Post-Disney round-up (Disney Post #6)
NOTE: Last week and this week, I’m blogging my experiences at the anti-worker, pro-corporate mecca Disney World as part of a family trip (which I didn’t want to go on, but was outvoted on), with critiques and a few positive aspects as I go along. Here are my previous posts: Post 1, Post 2, Post 3, Post 4, Post 5.
It’s been an exhausting two weeks alternating between visiting Disney World and mostly recovering and chilling off-days, but here are some take-aways from my trip to Florida, focusing on the days we went to Disney World.
There are plenty of negatives related to Disney, but part of the reason I think Disney World is still going strong in spite of this is because on the surface they talk a good game overall, and they have made some important steps towards being more culturally sensitive and Earth-conscious. First, for the (mostly) positive:
At the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom, there are a number of pro-environmental messages (importance of respecting nature, protecting the planet, respecting sea and other animal life), switch to mostly paper products in dining (paper straws instead of plastic, no plastic tops on drinks). The overall vibe of those attractions that addressed it was that we are part of the planet and should protect it, which is important for kids to hear and could maybe get the attention of some adults, too.
At Epcot, cultural appreciation and understanding is emphasized, highlighting the cultures of different countries and regions. It went a little bit deeper into cultures than I expected, even if it was still a broad glimpse that felt like caricatures rather than feeling like a true immersion into any particular culture. I think it could help some people who aren’t aware of other countries and cultures to understand that people live differently elsewhere in the world, and that that isn’t a bad thing.
I don’t really remember anything particularly redeeming socially at Hollywood Studios, which I guess isn’t too surprising since the focus is on reliving, experiencing, or getting behind-the-scenes looks at movies, TV series, and other aspects of the entertainment industry.
But there are some obvious public-facing issues that remain in plain view, as well as ones visitors don’t see or have to think about. Now for the (mostly) negative:
Several of the attractions are based on, or even still show, racist or other stereotypes and depictions.
In addition to the harmful American Indian caricatures still in the Peter Pan and Splash Mountain attractions that I mentioned before, the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse is based on a movie that shows extended scenes of unspecified Pacific Islander “natives” who are unintelligent, buffoonish savages that the Robinsons attack, presumably killing several of them with glee. They could certainly have a treehouse without still associating it to that very outdated movie.
I also was left stunned at the Country Bear Jamboree, which was a sexist and offensive portrayal of southerners. Since I live in Tennessee now, and they mention Tennessee at several points, I may have been more sensitive to this. But the attitudes of the male bears was pretty misogynistic towards the women, with fat jokes and general belittling of females.
Just by going to Disney World, I would have absolutely no idea that anyone was anything other than a heterosexual cis male or female. I didn’t visit every attraction, but we went to a large number of them and the implicit or explicit assumption was always that male characters love female characters and vice versa. — both fully human ones and anthropomorphic ones (hey, I spelled that right on my first try!)
I know from multiple news stories online, from a Bernie Sanders townhall a few years ago, and from TYT, that Disney workers are underpaid — to the point where some of them have even had to live out of their cars because they couldn’t afford housing in the Orlando area. But you couldn’t tell this from interacting with them. Either they’re (secular) saints, they truly enjoy their jobs, they think they’ll get fired if they don’t always seem cheerful and helpful, or some combination of these.
Given how much Disney World admission costs, how much concessions and gifts cost, how much their execs make, and how little they pay their workers overall, I’d expect there to be fewer cases where rides are down. This happened a lot while we were here, either temporarily or in at least two cases, from early on until the end of the day. It was also near-record cold a couple of days, so we’re guessing (but no official word as far as I know) that this had an effect either on some of the equipment or the people staffing it: standing outside in 35 degree weather, when you’re not used to it and don’t have a hat and gloves, etc., is not easy.
But I think my wife put it best about why she and others love Disney World — it’s as simple as this: “it’s fun.” And people need an escape from their day-to-day lives. Most people who come here (or at least the ones that can afford it, which a majority of Americans can’t) probably have no idea about the abysmal worker pay, or don’t think about the parks’ reinforcement of so-called “traditional” gender roles and identities. They’re just there to stop worrying about regular life.
For those who do think about such things, such as those in the LGBTQIA+ community or those who follow political or labor news from non-mainstream sources, is not going to Disney World going to change things? Probably not, unless a lot of people joined in doing so. Public pressure may be able to help, especially if we can get progressives or other lawmakers on our side (which isn’t easy). But the conservative narrative that Disney is too “woke” now is entirely false, which I guess shouldn’t surprise me.
Although I enjoyed a lot of it, Disney would have to do a lot more bare-minimum socially for me to recommend giving them your business.
Thank you for reading this last post about my trip to Disney World, and the last post of 2022! I’ve decided I won’t be posting again for the rest of the year, so you’ll have to wait until next year for my next post (#dadjoke). I wish you a Happy New Year! 🎊
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