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Human Rights, Horror Nights and the Theme Park Community

Apr 18, 2018
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WARNING: We’ll be diving into the very difficult topics of human rights issues regarding HHN, the haunt, and theme park industries.

If you think a haunted attraction is more important than human life—that’s a problem.

If you think animatronics in a theme park hold more value than someone’s human experience—that’s a problem.

So, let’s try our best in our corner of the theme park fandom to work on that.

The conversation started to take place last year regarding some of the deep seeded issues in the HHN community. It started to crop up with the Billie Eilish rumors, then really began to unravel when we became aware of the serious issues regarding the Academy of Villains. Regarding HHN, we received a lot of interesting comments on the subjects of sexism, misogyny and human rights, and, we also heard some of the stories about SA’s and the affect working HHN has had on their mental and overall well being. However, these problems are not exclusive to the HHN fandom. In the theme park area of the fandom, these comments started to roll in when the decision to take out a scene depicting sex slavery in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction was announced, and they continue with the changes to Jungle Cruise and Splash Mountain. As we see theme parks evolve with the times, by removing offensive elements from rides and attractions, we’re hearing an uproar from some people that are against those “woke” changes—with some deeming it “cancel culture”. Theme parks taking the necessary and appropriate steps to grow with the times and their clientele is not “cancel culture”. It’s accountability culture, and it’s something we all can and will benefit from.

We know this conversation is much, much bigger than what can take place in a theme park forum, but, our hope is that if we can change some minds here, in our space of the internet, then we should take the opportunity to do so. Personally speaking, while I may be part of the minority of the community, I do exist. Women, LGBTQ+, black people, BIPOC, Latinx, AAPI, young people all exist here, and, we should all be open to learning ways to make it a more welcoming environment for everyone involved. For HHN: the SA’s, TM’s, future guests, and fans of all ages, genders, and backgrounds. For theme parks: the TM’s, CM’s, current guests, and future guests of all ages, genders, and backgrounds.

So, in this thread we’ll constructively discuss the ramifications of, and, hopefully, some solutions to, misogyny, LGBTQ+ hate, racism, and bigotry in the HHN, haunt, and theme park community. I’m hopeful that we can all learn what we can do to be more accepting of the new ideas our beloved event and parks need in order to survive and thrive. In life, we always have learning and growing to do, and we hope that we can do some of that here together. If anyone feels comfortable coming forward to share what we can all do to make our community a better place for you, please do so as it would be greatly appreciated.

To answer the biggest question, as it pertains to the rules of Inside Universal...

“Is this a political topic?”

No, it is not. The simplest, most basic human rights issues are not a bipartisan political topic. Being considerate, accepting, and respectful of others is not a bipartisan political topic.

We kindly ask that everyone be respectful on what will surely be a diverse range of opinions and thoughts. This thread will also be under a "zero tolerance" policy, so keep that in mind when you post.
 
WARNING: We’ll be diving into the very difficult topics of human rights issues regarding HHN, the haunt, and theme park industries.

If you think a haunted attraction is more important than human life—that’s a problem.

If you think animatronics in a theme park hold more value than someone’s human experience—that’s a problem.

So, let’s try our best in our corner of the theme park fandom to work on that.

The conversation started to take place last year regarding some of the deep seeded issues in the HHN community. It started to crop up with the Billie Eilish rumors, then really began to unravel when we became aware of the serious issues regarding the Academy of Villains. Regarding HHN, we received a lot of interesting comments on the subjects of sexism, misogyny and human rights, and, we also heard some of the stories about SA’s and the affect working HHN has had on their mental and overall well being. However, these problems are not exclusive to the HHN fandom. In the theme park area of the fandom, these comments started to roll in when the decision to take out a scene depicting sex slavery in the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction was announced, and they continue with the changes to Jungle Cruise and Splash Mountain. As we see theme parks evolve with the times, by removing offensive elements from rides and attractions, we’re hearing an uproar from some people that are against those “woke” changes—with some deeming it “cancel culture”. Theme parks taking the necessary and appropriate steps to grow with the times and their clientele is not “cancel culture”. It’s accountability culture, and it’s something we all can and will benefit from.

