Warm and fuzzy BS
Six Flags theme parks have added language to their season ticket passes refusing admission to anyone who poses a threat to other guests. Good so far. But they’ve included a line barring convicted sex offenders.
How would they know? They aren’t going to run a background check on everyone who purchases one of these passes, so this is yet another empty gesture meant to make Six Flags, and their dumber patrons, feel better about themselves that they are “doing something” about a “problem”.
Now I don’t want sex offenders hanging around large groups of kids either. I feel that those people are, as Andrew Vachss and many others have stated, completely untreatable, and will continue to victimize children until they are caught and locked away. So lock them away. But don’t put out some bullshit, warm and fuzzy “we’re making a difference” bit of fluff that insults the intelligence of anyone confronted with it.
This, like so many of our societies attempts to “secure” itself, is an empty, meaningless gesture that will most likely only increase the threat. Why? Because anyone stupid enough to think that this will actually keep pervs out of Six Flags (which must look like a candy store to them) is probably stupid enough to let little Timmy or Susie go to the park unescorted at too young an age. The responsibility for a childs safety rests solely with their parents, and if they won’t do it, then they unfortunately put their kids at risk.
So, instead of requiring children be accompanied by their parents at all times- something that would make a difference, but might lower park admissions since so many parents use theme parks as large baby sitting pens- Six Flags takes the easy way out, and does “all it can do”. Short of reducing their bottom line, of course.
Tragic and stupid, all in one package. Neat.