A Day at the Abusement Park by Mzzz Pink
It's peculiar. From the outside of the park, you hear the noise of the amusement rides running. The Ferris wheel. Bumper cars. A merry go round. But why hasn't anyone asked the obvious?
Why isn't anyone laughing?
Why don't we hear the lighthearted screams of children on the roller coaster? Where are the carnival sounds of the merry-go-round? It's as if no one is even on them. What's really going on here? Is it really amusing? Splash in the City went undercover and found out the real deal. Each individual chooses their specialty, having spent years studying the ride along with so many other applicants waiting for their chance to get on, since there are only so many slots. You must be the best to be chosen. Sounds like the dream job of a lifetime, right? But that's when the monotony begins.
Why isn't anyone laughing?
Why don't we hear the lighthearted screams of children on the roller coaster? Where are the carnival sounds of the merry-go-round? It's as if no one is even on them. What's really going on here? Is it really amusing? Splash in the City went undercover and found out the real deal. Each individual chooses their specialty, having spent years studying the ride along with so many other applicants waiting for their chance to get on, since there are only so many slots. You must be the best to be chosen. Sounds like the dream job of a lifetime, right? But that's when the monotony begins.
|
I spoke to Jose Ridez, a certified Bumper Car Rider (or PBCR) for over ten years. In the beginning, he was so excited to get the position, it was his goal for as long as he could remember. He could ride every day, bumping others out of his way to get the best deal. He even was allowed to choose the color and style of the bumper car. But he soon discovered there is a catch. Once you select a car, you must ride it every single day. Some rides will make you sick, round and round again, up and down, up and down.
Jose begins his day by waiting in a long line to punch a clock. He tells me he does get a couple of short breaks, but many times the ride doesn't even stop for a lunch break, or he has to do double shifts. The Abusement Park workers don't seem to question it, even though the Abusement Park management can be devestatingly hard on them to ride faster and faster. "Produce, Produce, Produce" is their mantra, according to Danielle Smarts, a tea cup cubicle rider. By the time the whistle blows in the late afternoon, most have had a lifetimes worth, but then they must repeat this ride the next day. To cope with the constant commotion, after working all day, many riders spend their modest paycheck at the local watering hole. Sometimes, after a long period of time, a rider may get the opportunity to advance to another type of ride in the park, the ferris wheel, for instance. This is an easier job at the park, yet it's hard to keep your head up with every boring turn on the wheel. |
|
After spending a full day at the park, I thought about my daily clutch on the ladder years ago. Sure, it got grueling hanging on sometimes, but at least I wasn't bounced up and down to the point of nausea! And on the rungs, every once in a while, ladder people laugh. Or do they? Stay tuned for the next story in my A Day in the Life series of Splash in the City: Just Another Rung on the Ladder.
