Line-Jumpers

[Phantomgrift]

To this day, idiots and their spawn annoy the everlovin hell out of me.

My wife and I headed out to "Kings Dominion" park here outside of Richmond.
The line for one of the river-rapid rides was a bit long due to the humidity factor that day and everyone wanted the shady line and chance to get cooled down a bit.

So I observe, than become a part of some familys attempt to show the world they are complete jackasses. At the start of the line, we watched as some junior type and wee-bugger hollered out to someone else behind us prior to entering the line.
Me and the missus stroll forward for about ten minutes when the following takes place.
Take note- I'm 6'4 and roughly 2 ft wide at the shoulder, the line we're in has large wooden rails just a little over 2 feet wide.
My wife and I are shooting the breeze when we here a small commotion behind us and cries of "Scuse me! Let Me Through!" until it reaches my back.
An incredibly chunky-monkey man with scowling beard is braked neatly behind me:
"Scuse me, you need to let me through now."

"Ah.. I'm sorry sir, rules of the park indicate that line-cutting are grounds for getting thrown out of the park."

"LET ME THROUGH! I'm just trying to get to my kid!"
At this he waves a floppy arm in the general direction of the two earlier bozos who are now a good hundred yards in front of us.

"Sorry sir."
I shrugged and simply turned to face forward... Heh. I completely blocked the line entirely as their was no room on either side of me and I was taller than this guy by about a foot and a half.

Well, ol Captain Chuckles and his wife/daughter/female that was with him decided that the world is theirs for the taking and they proceeded to hop over the railing and walk alongside the line, bypassing everyone until they reached the other two companions of theirs. Of course, not to leave well enough alone, they did their best to assure me of their well-being by casting evil glares in my general direction every three minutes or so.

Of course I reported them to one of the employees running the ride when we finally got out of line. I think they were tossed out but I'm not sure.
Call me a bit of a grouch, but I'm sorry, the rules are everywhere in the park and quite explicit in what counts as line-cutting.
They are also their for good reasons.... At a "Six Flags" in Georgia about a month ago, a teen was decapitated by a "Batman: The Ride" roller-coaster when he hopped a chain-link fence in attempt to cut across the coaster line.
Annoyingly enough, this was similar to an earlier trip to "Busch Gardens" where some skeezy lady in front of us was calmly blowing smoke out her nose no more than five feet away from a "NO SMOKING" sign.

What happened in recent years to make people think that the world revolved around them and silly things like rules don't apply to them.

[ditchdj]

One time when we were at Denny's we were in a line waiting to be seated and this 140 year old woman was trying to cut to the front of the line to be seated. First time she tried it the woman in front forcefully came up to the counter, disregarding the old woman, and was seated. Old woman never really got in line. After almost a half-hour of waiting I was the only one left and she cut in front of me to be seated. Giving the employee the benefit of the doubt and hoping she'd say something to her about me being next, I didnt say anything and she had the chutzpah to seat her ahead of me. I WAS gonna start chewing her out when she got back about seating that stuck-up bat in front of me since I had been waiting for nearly a freakin' half-hour, and now would have to wait even longer by myself for a seat, but right away a manager jumped in and seated me, so I didn't say anything.

[StormCMage]

actually a small correction about the kid that hopped the fence at six flags, he went back there to get his hat back when if feel off or something

either way the stupid burns and as for your dumb linemate, why couldn't he be more polite about it for one thing and for another have his spawn come back to where he was? this is why becoming a hermit seems so appealing to me as of late

[Peppergirl]

What happened in recent years to make people think that the world revolved around them and silly things like rules don't apply to them.

Many things, but I'm a firm believer that one of the main issues, at least retail and general customer service, is because spineless managers cater to their whims.

Why behave and follow the rules if, when you throw a big enough fit, most managers will give in, thereby enforcing the bad behavior?

In your case, I really hope they threw the bastards out.

[Balgram]

Now, I don't agree with this, and I'd like to know if I'm wrong.

either way the stupid burns and as for your dumb linemate...[why couldn't he] have his spawn come back to where he was?

I was in Disneyland with my family, and my siblings and I were in line for Splash Mountain. I realized my stuff would get wet too late, and I quickly hopped the fence and out of line (we were already about 20 minutes into the line, but easily had 30 minutes to go) and ran into a nearby store, where I convinced the lady to give me a bag (in the end a customer thought it was funny and gave me his), then ran back into the line. I couldn't tell where my family was, so I started near the back of the line and apologized to the people waiting, saying, "I'm sorry, my brother and sister are waiting for me up ahead. I had to step out of line, would you mind letting me back in so I can find my family?" Everyone let me by without a word.

Now, I was MUCH politer about it, but I was essentially doing what this guy was trying to do. I see nothing wrong with his actions, only his attitude.

