There is an easier way to avoid the Strong Parameters at all, you just need to convert the parameters to a regular hash, as:
unlocked_params = ActiveSupport::HashWithIndifferentAccess.new(params)
model.create!(unlocked_params)
This defeats the purpose of strong parameters of course, but if you are in a situation like mine (I'm doing my own management of allowed params in another part of my system) this will get the job done.