We know this conversation is much, much bigger than what can take place in a theme park forum, but, our hope is that if we can change some minds here, in our space of the internet, then we should take the opportunity to do so. Personally speaking, while I may be part of the minority of the community, I do exist. Women, LGBTQ+, black people, BIPOC, Latinx, AAPI, young people all exist here, and, we should all be open to learning ways to make it a more welcoming environment for everyone involved. For HHN: the SA’s, TM’s, future guests, and fans of all ages, genders, and backgrounds. For theme parks: the TM’s, CM’s, current guests, and future guests of all ages, genders, and backgrounds.

So, in this thread we’ll constructively discuss the ramifications of, and, hopefully, some solutions to, misogyny, LGBTQ+ hate, racism, and bigotry in the HHN, haunt, and theme park community. I’m hopeful that we can all learn what we can do to be more accepting of the new ideas our beloved event and parks need in order to survive and thrive. In life, we always have learning and growing to do, and we hope that we can do some of that here together. If anyone feels comfortable coming forward to share what we can all do to make our community a better place for you, please do so as it would be greatly appreciated.

To answer the biggest question, as it pertains to the rules of Inside Universal...

“Is this a political topic?”

No, it is not. The simplest, most basic human rights issues are not a bipartisan political topic. Being considerate, accepting, and respectful of others is not a bipartisan political topic.

We kindly ask that everyone be respectful on what will surely be a diverse range of opinions and thoughts. This thread will also be under a "zero tolerance" policy, so keep that in mind when you post.
Got little to add right now except thank you for the thread, other than - and this isn't meant as mean as it's going to sound - based on the general makeup of the forums, quite a few of us, me included, would do well to listen more than we talk on this subject.
 
Got little to add right now except thank you for the thread, other than - and this isn't meant as mean as it's going to sound - based on the general makeup of the forums, quite a few of us, me included, would do well to listen more than we talk on this subject.

Agreed. I’ve been open in the HHN thread about some of the things I’ve been through in life and it’s really hard on me to talk about, and I do feel like I shouldn’t have to essentially show off my scars to prove that I’m wounded, but, I do want things to change and if speaking out helps bring about that change than it’s something that I’ll do.
 
Agreed. I’ve been open in the HHN thread about some of the things I’ve been through in life and it’s really hard on me to talk about, and I do feel like I shouldn’t have to essentially show off my scars to prove that I’m wounded, but, I do want things to change and if speaking out helps bring about that change than it’s something that I’ll do.
Ok look.. I just signed up after lurking anonymously for years so take what i say however you will...and know i did not sign up just to be censored, banned and deleted...just saying this because im speaking out against a MOD and those that do tend to be silenced.
Now on to my rebuttal here.
We have to quit trying to change everything just cause your offended by something. Halloween is supposed to be offensive and Shocking! If you cant handle stupid fake crap in life you need help im afraid ...let things be they way they were intended and stop looking for things to be offended by and just go with the experience... if you feel you need to change crap then you are the problem cause there will be those that think its ridiculous.. imagine people complaining hhn is too scary then guess what uni will make it lame.. if you love the event enjoy what they bring us instead of trying to change the narrative.
I am glad we have these forums to discuss things like this because if we didnt we will never get a chance to understand one another. Im not trying to sound like an ass i really am trying to only say dont ruin something that is so freakin good! ( by that i mean keep politics and real life out of it!)
Just let us enjoy the pure Halloween event for now.. cause we all know its inevitable that universal will eventually ruin it with censorship and political sjw crap..just not yet I hope.
 
Ok look.. I just signed up after lurking anonymously for years so take what i say however you will...and know i did not sign up just to be censored, banned and deleted...just saying this because im speaking out against a MOD and those that do tend to be silenced.
Now on to my rebuttal here.
We have to quit trying to change everything just cause your offended by something. Halloween is supposed to be offensive and Shocking! If you cant handle stupid fake crap in life you need help im afraid ...let things be they way they were intended and stop looking for things to be offended by and just go with the experience... if you feel you need to change crap then you are the problem cause there will be those that think its ridiculous.. imagine people complaining hhn is too scary then guess what uni will make it lame.. if you love the event enjoy what they bring us instead of trying to change the narrative.
I am glad we have these forums to discuss things like this because if we didnt we will never get a chance to understand one another. Im not trying to sound like an ass i really am trying to only say dont ruin something that is so freakin good! ( by that i mean keep politics and real life out of it!)
Just let us enjoy the pure Halloween event for now.. cause we all know its inevitable that universal will eventually ruin it with censorship and political sjw crap..just not yet I hope.
*Female performer gets groped*
”It’s supposed to be shocking and uncomfortable!”
 
