"How Walt Disney Changed Everything"

[OneMoreTry]

Has anyone else seen/read this National Geographic article? It talks about the influence of Walt Disney on Orlando and American culture in general. It calls him "utopian" and "controlling." And I agree he was definitely both. The father of the homogenization of America -- not their words.

It also says that some characters are manned by low-salaried foreign workers from places like SriLanka.


DVC is referred to twice, but not actually mentioned.

"Old Key West" is mentioned as an Epcot resort.

And they mentioned the lack of control Disney timeshare owners have over property they don't really own.

 

[Chuck S]

Hmmm, I wonder how much control other timeshare owners have over their timeshare property. Can they overstuff their rooms at will, or repaint the walls, or do their own maintenance? My guess is they'd have to have a full member vote to change most things, just as with DVC.

Low salaried foreign workers from SriLanka are inside those costumes? Really? How do they know? Does the union know about that?

Was Walt controlling? Absolutely. Not many people would deny that. He ran his empire his way, and could be a bear to work for. Perception was everything, as it seems to be today with much of the entertainment industry, but more so in the 50s and 60s, it was a different world.

 

[disneymagic316]

We also have the National Geographic with the article about Walt Disney. We thoughtt is was a very interesting article.

 

[BroganMc]

Was that the one that goes of on a long tangent about a church trying to grow itself into a Disneyesque "take over the world" fashion?

Most interesting thing I read the history lesson on how Walt got the land from the state and how that impacts the timeshares. Basically, in order for the company to maintain control and not lose it to state government whims, no one can "own" Disney property except for the company. Keeps people off the zoning boards.

As for Walt being the master of his company, yeah what's wrong with that? He had a vision and was determined enough to make it happen. That's the great thing about the USA. Enterpeneurs with a dream can make things happen and give us a common ground to meet.

The bit about Orlando losing its local flavor is really no different than any of the newer urban cities in this country. Cities are remarkably similar.

 

[tomandrobin]

Read the article first day it came in the mail.

 

[disneykidatheart]

Was that the one that goes of on a long tangent about a church trying to grow itself into a Disneyesque "take over the world" fashion?

Most interesting thing I read the history lesson on how Walt got the land from the state and how that impacts the timeshares. Basically, in order for the company to maintain control and not lose it to state government whims, no one can "own" Disney property except for the company. Keeps people off the zoning boards.

As for Walt being the master of his company, yeah what's wrong with that? He had a vision and was determined enough to make it happen. That's the great thing about the USA. Enterpeneurs with a dream can make things happen and give us a common ground to meet.

The bit about Orlando losing its local flavor is really no different than any of the newer urban cities in this country. Cities are remarkably similar.[/QUOTE]


This is true but it used to be pretty neat to come to Orlando and see acres and acres of orange trees growing in all directions and find Walt Disney World right in the middle of them! We stayed at a campground in the mid 70's where an itinerant orange picker was also staying. We did our Disney thing during the day and he went off to pick oranges. We would meet in the evening and he would regale us with stories of an orange picker and other tales of his travels around the world. It was a memorable vacation. Our campground was also surrounded by orange trees.

 

[RobDoc]

National Geographic article - "How Walt Disney Changed Everything"

 

[starbox]

I highly, highly recommed the book From Walt To Woodstock: How Disney Created the Counterculture.

http://www.amazon.com/Walt-Woodstoc..._bbs_sr_1/104-5783038-2901565?ie=UTF8&s=books

 

[jemiaule]

"Few tourists realize it, but when their kids hug Goofy and Minnie they might be embracing low-wage workers from places like Sri Lanka and the Dominican Republic. "




Man, did this writer try to twist things. The way the writer poses this statement one would think that Disney is importing illegal aliens and paying them bupkis.

I have a friend who is a character and while she is not paid the "big bucks" she is not low-wage worker either. Sure, some of the kids may be from Sri Lanka or the Dominican Republic but they would have to have work Visas in order to be employed.

On a whim I went with her once to a character audition before AK opened. (Let me tell ya, those are a bit tough but so much fun!) Most of the kids there looked to be college age and from all walks of life. Looking back I don't recall any line up of illegal aliens waiting to get paid dollars a day to sweat it out in a Minnie Mouse coustume.

 

[OneMoreTry]

....
Was Walt controlling? Absolutely. Not many people would deny that. He ran his empire his way, and could be a bear to work for. Perception was everything, as it seems to be today with much of the entertainment industry, but more so in the 50s and 60s, it was a different world.

I think they were also referring to "control" over things such as how people behave in his kingdom. You have to admit that WDW is loaded with rules -- what you can and cannot do. Eg. the "occupancy rules."

I don't think he could have accomplished the illusion of utopia and not do this. "Magic" can only occur if people, to some degree, are prevented from being their selfish selves for a while. It's nice to be in a place where everyone seems to be obeying the golden rule. That's why it's such a dis-illusion to see people not doing that at WDW.

You go, Walt.

PS. Whereas this is fine and even enjoyable for a time when people willingly subject themselves, it usually fails when a leader attempts to subject an entire society against their will.

 

[Nadine&Scott]

Not sure if I should say Thank you Doc for providing a link to the article. Certainly a waste of my time for sure. Other New Englanders like myself will know what article author T.D. Allman would be called by a certain popular Boston afternoon radio talk show host.

I will just continue to enjoy my DVC "Timeshare" that I neither actually own or have any control over.

Scott

 

[BroganMc]

This is true but it used to be pretty neat to come to Orlando and see acres and acres of orange trees growing in all directions and find Walt Disney World right in the middle of them!

Ah well the orange groves are still in Florida, they're just further away from the big cities. If you ever take the AutoTrain down you go through the farmlands just north of I-4.

We once took the road from Tampa up to Jacksonville and went through Ocala. That was farm country. There's even a reknowned strawberry farm just outside Tampa in Plantsville. They have a strawberry festival every year and sell the best shortcake and jams. We keep saying we'll get back there but we stopped going in March when the festival goes on.

Unfortunately, as urban areas grow, farmland ends up pushed further and further away. I know. I live in a once "hick" county filled with farmland and now converted to suburban housing. The remaining family farm clients I have are in the western part of the county. Oddly enough, they survive by niche tourism activities.

 

[starbox]

"Few tourists realize it, but when their kids hug Goofy and Minnie they might be embracing low-wage workers from places like Sri Lanka and the Dominican Republic......... "

...."who get to live in the legendary Treehouse Villas, a place property owners of Disney's time share program can only dream about visiting..."