Right, after reading through this thread, recent Scarefest vlog videos and the hugely negative criticism from all over Social Media directed at Towers/Merlin from ride downtime, food, pricing etc, I have a very hot take in all this in which to quote that joke of 'Are we the baddies?' is that maybe we the enthusiasts to partly blame to the park's downfall too?
Now hear me out, I know many will say that enthusiasts make only a fraction of the target market that the park is aiming for yet nonetheless they do help give a rough estimate of that of the what the GP is feeling too at times and such a thing is not buying or renewing a MAP in which many will say after such a poor season or two are voting with their wallets in the hope that this will hit the higher ups where it hurts and they'll be forced to make them improve things. Now in an ideal world you'd think they'd be doing this with the likely amount of MAP's that haven't been renewed but it turns out to be a double age sword in which Merlin see differently to falling revenue in which the first thing they do is that this leads to further cuts in budgets across the board and when the following season is no better or even worse, more will not renew and a vicious circle starts to appear.
And this is not the only case, PB are in a similar situation in which there is no major increase in renewal which likely leads to similar sort of cuts and the same thing likely happens there too and it is kind of the same of most movies now a days in which from say a major tentpole franchise has some sort of supposed controversial element then it will lead to some moviegoers not to go to the cinema which they hope it'll lead to a film that they want but this leads to studio heads to start making cuts in the film and media landscape as a whole to save money and it only leads to us getting close for AI to replace actors and sorts sooner than later.
Anyway, to go back on topic, I can't help but notice that recent videos on YouTube videos on Towers seem not only negative, not in a constructive way either, but almost downright spiteful in which the infamous comment from Lift Hills and Thrills following the reopening of Hex asking was it worth reopening it which honestly was really disrespectable IMO in which imagine if you worked your backside off all year through much difficultly to get that ride working again only to get that sort of treatment? I'd feel like 'what's the point of carrying on?' and with all how negative Scarefest has been received by all these so-called influencers, even the normally positive TPWW has joined in on the Towers bash fest and the many, many negative comments on social media saying how awful their day was and I'd honestly be not surprised if morale is so low on the ground for the poorly paid and low number of staff having to try and make things work, as well as dealing with the usual angry customers going to the desk to complain can you honestly blame them for perhaps given up after what has been a pretty dismal year in total?
Now yes, Towers/Merlin do deserve to get called out for their failings and there are many to pick from but I feel it can be perhaps over hated in a way as I do feel for the poor staff having to put up with this as they are trying their best to get something to work and the question is what can be done? Sadly I fear that these influencers have already drawn their battlelines and are having a field day with Towers' failings and getting those clicks and views as there is nothing better than controversy sadly (just look at how much anti-Disney YouTube channels have been created alone!) and the black pilled enthusiasts are on the rise in this country and you could say the same for PB too for similar issues.
And what really gets grinds my gears to the moon and back is when you get so many saying that the park should do better yet oddly 90% never say how it can be better as if they have no clue what to do themselves which I fear we're past the point of constructive criticism in which Merlin I feel are likely fed up of anything negative said about them and have closed ranks and this leads to a real 'us vs them' scenario. Anyway, ranted more than I would have liked but honestly I have no idea what can be done as I'm not even technically minded like everyone else here and have likely just wasted my time writing this as no one will even think about how everything is not black and white and that maybe both sides from the owners and fans (and perhaps even outside elements from world events) have in tandem unintentionally played a part in the park's downfall.