Has anyone ever thought you'd be better off not visiting these boards?

[BruceWayne]

I completely agree with the OP. There have been times when I have been on these boards just to check out the picture of the day threads and I come across some thread titled "TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE WITH DISNEY" or "THE WAND IS AWFUL LOOK HOW IT RUINS EVERYTHING". You get the idea....

I get that people want to talk about customer service issues and what not, but some of the things people complain about on boards like this are utterly ridiculous. I won't go into detail about everything I find asinine that people complain about, but the long and the short of it is simple: People need to enjoy Disney and realize that Disney is not life and there are much bigger things to worry about than if you don't like a ride, building, or the price of Coke.

I'm not saying no one should complain at all, but the vigor with which some people on here complain is completely depressing.

Surely there is more to their life than Disney...right?

 

[Crazy4WDW1]

No, I enjoy the boards. I just take what the complainers say with a grain of salt. If I don't like what posters are saying on a particular thread, then I just move on.

I've gained valuable information from the WDW fans on this board. I look forward to learning something new every day!!

 

[BruceWayne]

The GREAT irony is that many of these "biggest" critics are in the parks WEEKLY Why would anyone so disappointed in something spend so much time there?? :brick:. For icing, consider that more than a few are ex-CM's and a number of those were fired by the mouse for exhibiting the kind of behavior they rail against. Knowing that those "emperors" have no clothes makes some of that negativism humorous in an odd kind of way....

I just wanted to say... Great post! You are exactly right on every level.

You could look at it two ways: Why do the people who go weekly still go if there is so much to complain about and why would you go weekly if it is going to get you so beaten down and unappreciative that all you can do is complain?

Everything else you said about the biggest critics, former employees, and so forth is spot on. There are a lot of very bitter bettys on this board.

Thank you for being so wise.

 

[smk]

I have found many things, interesting things out from the posters on this board. Recently I have had to shake my head and laugh at some of the questions that have been asked. I find some of them mundane and really silly, like how to get from one place to the next and where to keep a key. I think if I put that much planning into a vacation I would lose my mind. I like to go and relax, not run from place to place. For example: I really don't care what room I get at the resort would never call ahead and ask for a specific room or to be upgraded. I would never eat at Victoria and Alberts (way too much money to spend on a meal) but do I expect others wouldn't want those things? NO. If a person wants to know all about a place before they go then so be it, and this forum would certainly be the place to get all the details!

 

[shoppingnut]

I enjoy the boards and the information that is on them. I read what I want to read and ignore the constant complainers because they are never happy with anything.

 

[ryguy]

I can see both sides to this argument. I remember one trip freaking out about the CBR because everywhere I read how dirty the place was. When I got there it was fine. One thing I think people tend to overlook is the fact that just because someone says something negative about a ride or hotel, people assume the worst. Everyone on the board is entitled to express there thoughts whether we agree with them or not. The problem is that someone gets ticked off and emotional and flames the person and they we start a slippery slope of insults and personal attacks rather than having a intelligent conversation.
For example; Merf does a lot of great things for this site, I have no doubt he loves WDW just as much as anyone here. Just because he thinks the new Spaceship earth falls short doesn't mean he doesn't love WDW, he's just expressing his dissappointment. Unfortuntately people have pinned him down as someone who is always negative, I don't believe thats accurate. My advise would be to chill out and not take everything so litterally, there are bigger things in life to worry about than WDWMagic.com. Remember its important to take everything here with a grain of salt, if you don't your setting yourself up for many dissappointments.
PS
Great post, I think you did a great job expressing your thoughts about a topic that a lot of people wrestle with on these boards. I wish more people could take the time when creating a thread.

 

[Master Yoda]

I found myself falling into that same negative trap when I first joined this site. It was back in the days of General Grizz and the D-Army and while I liked Grizz and respected his opinions I realized that he was a bastion of negativity and his sole purpose was to make others share his views. For a short time I began to do just that. I was looking at Disney with a microscope and nothing looks good that close. I took a step back and realized that I was beginning to dislike something that at one time I loved so much. Right then I made the decision not to be a clone of the General but to be myself. To look at the good and push aside the bad. A paint chip does not make Disney any less magical, the person that dwells on it does. I was not going to be that person.

 

[mousermerf]

Just because I see myself being painted with a broad brush from a distance.. by the nearsighted.. in the impressionistic style.. at night... in poor light...

First off, i was never fired. I quit to go back to college and got a lecture about "we really need more people like you" thank you very much.

