"The Mecca of the Mouse" article from Msn

[Belle_20]

I saw this aritcle on msn about a guy who is trying to understand the Disney experiance! (Like its that hard, its the happiest place on earth) Anyway I was skimming through some of it and he was kind of talking bad about Disney, and it made me a bit mad.

Quoting him from the article he says "I can understand why families love Disney World. And theres nothing wrong with making kids happy. I just think we'd all be better off if we didnt indoctrinate our kids in the Disneyist dogma."

And....

he says "I've come to the conclusion that Disney World teaches kids three things, 1)A meaningless, bubble-headed utopianism 2) A grasping whining consumerism 3) A preference for soulless facsimiles of culture and architecture instead of for the real thing. I suppose it also teaches them that monorails are cool."

All I have to say is he doesnt understand Disney one bit and I dont think anyone here would agree with him. So sorry buddy your article stinks

 

[banks37]

I just finished reading his article. It seems that he had most of the story written before he made his trip down there and when he did tour the parks he went looking for anything that would support his preconceived views. After reading it I felt sorry for him. Sorry because even after making the trip he was not able to have fun and enjoy himself.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

I agree with you Banks37, I would even go as far as to question the integrity of his experiences. It was obvious that he had made up his mind before going, but I hope that generally people go into an experience with an open mind and his article would not dissuade people from coming. I'm surrounded by people who don't share my enthusiasm for all that is Disney, and hey I'm O.K. with it. I will say however, that I've been coming to Disney since it opened and I've never seen anyone chase after and actually hop on to a moving tram!

 

[N10CJT]

I read it as well, and I knew there would be some reaction to it on these boards!
Here is a copy of it on Slate, so that those who haven't read it can take a look and join the discussion:
http://www.slate.com/id/2187177/entry/2187178/
First, what I am in agreement with, then what I take issue with.
I actually think that some of it is accurate in its criticism. I love Disney World, but parts of it are weird, creepy, even disturbing-- though frankly those parts are far less prevalent than he suggests. I agree about the corporate marketing and consumerism, though, in places it is disgusting, particularly in the Dinosaur attraction (which, in case you are both deaf and blind, is brought to you by a generous grant from the McDonald's Corporation [in exchange for licensing rights to the parks!]) and Test Track.... I mean really, how "vacation-destination" is a car showroom? I also agree that there is a weird psychology involved in using children as an excuse to go to Disney (though if he ever looked at these boards, he'd see that plenty of adults don't need any excuses), that some people repeatedly go to Disney to the exclusion of anywhere else and use strange arguments to legitimize that choice (a couple weeks back someone on here said that she didn't need to travel the world because she could do it in the World Showcase, and that's just plain alien to my sensibilities), that too many visitors submit to even the most arbitrary rules and scowl at those who trust their own practicalities to govern their actions (though in fairness I feel like the rules are overwrought specifically because too many visitors can not make rational judgments about what is and isn't acceptable), and that it is a problem if a healthy, relatively young person can not walk the parks without extreme cardiovascular discomfort and that seeing this happen relatively frequently in Disney reflects a problem with our culture, and that some of the things that some aspects of Disney preaches are potentially dangerous if left unchecked (I took issue with the absurd gender roles assigned in ToonTown well before reading this article, and the general message in many Disney films that a princess' role in early life is to find a man to define her life or facilitate her dreams is problematic). And in principle I concur with his assessment of Celebration.... God bless those who live there, but from my perspective it is creepy, cultish and kind of fascist in its ideals.
But overall, I find much to dispute in his article:
1. Enough about how everything is fake.... of course it's fake. That's not the point.
2. I sort of get the feeling that he had a good time on his trip, but is too pretentious to admit it. I'm a professor at a prestigious college and a Ph.D. from a major program and part of what I do is cultural criticism, and yes, I love Disney World. Oh, and I'm also an urban dweller who walks a lot and hates chain restaurants and spends a great deal of time in Manhattan (which, incidentally, I navigate on foot and by subway), so it's not like I'm living in some kind of suburban haze. Get over yourself.
3. What constitutes a "real" experience as opposed to a "fake" one, and who gets to define those terms?
4. Did he explore any of the resorts or eat at any of the fantastic restaurants? And what the hell was he doing driving everywhere if he was staying on property? The failure to do these two things makes me believe that he never took the time to understand all that the resort has to offer.
5. Going to Disney World and feeding those corporate coffers isn't like going to Wal-Mart and ignoring all their unethical practices and their repeated poor treatment of employees so you can save 10 cents on dish detergent. At least in this area of their corporate structure, they are selling pure joy and hedonism, and the exploitation of patrons is entirely the choice of those patrons. We know we're going to be soused at Disney, and we go anyway. Maybe we don't think it's that unreasonable to overpay there. And while I wouldn't say that everyone loves working at Disney and that poor treatments never occur, I venture to guess that there aren't thousands of Wal-Mart employees that consider themselves in their dream jobs and even less who make it a point to brighten the days of those who feed the machinery of their corporate employer.
6. If he's looking for the cum-bay-ya everyone-live-in-peace message, why doesn't he stop ANYWHERE in the park and look around. Sure it's not perfect all the time and I do agree that for a select number of people it's only possible through a cultish engagement with Disney, but I'm fairly certain that thousands of people from varying places with varying ideals congregate in the parks every day with remarkably few incidents.
7. I think his notion of the consumerist abroad is apt, but it's difficult to think that the pavilions are devoid of "culture." In Morocco there is architecture and tile work to admire, and though all of it is overpriced, the stores are selling more than just fezzes. I can't even really fault the slightly Americanized restaurant, either. Oh, and Disney didn't design them exclusively-- the countries contributed.
8. Some of Disney World is soul-less, to be sure. But it's not about the environment. It's about the people. If he thought about his shared experiences on Everest and Kali a bit more, I think he'd find plenty of soul on the property.
8-a. Why, incidentally, do people still equate "soul" with "old"? I live in a 19th C. brownstone across from a Frederick Law Olmstead Park (read, work of art), but if someone built me a unique and beautiful place, I wouldn't scoff at living in it. Those disgusting strips of mimetic corporate chainery that are staples of most regions of the country these days, that's soul-less.... Disney World is just clean.
9. I too hate the superfluous narrative attached to the safari. But right next to it, you can linger for as long as you like in an open-air environment and stare at gorgeous silverback gorillas. And narratives are the heart of Disney, so I can forgive them when they fail or sometimes just get in the way.
10. You can't go to Disney looking to complete an intellectual project. It gets in the way of your unexpected transformation into a child who can love what is clearly immature and unsophisticated. Just go, and conduct your analyses as you move along or better yet, after you leave. There's nothing wrong with meaning, but experience is a kind of meaning.
(As a side-note, if you're interested, I have a trip report that may alienate some patrons at times, but at least it's honest and without an agenda and my criticisms are consumed by my expressions of how much fun it was down there. Check it out if you're interested!)
11. I know a lot of people go alone and love it, but I think that particularly on a first visit or a visit after a long lay-off (like it was for me last November), you have to go with someone you love. Sharing Disney World is so important to loving Disney World. Oh yeah, the same is true about Paris. Which I've been told is pretty old, and not in America.
12. Seems to me a good thing to do if one wants to understand a place is to actually speak with the people there. Just a thought.....
13. This guy sucks. Okay, that was just to appease the boards....

