[RollerCoasterMommy07]

http://pointbuzz.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=1590

Sandusky
Mental health advocates aren’t crazy about two of Cedar Point’s Halloween attractions.

As part of HalloWeekends, the amusement park has a haunted house and separate show focusing on mental health patients: Dr. D. Mented’s Asylum for the Criminally Insane and The Edge of Madness: Still Crazy.

The attractions promote false stereotypes and misinformation, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. The advocacy group is asking Cedar Point to remove the haunted house and the show immediately.

“Both of these displays suggest that people with mental illness are dangerous and deranged and that the general public should be frightened of such people,” the alliance wrote in a letter to Cedar Point administrators. “Mental illnesses are biological brain disorders, they are diseases.

“Would Cedar Point ever even consider developing a display or attraction that used cancer patients as a means of instilling fear in their guests? We think not. And why is this? Because cancer is a serious disease. We would never want to paint individuals with this terrible disease in an unfavorable light," the letter says in part. “Why then do you feel that it is acceptable to paint individuals suffering from biological brain disorders in an unfavorable light?”

Just thought that it was interesting how people find something wrong with everything nowadays, and are quick to want to shut stuff down.

[coasterdave]

If they think that is bad then they sure would have a stroke if they went to Halloween Horror Nights in Orlando.

[bigdave1050]

Some people are so sensitive these days. Next there will be an "anti" zombie movement at these events, since zombies are usually a result of some sort of disease.

[RollerCoasterMommy07]

Haha yea I could see that. Honestly I don't see the big deal. It's just in good fun and anyone with common sense would know that real people with mental conditions don't truly act that way. You don't see them making a big deal about the movies that are focused around the same thing or music videos (take Nightmare by Avenged Sevenfold for example.)

[carowinds4ever]

Best example, Thriller - Micheal Jackson

[RollerCoasterMommy07]

^

[PhantomCat]

What about movie, Halloween? The original psychotic Michael Myers story has how many sequels to it?
And now, they've started filming the story all over again for another generation.

Let's start that anti-zombie movement ourselves.
I'm tired of getting blood on my new outfits, and having to carry my Saturday night special around with me every other night of the week.

[RollerCoasterMommy07]

Oh yea how could I forget about Halloween. And about those zombies just remember to double tap . Man I love that movie.

[PhantomCat]

Have you seen Dawn of the Dead where the people were trapped in side a mall and zombies were trying to break in and get them? - some did. Now that was something else. In that movie zombies were not as dead as most movies make them. Those knew how to run when they needed to in that movie. Some movies do change up the rules. The Lost Boys & Let Me In pretty much stayed faithful to traditional vampire laws existence, but Twilight allowed their vamps out in sunlight, and to enter people's homes without permission.

Getting back to mental illnesses, when did clowns become evil? I enjoyed them as a child. In that day they wouldn't harm a daisy. What geared their going mad?

[RollerCoasterMommy07]

I did see that one. It has been a while but I remember bits and pieces. I haven't seen The Lost Boys but I want to see Let Me In. That just came out in theaters here not too terrible long, but I doubt I get a chance to see it before it's gone. I am definantly not a Twilight fan. I watched the first one and all I could do was yell at the TV for them to just get it on already. That was the whole movie. I want to touch you but I can't .

I was terrified of clowns as a child . Hmm I say all the years off having to wear those outfits and makeup is enough to drive anyone mad . I mean enough pies to the face and you're bound to go crazy .

[PhantomCat]

If you had problems with clowns when you were little, I know the children of today are having issues with this new bread of evils.

[RollerCoasterMommy07]

Yea I was absolutely terrified. I was terrified of anything dressed up Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, Clowns, if it was dressed up I ran. Luckily I no longer fear them only chainsaws.

[PhantomCat]

I think chainsaws will cause anyone to jump, especially at an event like a haunted house.

I've seen little kids terrified to meet regular theme park characters. The kids can be screaming bloody murder, but the parents are saying, "Come on and meet them. They won't hurt you," while they steadily drag the kids to the characters kicking and screaming. Now that is true madness.

Why are people always trying to make their kids be something or someone they aren't? No wonder there's so many with mental health issues in the world - suffering from traumas from which they never quite recovered, brought on by their caregivers. With friends like that, who needs enemies?

[RollerCoasterMommy07]

Man they scare the mess out of me. I have to keep telling myself that they can't touch me. Although my sister went to a haunted house somewhere in NC where after 10 or 11 they were allowed to touch you. She said it was awesome. They knocked her down and were cussing at her to get up and stuff.

Yea I don't understand that either. I mean the only thing I have done to my son when he was scared was make him touch the vacuum. He, for some reason, is terrified of a vacuum so I made him go up to ours and touch it hoping he would see it doesn't hurt you. Didn't work he is still terrified.

I definantly don't get parents like that. I honestly am one that wishes they did have an age limit in there. When I went to Scarowinds this year these teenagers bout 13ish were causing so many problems. This group of them were in line behind my family and I while we were waiting for DeFex (which was my favorite maze) and they kept hitting my mom with a lightsaber they had,cussing horribly, and being down right disgusting and perverted. Then while in line for the Hollywood maze these older teen punched a kid that looked to be 12. Then the make out kids who held up another line because they couldn't stop sucking face. It was rediculous.

[PhantomCat]

Was the vacuum on or off when you made him touch it? Off is probably better. I know a kid who was terribly afraid of the no-slip stickers in his family's bathtub. They looked like fish and he was scared to death of them. He grew up, and laughs about it now. Your son will grow out of that fear too. Hang in there.

When I was learning to swim, once my class got the basics, a host of other kids and me were thrown by force into the 12 feet deep pool by our instructors if we didn't jump off the diving board on our own. I was so scared I didn't know what to do. Fighting those grown men and clinging onto the fence didn't help either. We were pried right off and thrown in. Several of us, including myself, had to be rescued because we'd forgotten everything we'd learned because of fear. And you know what was also horrifying? During the previous weekend class we were told that the next class was going to be 12 Feet Day. Don't you know I had a horrible, doom filled week just thinking about what was to come, with nightmares. They could have messed us all up for life from what they did to us. Maybe some of the kids are. I somehow overcame and learned, there must deep water to meet me if I wanted to dive in, and lots of diving I did, later on. I totally don't agree with what was done to us. Sometimes it's so hard to be a kid when the so-called adults over you have lost their minds. Why wasn't I allowed to just grow into loving the deep water instead of having it forced upon me?

In the summer of 2008, one mother learned a valuable parenting lesson in a (Florida I think) theme park. She knew he didn't want to ride, but made her son ride a roller coaster anyway. While the coaster was in motion, he freed himself from his restraints and fell to his death. Now isn't that something to have hover over you for the rest of your life? That same summer, my supervisor at Carowinds told us to watch out for the children. If they are acting like they are being forced to ride (crying, screaming, etc.), investigate - ask the child. If they don't want to ride, politely tell the parent/guardian that we don't force children to ride, and they must exit because the ride will not start until they leave. Have I had to force exits before? Sad to say...yes. And this is a practice I keep. For me, it's personal.
Stop The Madness!!!