Fast lanes and life lessons

This year Great America theme park introduced a new service.  For only $30 a day, you can get a "fast lane" wrist band that allows you to bypass the lines for any attraction.  $30 a day!  It's half the cost of their season pass.  It's a rip-off, and everybody knows it.

I know some people don't mind rip-offs to get better experience out of their day.  I know some people do mind.  And I also know that some people simply cannot afford it.

We all know and love the rip-offs that come with theme parks - skyrocketing ticket prices, overpriced junk food, and extremely poor quality, but equally extremely expensive merchandise.  We know that going in, and don't mind them so much because theme parks make our children happy.  But fast lane is different.  It makes some children happy at the expense of other children.  And that is wrong.

Wealthy people have their privileges.  They eat at better restaurants, they stay at better hotels, they get better quality clothes.  They travel more.  They live in bigger, more luxurious houses.  And on, and on, and on.  And that is fine with me.  Most of them worked hard for their money, they earned it, and they get to spend it the way they like.  But most of the time, they don't get their privileges at the expense of people who make less.  A 6-year-old usually doesn't know that a classmate next to him wears a T-shirt that costs $40, while his costs $10.  They get the same attention from teachers, and they study the same material.  None gets preferential treatment.  Fast lane, again, is completely opposite.  As long as you can (and willing to) pay (a lot) extra, the park will provide better service for you at the expense of others.

Imagine a family that is struggling to make ends meet because one of the parents lost his job.  Nevertheless, they decided to spend their daughter's birthday at Great America because she's been asking for it for a few months.  How do they explain to her why she should wait in line for a ride for half an hour while all these kids with wrist bands keep jumping ahead of her?  How do they justify "wait your turn" lessons that she's been taught since she was a toddler?  And by the way, those lucky kids with wristbands don't benefit much from "fast lane" lessons either, teaching them that being able to pay extra somehow makes them better than all those people waiting in line.  Money, afterall, can't, and shouldn't, buy everything.

We all know that theme parks are out for profit.  But they cater to children.  The least they can do is while making their profit, make sure that they don't trample on children's ideals, such as fairness.  Great America should be ashamed of itself for such a sleazy way to make more money.  And you know these "No line jumping" signs they have next to every ride?  Now right next to them they have "Fast lane" arrows pointing to one direction or the other.  I think these should be renamed to "Line jumping this way."