"The General Public" is a term which has bothered me a while. It's bothered me because the language that we use is meaningful, it helps us view the world in a certain way. It's why certain terms are considered antiquated, or not really on. It's why terms like "collateral damage" exist, to shroud what we actually mean. A form of doublespeak, perhaps, but it works.
"The General Public", within this community, creates an "other". It suggests entitlement. We are all part of the general public, we are (after all) generally the public. We are not, generally, shareholders in the park, owners, employees. We are guests, the same as anyone else who's visiting. The difference, from our perspective, is that this is our niche interest. We really like this stuff, some of us are incredibly knowledgeable. We're enthusiasts. Some of us begrudgingly call ourselves "thoosies", we have a good term for us... but then we go and call everyone else "the general public".
I propose a new term, a new dawn! One which is far less snobby, but still offers enough distinction without coming across as patronising or othering.
"The Casual Visitor / Guest". This is someone who likes theme parks, this is someone who enjoys spending time at attractions. They're not overly enthusiastic about it, they just like a day out. Isn't it much better? It's a term I'll be using from now on, for sure.
Now, for anyone who comes forward and accuses me of being a woke poncy lefty liberal delicate snowflake, who worries too much about words and the language that we use... Thank you for calling a goose a goose. I don't deny it!
I'm not calling for a moratorium on the phrase "the general public", I just have a preferential phrase; "the casual visitor" or "the casual guest". I'm not going to force anyone to use it. I'm not going to hound anyone for not using it. I'm happily sharing a thought, an idea and a preference for being a little more thoughtful in the language we use to distinguish and identify ourselves. I hope you adopt it too, and if you don't? Well, that's just fine.
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