Ok look.. I just signed up after lurking anonymously for years so take what i say however you will...and know i did not sign up just to be censored, banned and deleted...just saying this because im speaking out against a MOD and those that do tend to be silenced.
Now on to my rebuttal here.
We have to quit trying to change everything just cause your offended by something. Halloween is supposed to be offensive and Shocking! If you cant handle stupid fake crap in life you need help im afraid ...let things be they way they were intended and stop looking for things to be offended by and just go with the experience... if you feel you need to change crap then you are the problem cause there will be those that think its ridiculous.. imagine people complaining hhn is too scary then guess what uni will make it lame.. if you love the event enjoy what they bring us instead of trying to change the narrative.
I am glad we have these forums to discuss things like this because if we didnt we will never get a chance to understand one another. Im not trying to sound like an ass i really am trying to only say dont ruin something that is so freakin good! ( by that i mean keep politics and real life out of it!)
Just let us enjoy the pure Halloween event for now.. cause we all know its inevitable that universal will eventually ruin it with censorship and political sjw crap..just not yet I hope.

tenor.gif
 
Nobody saying do anything illegal come on man.. you dont touch..you trolling me right?
No, I'm simply saying is that the mod @Allison was not saying that Halloween Horror Nights should be changed because it's too scary or gory. She was saying that there have been instances within the community have had rather misogynistic views towards what role woman play in the event. Whether that be how they are treated or seen. This thread is to discuss and try to bring light to these occurrences and how we as a community can better ourselves to be more aware and support the women and any others who have been wrongfully mistreated in the industry.

It's not "SJW pandering or snowflakes being triggered". It's just wanting to stop the very juvenile and downright inappropriate actions and reactions that have happened before.
 
Ok look.. I just signed up after lurking anonymously for years so take what i say however you will...and know i did not sign up just to be censored, banned and deleted...just saying this because im speaking out against a MOD and those that do tend to be silenced.
Now on to my rebuttal here.
We have to quit trying to change everything just cause your offended by something. Halloween is supposed to be offensive and Shocking! If you cant handle stupid fake crap in life you need help im afraid ...let things be they way they were intended and stop looking for things to be offended by and just go with the experience... if you feel you need to change crap then you are the problem cause there will be those that think its ridiculous.. imagine people complaining hhn is too scary then guess what uni will make it lame.. if you love the event enjoy what they bring us instead of trying to change the narrative.
I am glad we have these forums to discuss things like this because if we didnt we will never get a chance to understand one another. Im not trying to sound like an ass i really am trying to only say dont ruin something that is so freakin good! ( by that i mean keep politics and real life out of it!)
Just let us enjoy the pure Halloween event for now.. cause we all know its inevitable that universal will eventually ruin it with censorship and political sjw crap..just not yet I hope.
“Offensive imagery” is not okay at a Halloween event when it comes in the form of misogyny. We all sign up to HHN to see our fair share of gore and spooky crap. We don’t sign up to see female scareactors (or really any scareactors) being harassed verbally, physically, or sexually. Changes should be made to the event to help improve the conditions for the actors. Nobody is arguing that we need to reduce the actual horror aspects of the event, such as the gore and murders and death and whatever. But we need to reduce how easy it is for creeps to harass the performers. You see it too often at the event and it’s important for these creeps to recognize that though the actors are playing a character, they shouldn’t have to put up with the crap they do.
 
Ok and i agree.. for every half naked woman in a cage we should also have half naked dudes in a cage.. equality right? Im completely fine with that... i guess i dont understand the complaint really and thats on me i accept that.. so explain to me like im a 5 year old i really do want to undertsand the real problem here.
 