Second, people need to learn to be themselves. It's an overall character trait. Don't let other people bulldoze you. People seen as controversial or anything here are really just the ones with strong opinions who ae willing to express them. Really, we're all just typing here.

I'm all about people expressing their -own- opinion in their own way. Not regurgitating someone else, what their friend says or what is cool to say or what the big man on campus says. If a person expresses their own opinion with well formed facts and reasoning for it, i'm all up for hearing it.

Problem is, many people are ill-informed when they first start out here and often have merely adopted the opinions of others rather then really formulating their own opinions. So, yes, they will be roundly criticized.

The D-army was brought up. I don't have a website dedicated to the negative or anything, but i do feel ignoring the negative is the wrong direction. I think acknowledging it is accepting it so changes can be made. Brushing it under the rug is denial and denial allows it to fester and become worse. Look at what happened to DL before the 50th - and heck, look at DL now, it IS getting worse as the 50th fades away. I don't want that for WDW.

So, i do discuss the bad when it's bad. But, i do point out the good. I take tons of photos of the good. I'm always happy with good. I don't get any credit for the good I don't know why, i like good, i'm happy with good, i enjoy good, i write long happy haiku's about good and no one thinks good even enters my mind - but i do like good and express the good. Really, most of my photo updates are about the good.

But, no one thinks i do "good." Who was it that said i was two faced? Maybe i'm just multi-faceted?

Maybe there's more then just one side to the story *shrug*

 

[wannab@dis]

Just because I see myself being painted with a broad brush from a distance.. by the nearsighted.. in the impressionistic style.. at night... in poor light...

:zipit:

Delusions of granduer? :lookaroun

 

[mousermerf]

:zipit:

Delusions of granduer? :lookaroun

Few people go as often as i do, so its safe to say i'm being discussed.

 

[kshark]

No, I enjoy the boards. I just take what the complainers say with a grain of salt. If I don't like what posters are saying on a particular thread, then I just move on.

I've gained valuable information from the WDW fans on this board. I look forward to learning something new every day!!

COULDNT AGREE MORE!

 

[Fun2BFree]

:zipit:

Delusions of grandeur? :lookaroun

Fixed. Because I have delusions of grammar. :lol:

 

[ClemsonTigger]

I can see both sides to this argument. I remember one trip freaking out about the CBR because everywhere I read how dirty the place was. When I got there it was fine. One thing I think people tend to overlook is the fact that just because someone says something negative about a ride or hotel, people assume the worst. Everyone on the board is entitled to express there thoughts whether we agree with them or not. The problem is that someone gets ticked off and emotional and flames the person and they we start a slippery slope of insults and personal attacks rather than having a intelligent conversation.
For example; Merf does a lot of great things for this site, I have no doubt he loves WDW just as much as anyone here. Just because he thinks the new Spaceship earth falls short doesn't mean he doesn't love WDW, he's just expressing his dissappointment. Unfortuntately people have pinned him down as someone who is always negative, I don't believe thats accurate. My advise would be to chill out and not take everything so litterally, there are bigger things in life to worry about than WDWMagic.com. Remember its important to take everything here with a grain of salt, if you don't your setting yourself up for many dissappointments.
PS
Great post, I think you did a great job expressing your thoughts about a topic that a lot of people wrestle with on these boards. I wish more people could take the time when creating a thread.

Funny you should mention that excellent example. One tirade against SSE is fine, but put it on top of:

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=2733721&postcount=48

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=2696607&postcount=1

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=2665180&postcount=1

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=2682471&postcount=1

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=2686849&postcount=1

and that doesn't begin to touch on all the general posts he shares his wisdom and respect for others in.

 

[wannab@dis]

Fixed. Because I have delusions of grammar. :lol:

Sweet... I always need a spell checker. Glad to use your service. :wave:

 

[mousermerf]

Funny you should mention that excellent example. One tirade against SSE is fine, but put it on top of:

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=2733721&postcount=48

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=2696607&postcount=1

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=2665180&postcount=1

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=2682471&postcount=1

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=2686849&postcount=1

and that doesn't begin to touch on all the general posts he shares his wisdom and respect for others in.

If you're really bored, you can sit around with maggiegrace and photodave and go through all 7000+ of my posts and sort them into "Good" "Negative" "Insulting" or "Helpful" or "Funny" or "Unfunny" and tell me which is more prominent.

I'd really like to know.

 

[mousermerf]

Funny ... (blah blah blah....)