Okay that's enough for now! I trust people agree and disagree with much I've said, so feel free to comment!

 

[carolinagirl]

OK...I just finished reading his article and here are my thoughts.

It takes all kinds of people to make the world go 'round, and he is certainly entitled to his opinion. I don't believe, however, that he went on this trip to try to "understand" what is going on at WDW. He had his mind made up about his WDW experience before he even got there. He simply viewed everything there through his own cynical "glasses". He simply doesn't get it, and that's OK, not everyone does.

I do feel a little sorry for him though. He obviously doesn't have any appreciation for imagination or vision. Yes, Disney is a place that glorifies magic, dreams, imagination, make-believe. I fail to see why that is a bad thing. In fact, that IS the point, isnt' it?! Disney is an escape from the real world. I have to live in the real world 357 days a year. I relish the 8 or so days that I spend in WDW each year because it is an escape for me and my family. I feel sorry for someone who doesn't have the capacity to let go of the real world long enough to enjoy a little child-like fun and imagination. Sometimes people just over-think things instead of just letting go and enjoying them. He seems to be that kind of person. Too "intellectual" to have an imagination.

I'm no dummy...I know that Disney is a publicly traded company that is out to make a buck. Yeah, I get that. I hope they continue to be profitable so that I can continue to take my children, and one day, my grand-children there and so that myself and my DH can continue to enjoy it as we grow old together.

 

[Stacy's a freak]

lol - I read the multi-day article and I found it funny and entertaining. I honestly think he is a good, cynical writer which I happen to like. And his rather astute observations of the Disney-created utopia are sometimes spot on:

"Having traveled to Africa myself, I can tell you that Harambe gets only two minor details wrong. The first is that Africa has many more flies than this. And the second is that Africa has black people."

However, I even wonder if this guy actually DOES get it...

"If I've found one redeeming feature of the Disney World experience, it's the community spirit that's fostered when strangers all join together for a primal shriek of fear—or joy."

One of the reasons that I love Disney so much IS the fact that I can escape my sometimes stressful and often less-than-utopian world. I certainly know that Disney is not real life and that I am NOT a kid anymore, but it's fun to escape there and pretend. Maybe this guy is into entertaining his readers and is willing to sacrifice a little fun for it.

In any event, I am content to know that WDW is my favorite place on earth even if this guy doesn't agree.