“Offensive imagery” is not okay at a Halloween event when it comes in the form of misogyny. We all sign up to HHN to see our fair share of gore and spooky crap. We don’t sign up to see female scareactors (or really any scareactors) being harassed verbally, physically, or sexually. Changes should be made to the event to help improve the conditions for the actors. Nobody is arguing that we need to reduce the actual horror aspects of the event, such as the gore and murders and death and whatever. But we need to reduce how easy it is for creeps to harass the performers. You see it too often at the event and it’s important for these creeps to recognize that though the actors are playing a character, they shouldn’t have to put up with the crap they do.
Ok i think i understand.. was not aware that the actors were harrased this is not made mainstream so i apologize for the ignorance. ...guess should have figured this happens sonce so much alcohol is involved... this kind of information needs to be more readily available cause its very sad to hear ... whats the saying this is why we cant have nice things?
 
Ok and i agree.. for every half naked woman in a cage we should also have half naked dudes in a cage.. equality right? Im completely fine with that... i guess i dont understand the complaint really and thats on me i accept that.. so explain to me like im a 5 year old i really do want to undertsand the real problem here.
The problem is that if they continue to use actors for sex appeal at the events, no matter their gender, we open up the floor to them getting an excess amount of harassment from the drunk people at the event, moreso than most actors get anyways. The issue we’re trying to tackle in this thread is less about making the event “more PC” as you would say, but instead we’re trying to figure out how to make the event safer and more enjoyable for the actors and staff members that help bring it to life. Even with having the Go-Go dancers in Hellbilly Deluxe on platforms high above the guests, they had incidents. There needs to be more thought put into how to keep the actors safe should HHN continue to celebrate the role sex and sexuality has played on horror.

If I said anything wrong though about the goal of this thread, please feel free to correct me. It’s currently 2 in the morning and I can’t articulate my thoughts too well so I wouldn’t be surprised by any mistakes lol
 
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Ok and i agree.. for every half naked woman in a cage we should also have half naked dudes in a cage.. equality right? Im completely fine with that... i guess i dont understand the complaint really and thats on me i accept that.. so explain to me like im a 5 year old i really do want to undertsand the real problem here.
And those half naked guys get groped too. Neither is acceptable.
 
As a HHN fan the only thing I want back is Bill and Ted....I can't believe that show was too much for people. It was a great way to recap the year and its missed.

When I was younger it was fine we had lots of cute girls but now more mature I'm very fine with them making the events more "scary" and less sexy. I am totally ok with them moving forward on this and changing that, also Bill and Ted was ahead of its time having both good looking men and woman for the show...not just one.

100% for them making it safer for anyone to work at these events, and if you grope anyone should have a lifetime ban
 
Ok look.. I just signed up after lurking anonymously for years so take what i say however you will...and know i did not sign up just to be censored, banned and deleted...just saying this because im speaking out against a MOD and those that do tend to be silenced.
Now on to my rebuttal here.
We have to quit trying to change everything just cause your offended by something. Halloween is supposed to be offensive and Shocking! If you cant handle stupid fake crap in life you need help im afraid ...let things be they way they were intended and stop looking for things to be offended by and just go with the experience... if you feel you need to change crap then you are the problem cause there will be those that think its ridiculous.. imagine people complaining hhn is too scary then guess what uni will make it lame.. if you love the event enjoy what they bring us instead of trying to change the narrative.
I am glad we have these forums to discuss things like this because if we didnt we will never get a chance to understand one another. Im not trying to sound like an ass i really am trying to only say dont ruin something that is so freakin good! ( by that i mean keep politics and real life out of it!)
Just let us enjoy the pure Halloween event for now.. cause we all know its inevitable that universal will eventually ruin it with censorship and political sjw crap..just not yet I hope.

Imagine creating an account just to tell a woman to basically get over every horrifying thing that may have happened to her.

Your mom must be so proud of you.
 