Clemson, you really should make sure you're squeaky clean before calling someone out.

I looked through our post really briefly. In your last 300 posts you've not contributed a single thing to the forum related to WDW aside from a snarky comment in a few wdw threads. You play word association games and put other people down. That's it. That's you.

I have a stone, where's your glass house?

 

[ClemsonTigger]

Unfortunately it took me very little time to compile that list.

It would be nice if you stuck to your trip reports and pictures. A much more pleasant "facet" of your personality.

As for the other "stuff", read the comments on Jim Hill in the Night Kingdom thread. It's not always what you say, but how you say it. Using absolutes is almost a sure way to be wrong, likewise using inflammatory wording. You are also correct about "balance" not being fair. Half or two thirds or more of your posts can be very helpful, average discussions, but a handful of manic tirades will taint the rest of the decent work.

This ain't WDWDisney etiquette, this is life etiquette. Hope you are able to see that and adapt accordingly

 

[wannab@dis]

Clemson, you really should make sure you're squeaky clean before calling someone out.

I looked through our post really briefly. In your last 300 posts you've not contributed a single thing to the forum related to WDW aside from a snarky comment in a few wdw threads. You play word association games and put other people down. That's it. That's you.

I have a stone, where's your glass house?

Seems familiar... :lookaroun

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=234278&postcount=144

 

[Master Yoda]

Just because I see myself being painted with a broad brush from a distance.. by the nearsighted.. in the impressionistic style.. at night... in poor light...

First off, i was never fired. I quit to go back to college and got a lecture about "we really need more people like you" thank you very much.

Second, people need to learn to be themselves. It's an overall character trait. Don't let other people bulldoze you. People seen as controversial or anything here are really just the ones with strong opinions who ae willing to express them. Really, we're all just typing here.

I'm all about people expressing their -own- opinion in their own way. Not regurgitating someone else, what their friend says or what is cool to say or what the big man on campus says. If a person expresses their own opinion with well formed facts and reasoning for it, i'm all up for hearing it.

Problem is, many people are ill-informed when they first start out here and often have merely adopted the opinions of others rather then really formulating their own opinions. So, yes, they will be roundly criticized.

The D-army was brought up. I don't have a website dedicated to the negative or anything, but i do feel ignoring the negative is the wrong direction. I think acknowledging it is accepting it so changes can be made. Brushing it under the rug is denial and denial allows it to fester and become worse. Look at what happened to DL before the 50th - and heck, look at DL now, it IS getting worse as the 50th fades away. I don't want that for WDW.

So, i do discuss the bad when it's bad. But, i do point out the good. I take tons of photos of the good. I'm always happy with good. I don't get any credit for the good I don't know why, i like good, i'm happy with good, i enjoy good, i write long happy haiku's about good and no one thinks good even enters my mind - but i do like good and express the good. Really, most of my photo updates are about the good.

But, no one thinks i do "good." Who was it that said i was two faced? Maybe i'm just multi-faceted?

Maybe there's more then just one side to the story *shrug*

You bring up some very good points merf. The thing is that some people, you included, tend to see things a little too black and white. Every problem does not need to be treated equally. Some things should be swept under the rug so to speak...providing that they fit. If I go to GMR and I see one of the hundreds of lights at the start burned out that will fit under the rug. If I go again and the same bulb along with 50 others are burned out that is too much to sweep under and the issue should be addressed. I have always heard that for every negative thing you say (yes legitimate criticism counts as negative) you need to say ten positive things to offset it. When you go way outside of that ratio the good things get lost in a din of criticism. I do not question your love for Disney but I do think that you have gotten a little to close to it and much of what catches your attention are those little problems. Take a step back. Look at Disney with your kid glasses on. Start to love Disney again and don't be afraid to sweep that little pile of dust under the rug.

 

[ClemsonTigger]

Clemson, you really should make sure you're squeaky clean before calling someone out.

I looked through our post really briefly. In your last 300 posts you've not contributed a single thing to the forum related to WDW aside from a snarky comment in a few wdw threads. You play word association games and put other people down. That's it. That's you.

I have a stone, where's your glass house?

Again merf, your absolutes will be your undoing...

http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=2733337&postcount=32
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=2733237&postcount=29
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=2727752&postcount=11
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=2732560&postcount=32
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=2727879&postcount=2
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/showpost.php?p=2730390&postcount=4

I'm sorry I don't meet your criteria for "contributing"
...and as for a silly non Disney word association game on the site, guilty!

Have a magical day!

Go ahead and throw!