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Matzav Inbox: Roller Coasters
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DISCLAIMER:I did NOT write this article or any part of it.
I do NOT KNOW who wrote this article.
I just copied it exactly, from the Matzav Inbox.__________________________________________
In keeping with the latest stupidity of randomly coping and pasting posting of the Matzav Inbox I’m posting this.
Dear Matzav Inbox,
The recent report on Matzav.com about the closing of the Kingda Ka roller coaster brought to mind an issue that has bothered me for years.
In our community, we take great care to uphold high standards of tznius. We maintain separate seating with mechitzos at events, weddings, and gatherings to protect and honor our values. And yet, when it comes to amusement parks, we seem to have forgotten these principles altogether.
Think about it—our families, young boys and girls, men and women, all standing in line together, squeezed into roller coaster seats without a second thought. We seem to dismiss the reality that mixed seating in these settings is no different than mixed seating at a public event. We’ve all witnessed the situations where friends or siblings scramble to sit together, while the very values we instill in them daily seem to be set aside for the sake of “fun.”
Are we not, on some level, living a contradiction? We make demands for tznius in every area, from our schools to our simchos, but when it comes to entertainment, there’s an unspoken exception. Why aren’t we advocating for separate seating arrangements where frum families can enjoy amusement parks with a setup that aligns with our standards?
Now, this is no simple matter. I recognize that amusement parks cater to a wide public, and it might seem a stretch to expect any changes. But change often starts with raising awareness. Let’s openly address this oversight, acknowledging that our hashkafos shouldn’t be on pause at the entrance gates of a theme park. We should either seek alternative ways for amusement within our kehillos or stop going on roller coasters
A Yid
יש מקום להקל, ויראת שמים יחמר
Might lead to mixed dancing.
It is well known that frum camps take the kids to various amusement parks and the like on special days where there is a separation of the genders. if you and your family are on the special level of such a high degree of separation then hshem should bless you for it but you should probably not be attending amusement parks when the rest of the frum world does – and not only because both genders are present. For the rest of us, we prefer the few family days we have to be spent with our entire family.
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/coffeeroom/topic/matzav-inbox-the-ache-of-the-empty-seat
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/coffeeroom/topic/matzav-inbox-a-nation-in-deep-crisis
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/coffeeroom/topic/matzav-inbox-horrible-bosses-in-the-frum-world
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/coffeeroom/topic/matzav-inbox-when-the-farher-system-forgets-the-boys
http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/coffeeroom/topic/prices-of-magazines
The comparison to mixed seating at a simchah misses one of the most obvious distinctions.
A wedding is, by definition, a social event. People are dressed in their finest, they’re relaxed, they’re celebrating, they’re talking, laughing, lingering at their tables, and in many circles alcohol is flowing as well. The entire atmosphere is one of social interaction. That’s precisely why the longstanding minhag in Torah communities has been to avoid mixed seating at simchos.
A roller coaster is the exact opposite. You’re buckled into a restraint, facing forward, unable to carry on a conversation, with your attention fixed on surviving the next drop. Ninety seconds later, everyone gets off and goes their separate ways. There is no social atmosphere, no mingling, no conversation, no relaxed interaction, and certainly no comparison to sitting together throughout a wedding or banquet.
To claim that being strapped next to a stranger on a ninety-second roller coaster is “no different” than deliberately seating men and women together for hours at a lively, social simchah is simply absurd. If someone cannot see the obvious difference between those two situations, the problem isn’t with the frum community…
peter> being strapped next to a stranger on a ninety-second roller coast
who allowed these rollercoasters in the first place?!
I put “did you have fun” next to “have an easy fast”
Maybe we should keep all the girls in cages forever… then we wouldn’t have these issues…
happy> keep all the girls in cages forever
why not boyz?
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