Thanks for the backup--sort of. We like and have been coming to WDW for forty years. However, there are lots of things we don't care for that the powers that be have done or not done over the years. Plus there are a couple of current practices we find very annoying. (To say the least.)
That said, we tend to see things in shades of gray, not just in black and white. There are many reasons from corporate practices, demographics of the visiting public, to an ever changing society to explain why things are the way they are or perceived to be. We may not like all the reasons or practices involved, but that does not change the fact that they are there and we are, at least for the time being, stuck with them. Given time, all things do change. Will all of us like the changes? Probably not.
After reading well over three hundred pages of Spirit posts and replies, one thing found is that some posters seem to take great offense if they think someone does not agree with their position on whatever. They are certainly entitled to feel as they do, but others should also be allowed to have an opinion or make an observation without essentially being told they belong elsewhere or that they are flat out wrong. That fits no definition of a "discussion" of which I am aware. If this observation makes me a thorn in someone's side, so be it.
Please recall your original post that started this particular discussion:
News Flash! Life is too short to focus on what is wrong with things in an amusement park. People are supposed to go there to enjoy themselves. If they can no longer enjoy the experience, they shouldn't be there. Of course, some people's enjoyment may be in the act of finding fault.
To be fair, with increasing crowds, the necessary amount of planning and never ending extra costs, enjoyment is becoming somewhat harder to find even without focusing on entertainment, attractions and rides.
However, no matter what they do or don't do,the parks are never going to please everyone, but a person can focus on what is coming that may be better to their liking. Look for the positives.
Effectively, your opinion is that everyone should stop complaining because "life is too short".
Yet in your most recent post, you write "others should also be allowed to have an opinion or make an observation without essentially being told they belong elsewhere or that they are flat out wrong". Effectively, you're telling everyone that you should have the right to express your opinion of other people's opinions, but that no one else has the right to express their opinion about your opinion.
You seem to be applying a double-standard. It appears you want to critique others yet expect no one to critique you.
The upside of a discussion forum such as this is that people are allowed to express varying opinions on many Disney-related topics as long as the discussion remains relatively civil, even if it becomes passionate.
The downside of a discussion forum such as this is that not everyone is going to agree with you. In fact, sometimes others will vehemently disagree with you.
Discussion means exactly that: discussion.
If you start a discussion, then I respectfully suggest you mentally prepare yourself for the idea that others might discuss it. Taking this one step further, I also suggest that you mentally prepare yourself for the idea that others might not agree with you.
I'll disagree with your original post and suggest that life is too short
not to complain. Any consumer who doesn't complain about a product that is not to her or his liking is a fool. Quoting what you wrote, no consumer should ever feel they are "stuck with them". That's not how the free-market works.
I'll take it one step further and suggest that in a free-market economy, customer complaints often are highly beneficial to the company receiving them. How am I supposed to know how to improve my product (and sell more!) if the customer doesn't provide feedback? I'd much rather have them tell me what's wrong and have the chance to keep their business, rather than them go silent and lose their business. I'll also suggest that people are naive if they think Disney doesn't monitor discussion forums such as these.
My opinion might not be to your liking. That's OK; I'm ready for your response.
Before I post something, I usually run through a mental exercise, asking myself: "What are the potential reactions and how will I respond?" Sometimes, I have drafted and then deleted posts without hitting the "Post Reply" button after deciding that I didn't have the inclination to go through the resulting mental thrust-and-parry swordplay.
If you believe you have a right to express your opinion on these threads, then I suggest that others have the right to express theirs, and they might do so in a way that's not to your liking.
Please apply the same standards to others as you apply to yourself.