Am I the one mistaken?

[Willis]

Now, I don't agree with this, and I'd like to know if I'm wrong.



I was in Disneyland with my family, and my siblings and I were in line for Splash Mountain. I realized my stuff would get wet too late, and I quickly hopped the fence and out of line (we were already about 20 minutes into the line, but easily had 30 minutes to go) and ran into a nearby store, where I convinced the lady to give me a bag (in the end a customer thought it was funny and gave me his), then ran back into the line. I couldn't tell where my family was, so I started near the back of the line and apologized to the people waiting, saying, "I'm sorry, my brother and sister are waiting for me up ahead. I had to step out of line, would you mind letting me back in so I can find my family?" Everyone let me by without a word.

Now, I was MUCH politer about it, but I was essentially doing what this guy was trying to do. I see nothing wrong with his actions, only his attitude.

Am I the one mistaken?

I feel the same way. It's almost like "if you move your feet lose your seat" and that's BS. When someone is holding your spot and someone else is abusing their size to basically say they're not letting you back in w/your group is selfish.

@OP. I think this is really a gray area. It's understandable that you wouldn't want every other person trying to meet up with their buddies who are ahead of you making you have to wait longer, but what if you wanted to get to your wife or vice versa?

I mean using your imposing size and subliminally bragging about it to the person is always a cowardly way to boost your ego and put people in check, but I dunno, I just find it kinda selfish and better discretion could have been considered.

[kibbles]

The guy's attitude could have been nicer without a doubt; but, IMO you were sucky in what you did.

If he was genuinely trying to get back to his kids, he should have been let to get back to his kids IMO.

[Pagan]

I feel the same way. It's almost like "if you move your feet lose your seat" and that's BS. When someone is holding your spot and someone else is abusing their size to basically say they're not letting you back in w/your group is selfish.

The guy's attitude could have been nicer without a doubt; but, IMO you were sucky in what you did.

If he was genuinely trying to get back to his kids, he should have been let to get back to his kids IMO.

Maybe there's some clarification needed. The way I read it, the guy that was trying to get by Phantomgrift was in line behind him. In other words, the parents and the kids weren't together orginally. He wasn't trying to get back in line with them. What he was doing was cutting.

"LET ME THROUGH! I'm just trying to get to my kid!"
At this he waves a floppy arm in the general direction of the two earlier bozos who are now a good hundred yards in front of us.

If they had all wanted to ride together, why not just wait until everyone was together and get in line then?

If someone in a group has needed to step out, I'm more than willing to let them back in with their group, and I suspect that Phantomgrift would be, too.

[froglet]

"Well, this line is way too long, I'm gonna bum-around while you stand in line waiting for half an hour or so. I'll come meet you when you get near the front. Just holler when you're near."

As has been said, its all in the attitude. Did they say "excuse me, I need to get by, my kids are up ahead already."? Not from the sounds of it, and I doubt they would know what those words mean anyway.
If you let people be dicks, they'll only get big... erm, heads. Don't need to be rude, you'll just be at their level and they'll beat you with experience, but that was Phantomgrift's place in line to do with what he wished.

Thats my take anyway.

[simplyanother]

"LET ME THROUGH! I'm just trying to get to my kid!"

Shoot, unless his kid was in mortal danger, he was just a jackass.

Annoyingly enough, this was similar to an earlier trip to "Busch Gardens" where some skeezy lady in front of us was calmly blowing smoke out her nose no more than five feet away from a "NO SMOKING" sign.

I've run into more than a few of them at BG (moreso than KD, but thats because I've been to BG more).

But I think it's common in all amusement parks (hell, everywhere?), were people just assume the signs only apply to everyone else.

Once spent two hours in line at the Roman Rapids with my older son, moving up every 3 seconds, because if you left a gap, people would try to get in front of you. I felt like the line police. Then for some reason, the people tending the ride assumed that I was in charge of the assorted children around me. No just the one.

Then you'd get the people who just didn't understand why their INFANTS couldn't ride. I'm seriously awed at the idiocy of folks.

But I did learn, if you want to get wet at BG, don't stand in the line for 2 hours, just go to Escape From Pompeii and stand on the bridge where the boats come out. But of course, people get sucky and nasty there too.

What was my point?

Have to chuckle at you blocking the line from the dipshit. Here's hoping they did get thrown out.

It's one thing if you're actually separated from your children and NEED to get to them. I had that happen at freaking Disney World, with my then three year old. It started storming, so everyone headed under cover. Somehow, I lost sight of my kid. I was physically moving people out of the way, to find him. No decked me because they understood panicked mother mode. Kiddo turned out to be just inside of a store, not 10 from me, but with the glut of humanity RIGHT there, I couldn't see him.

