured those who weren't interested would just skip it (as most seem to suggest I do to posts I don't like much).

I should add.. I posted a post that I wish I would've read years ago. It clearly was upsetting to some.. which was not intended. It was not intended so much as a lecture or to be "preaching", although I can see how it could be read that way. It is hard to read someones intentions through text. We are such a visual species.

 

[Son of Gadsden]

Let's not forget these are "discussion forums".

I'm a member of so many forums, I forget the names of them all.

The most typical use I see of forums is to review products.

There are good reviews, there are bad.

If you hate reading complaints, forums are probably a bad place to spend your time.

 

[EMom]

Well this is gonna go over like a fart in church.

Farts in church are a first world problem. Do you know how many people would love to go to church but can't? How many fart-impaired people would give their right arm to be able to less loose with a big old toot, but cannot? Farting in church is something they can only DREAM of, yet you joke about it.

Seriously, it does not appear that some people can grasp that others can simultaneously be thankful for their lot in life, while at the same time legitimately complaining that WDW has screwed up their vacations. Amazingly, they can be both grateful and complain at the same time. Overachievers, I guess......

What's with "Can't you just be thankful to be in WDW?" Ummmm.....no. We're not talkiing the Promised Land here. There are gates, but they are not The Pearly Gates. It is a vacation that you are PAYING for. If it fails to deliver, it is perfectly reasonable to complain.

 

[patty57]

But just because some people aren't so privileged doesn't mean that Disney should now get a pass in the customer service that they're famous for! This isn't about Haves and Have Nots, who can afford what, or how we should be grateful we can go at all. It's about Disney not living up to a customer service model that they've built an empire on! Disney doesn't get a pass just because there are poor people in the world.

Well said.

 

[Freezing Cold B]

Farts in church are a first world problem. Do you know how many people would love to go to church but can't? How many fart-impaired people would give their right arm to be able to less loose with a big old toot, but cannot? Farting in church is something they can only DREAM of, yet you joke about it.

As I already mentioned I'm not talking about "first-world" problems.... Privilege does not equal first-world (not everyone in the first world is privileged). And, again, first-world and third-world are not necessarily the best way to talk about it because you are creating a hierarchy.

As for your concerns about people unable to attend church to fart in there.. perhaps you should start a ride share program? Attendance at church is usually free, the restriction that prevents people from attendance is transportation.

 

[wdw4rfam]

So I guess the DIS is strictly a board for positive only posts from now on.
I personally am sick of the complaints about people who complain. I personally don't complain, just simply stated that we have had a not so great trip the last couple of times, so I'm taking my "privileged family" somewhere else.

 

[goofydad621]

So
I understand what the OP was getting at, I can always find “JOY” just being with my family, my DW and I being able to spend quality time together we both ruin so fast with our schedules etc, Seeing our daughter laughing and being more care free without the homework load or social pressures that can go with being a teen girl these days.
With that said I have no problem making a complaint if things are not correct, Because if no one speaks up how will it get fixed. I think the problem these days is that there is such an undercurrent of anger and visceral rage going on these days that for some people it has gone from voicing a complaint or concern to just out right hatefulness, they read a reply to their post or they reply to a post that they don’t agree with and there is no civility it all, I witness name calling, disparaging remarks about other people’s children or their child raising skills. If they need a GAC or are they just looking to cheat the system. This is not the Disboards I knew when they were first on the WEB (this is my second log in name lost the password for the first) and even though I don’t have a high post count I am around here often, and have been tempted to just stop as it is so negative sometimes.

Taken from the Disboards main for page

“Join thousands of Disney fans on the internet's largest and friendliest Disney Community.” not sure if that is still true

I get that we are here because we are passionate about a place that has allot of memories and sentimental value but the anger level here sometimes can be a bit overwhelming and scary.

Just my two cents (I’ve have had no opinion before so I am grateful to have those 2 cents)

 

[Cyrano]

The sarcasm and baiting of this thread topic is not conducive to the ethos of TPAS.
Closed