Ok look.. I just signed up after lurking anonymously for years so take what i say however you will...and know i did not sign up just to be censored, banned and deleted...just saying this because im speaking out against a MOD and those that do tend to be silenced.
Now on to my rebuttal here.
We have to quit trying to change everything just cause your offended by something. Halloween is supposed to be offensive and Shocking! If you cant handle stupid fake crap in life you need help im afraid ...let things be they way they were intended and stop looking for things to be offended by and just go with the experience... if you feel you need to change crap then you are the problem cause there will be those that think its ridiculous.. imagine people complaining hhn is too scary then guess what uni will make it lame.. if you love the event enjoy what they bring us instead of trying to change the narrative.
I am glad we have these forums to discuss things like this because if we didnt we will never get a chance to understand one another. Im not trying to sound like an ass i really am trying to only say dont ruin something that is so freakin good! ( by that i mean keep politics and real life out of it!)
Just let us enjoy the pure Halloween event for now.. cause we all know its inevitable that universal will eventually ruin it with censorship and political sjw crap..just not yet I hope.


I’m gonna try to dissect your post as best as I can, but, I’ve gotta apologize in advance to everyone who reads this because I’ve had a couple long days in the heat and my brain feels foggy so this is probably a bit jumbled.

Ok look.. I just signed up after lurking anonymously for years so take what i say however you will...and know i did not sign up just to be censored, banned and deleted...just saying this because im speaking out against a MOD and those that do tend to be silenced.

Unfortunately, we have had to ban one user over their comments regarding this topic in the past. IIRC their comments were incredibly disgusting, rude, and downright mean. There’s a difference between genuinely wanting to learn and educate yourself on how to be better vs. just trying to stoke the flames and be hurtful, and the latter was clearly what that user was trying to do, and, I don’t believe that was his first offense. Also, if you have anything against me personally my inbox is open.

Halloween is supposed to be offensive and Shocking! If you cant handle stupid fake crap in life you need help im afraid

I firmly disagree that Halloween is supposed to be offensive. To me Halloween has always been a fun holiday, with the only shocks coming from the scares in the mazes. What I truly can’t handle though is not “stupid fake crap”. Sexual assault, harassment, those things are not “stupid fake crap”. To take one example if you’ve been lurking here as long as you have you most likely would’ve heard the accusations of what was really happening behind the scenes of AoV, and I highly doubt any of the people that were performing in that show would categorize their experiences as “stupid fake crap”. They were alleged to have faced racism, homophobia, harassment, bullying, and physical violence—none of which falls under the category of “stupid fake crap” to me.

We have to quit trying to change everything just cause your offended by something.” “let things be they way they were intended and stop looking for things to be offended by”, “if you feel you need to change crap then you are the problem cause there will be those that think its ridiculous

If you think that things should not change just because they don’t offend you personally then, to me, you are who is truly a part of the problem. If I create something insensitive that is offensive in nature and am told so I personally would take that to heart and I’d make the changes that need to be made in order for my creation to be appreciated by everyone. In the original post I stated the following: “Women, LGBTQ+, black people, BIPOC, Latinx, AAPI, young people all exist here”. What we’re seeing is the realization that HHN is not a straight white American male club that takes offense only to minorities being offended only, it has many fans that span all genders, races, and ages. We’re seeing, as one example with the backlash of Eilish, how hard it can be to come to terms with the things you’ve done wrong and said wrong and have to unlearn harmful norms, I was a teenager in the ‘00’s when nothing seemed to be off limits no matter how hurtful it was, but, it’s high time for the band aid to finally be ripped off. We all have to be accountable for our own pieces in the puzzle, and that goes for the HHN community too.

“i really am trying to only say dont ruin something that is so freakin good! ( by that i mean keep politics and real life out of it!)

Real life is in it when real life everyday issues are also present in it. An entire character should not have to be wiped out of a scare zone because literally all of the SA’s hired to play her quit due to assault and harassment. Nothing about that is “so freakin good!” It is hurtful at best and an unforgettably traumatic experience at worst. When one attends a Halloween event at a world renowned theme park they expect aspects of violence and horror, not rape jokes in the marquee stage show. That’s really not “so freakin good!

To your point of “censorship and political sjw crap

I wanna circle back to this in the original post:

Is this a political topic?”

No, it is not. The simplest, most basic human rights issues are not a bipartisan political topic. Being considerate, accepting, and respectful of others is not a bipartisan political topic.


Being considerate, accepting, and respectful of others is not “censorship and political sjw crap”. Being considerate, accepting, and respectful of others? Now *that* is Universal.

I hope this was helpful and welcome to IU.
 