[Phantomgrift]

For those of you that were annoyed at my actions, I can offer this much:
The guy and the gal with him didn't even attempt to be polite about barging through the ranks.
His overall attitude was a "You people are in my fucking way!" type of thing.
The "trying to get my kid" part seemed liked it was added on as an afterthought when he realized he wasn't going to just shove by me like he'd done with everyone else behind us.

Using my size to "boost my ego" is something I can't do. Matter of fact, from the time I was 16, I had to learn how to de-impose myself, (as-it-were), because if I didn't, it's been conclusively shown that bigger size can trigger a negative overtone for casual encounters with people in public.

Heh- Granted, when I feel that a situation warrents it, then I will use the "size indimidation" bit.
It all depends though- A good example was a time when my wife and I were working an event at the Seattle Convention center and caught a shop-lifter.
He gave us all sorts of crap until he realized I outsized him on a two to one ratio.

[FormerCallingCardRep]

I know that in certain amusement parks (ie the ones owned by Cedar Fair) if you leave the line you can not return to where you were. They will have security remove you from the park. What this man did to OP was infact line jumping and if he was removed from the park, he got what was coming to him.

[Willis]

For those of you that were annoyed at my actions, I can offer this much:
The guy and the gal with him didn't even attempt to be polite about barging through the ranks.
His overall attitude was a "You people are in my fucking way!" type of thing.
The "trying to get my kid" part seemed liked it was added on as an afterthought when he realized he wasn't going to just shove by me like he'd done with everyone else behind us.

Using my size to "boost my ego" is something I can't do. Matter of fact, from the time I was 16, I had to learn how to de-impose myself, (as-it-were), because if I didn't, it's been conclusively shown that bigger size can trigger a negative overtone for casual encounters with people in public.

Heh- Granted, when I feel that a situation warrents it, then I will use the "size indimidation" bit.
It all depends though- A good example was a time when my wife and I were working an event at the Seattle Convention center and caught a shop-lifter.
He gave us all sorts of crap until he realized I outsized him on a two to one ratio.

I wasn't annoyed, you did what you thought was right for you and your wife. No one got hurt, you just stood your ground for what you believed in concerning the situation. I didn't realize he was pushing people around like Uncle Ruckus from "The Boondocks" I thought he was just kinda nudging through, since you clarified that he was being a total ass and that his "kids" were an afterthought, it makes sense.

The only reason why I mentioned size as an ego boost was because some people WILL do that. Even if you're nice about it and explain that you *really* are w/those people up there and stepped out of line for a minute to say, take a leak, they will still not let you through.

[IvorTangrean]

So I observe, than become a part of some familys attempt to show the world they are complete jackasses. At the start of the line, we watched as some junior type and wee-bugger hollered out to someone else behind us prior to entering the line.
Me and the missus stroll forward for about ten minutes when the following takes place.

From what I read the following happened making the cutter a jerk.

1) Phantomgrift is not in line.
2) Phantomgrift sees kids call out
3) Phantomgrift enters line
4) TEN miniutes pass
5) cutter reaches Phantomgrift

now to me that means that the cutter has waited around to enter the line and then hopped to just cut ahead of everyone.

[DeltaSierra]

Line cutting, REGARDLESS the situation/venue sucks, and its such SWEET justice when they get their comeuppance. Case in point - this winter, I had decided to take my truck through the car wash to get rid of all the salt from the roads. There was a pretty long lineup, about 10 vehicles, but I wasn't in a rush. I'm waiting in the line, which moves up every few minutes, chatting with my Mother, and I'm only 2 cars away from my turn when off to the left, this IDIOT simply drives up and noses his way in front of me. I couldn't block him off because he came in at such an angle that I'd hit him if I tried. Never mind that there's only 4 cars behind me, he HAS to have my spot. Nothing to do but let Mr & Mrs Asshat through. It didn't help that he gave me a dirty look when he pulled in front of me either.

So his turn comes...he drives up to the punch pad to enter his code....and when he starts forward, his tires start spinning on the ice. Apparently there was a bit of ice buildup from the moisture coming from the carwash. Mrs. Asshat gets out and tries to push but isn't strong enough...wheels still slipping on the ice. Turns to me and beckons me to help her, and I just ignore her. She starts SCREAMING at me, and Mr Asshat rolls down window and starts yelling, then gets out and joins in screaming at me to help. I ain't having any of it and go back to talking to my Mom and laughing.

They go down to the next car and ask the driver to help them, but he saw everything that happened too, and tells them to get lost.

Mrs Asshat gets then into the driver's seat and a worker who heard the screaming comes out to investigate and helps, and together he and Mr Asshat manage to push the car free, only she doesn't stop to let him get back in, and goes into the bay, leaving him behind. Wasn't till the water started spraying that she realized the window was still rolled down. More than made up for the aggravation of being cut in front of!!!