Ok look.. I just signed up after lurking anonymously for years so take what i say however you will...and know i did not sign up just to be censored, banned and deleted...just saying this because im speaking out against a MOD and those that do tend to be silenced.
Now on to my rebuttal here.
We have to quit trying to change everything just cause your offended by something. Halloween is supposed to be offensive and Shocking! If you cant handle stupid fake crap in life you need help im afraid ...let things be they way they were intended and stop looking for things to be offended by and just go with the experience... if you feel you need to change crap then you are the problem cause there will be those that think its ridiculous.. imagine people complaining hhn is too scary then guess what uni will make it lame.. if you love the event enjoy what they bring us instead of trying to change the narrative.
I am glad we have these forums to discuss things like this because if we didnt we will never get a chance to understand one another. Im not trying to sound like an ass i really am trying to only say dont ruin something that is so freakin good! ( by that i mean keep politics and real life out of it!)
Just let us enjoy the pure Halloween event for now.. cause we all know its inevitable that universal will eventually ruin it with censorship and political sjw crap..just not yet I hope.
It's like you didn't even read what Allison wrote. Even if you had any valid points - you don't - this isn't in any way what the thread is about. As an old professor of mine once said, "You didn't even rise to the level of being wrong."
 
I love that the IU team here really makes a big effort in creating these discussions on here as they’re insanely important and this is a community that can likely be reached, even if this helps our section of the internet/world, that’s still making a difference! Great idea for a thread, I barely keep up on HHN rumors so I’m not sure if I’ve missed something specific to spark this conversation but it’s one that’s overdue likely anyways, good stuff!
 
Ok look.. I just signed up after lurking anonymously for years so take what i say however you will...and know i did not sign up just to be censored, banned and deleted...just saying this because im speaking out against a MOD and those that do tend to be silenced.
Now on to my rebuttal here.
We have to quit trying to change everything just cause your offended by something. Halloween is supposed to be offensive and Shocking! If you cant handle stupid fake crap in life you need help im afraid ...let things be they way they were intended and stop looking for things to be offended by and just go with the experience... if you feel you need to change crap then you are the problem cause there will be those that think its ridiculous.. imagine people complaining hhn is too scary then guess what uni will make it lame.. if you love the event enjoy what they bring us instead of trying to change the narrative.
I am glad we have these forums to discuss things like this because if we didnt we will never get a chance to understand one another. Im not trying to sound like an ass i really am trying to only say dont ruin something that is so freakin good! ( by that i mean keep politics and real life out of it!)
Just let us enjoy the pure Halloween event for now.. cause we all know its inevitable that universal will eventually ruin it with censorship and political sjw crap..just not yet I hope.

Ok i think i understand.. was not aware that the actors were harrased this is not made mainstream so i apologize for the ignorance. ...guess should have figured this happens sonce so much alcohol is involved... this kind of information needs to be more readily available cause its very sad to hear ... whats the saying this is why we cant have nice things?

This is a prime example of inserting yourself into a conversation and making it about yourself without having the slightest clue of the actual context of what's being discussed. The mod you're quoting literally started the horror movie thread. She's not someone out to kill the genre or something ridiculous. She's actively interested in it.

There are incredibly valid discussions to be had about the nuances and disgusting things that happen at these events year after year, how fans react poorly and in a sexist manner to certain announcements, etc. These are things worth discussing.

You don't have to jump into every conversation. It's okay to simply listen. You very clearly must've missed a ton of discussions in prior threads since you're just throwing out random strawman arguments that aren't based on anything that has been discussed in regards to this topic up until now. If you want to jump in, ask questions and try to understand what's going on in here before jumping in with accusations that you'll be immediately banned or silenced. You came out guns blazing with hostility to a thread that should be about helping each other. This could've been a much easier conversation if you just entered stating you had concerns about the event getting watered down and wonder why & what folks in here want changed.
 
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An entire character should not have to be wiped out of a scare zone because literally all of the SA’s hired to play her quit due to assault and harassment. Nothing about that is “so freakin good!” It is hurtful at best and an unforgettably traumatic experience at worst.
Oh, gosh. Did that actually happen? I can’t believe I wasn’t aware of this. That’s really a shame.
 
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