In the 1920s, Walt Disney started a uniquely American religious cult that I call Disneyism. It has never stopped growing.
Faith is accepting something as fact when there is no evidence or logic to support the belief. This is what both religion and Disneyism do. Disney creations use every fictional device to capture and alter the consumer’s feelings. The very young are especially prone to accept these fantasies as reality, and they generalize them to all of life. Disneyism becomes a way of thinking, a distorted view of the world. As McDonalds food is to good nutrition, so Disney is to mental health.
In the beginning: Back in the 1920s, Walt Disney began to produce silent, black and white cartoons shown in movie theaters. His signature character, Mickey Mouse, made its début in 1928. No question about it, Disney was a hard working, creative artist who became a skilled organizational leader. But, the monster he created is eating away at our culture.
The appeal: For any religion, it is essential to recruit kids early in life since, as children, our minds are open to indoctrination. As critical thinking skills develop later in life, we may learn that we have been lied to, but we retain a warm spot in our hearts for the old joys and mysteries of childhood. As if the appeal of Disney magic were not enough to capture the belief of children, something called The Mickey Mouse Club, The Mousketeers, was a television show that began in the 1950s and was revived in the 1980s and again in the 1990s. It was Disney’s Sunday school for millions of kids watching television.
The principle upon which Disney based his dream world is anthropomorphism. This error in thinking applies human qualities to animals or inanimate objects. Children and primitive people are especially prone to the anthropomorphic error. Much as we would like to think so, mice do not wear clothes, stay faithful to one life partner, speak, make plans, or experience the range of human emotions.
Walt Disney wanted to make people happy, and he succeeded magnificently in his cartoons, movies and theme parks. But, is this a healthy and harmless happiness or an expensive and misdirected attempt to feel good, an addiction? People love to symbolize conflict, intrigue, and dangerous human characteristics in safe targets such as animals and evil figures. We love anthropomorphism because it is safer than dealing with real people and situations. Like any religion, Disney gets to the kids early and lets them accept fantasy as real life.
Disney was very selective in which human attributes he ascribed to animals. Pluto the dog was a character in some 57 different theater cartoons. Although Pluto never wore any clothes, he appears with no normal male dog genitalia. He can smile, cock an ear to a conversation, understand plans, but apparently he has no interest or ability in sex. Pluto is missing what any child can easily see on any large male dog. And so, like a religion, we have a conspiracy to ignore what is obvious, dangerous, and important in real life.
Most of the female Disney characters are rather flat chested. Poor Snow White is fitted with seven very unsuitable male dwarves as companions. Each dwarf exemplifies some human weakness that we are invited to find amusing. Dopey, Sneezy, Grumpy . . . you know the gang from your own early exposure. Even Doc, the smart one, has some serious personality flaws. And even if he’s smart, he’s still a dwarf, ho, ho.
Disney fans are spared many human personality flaws except when a villain is needed. When a villain does appear, incredible violence often flows before our eyes.
The price: Money rolls into the Disney Corporation beyond Walt’s wildest dreams. His company has invaded every aspect of human affairs going far beyond simple cartoon entertainment. If a man takes his wife and two kids to visit a Disneyland Park, it can cost hundreds of dollars in tickets, meals, and lodging. And Disney Corp. is there to sell it all as you go along.
But theme parks all over the world are only the beginning. Exact numbers are hard to track down, but Disney Corporation owns at least five movie studios and a major radio/television network along with about ten television stations, a number of music labels, book publishers, fifteen magazines, eight cable television channels, a chain of Disney retail stores and even a growing luxury cruise line. Disney, then, is often there when you have no idea who owns the stuff you’re looking at or listening to.
Making money on it: You’re not going to be able to compete very well with this monster, although there is always room for another bright, hard working Walt Disney type who comes along with a good dumb idea. If your idea is promising, Disney will do what it usually does: buy you out or place political obstacles in your path to limit you. They are, after all, rich enough to buy the kind of legislation they need.
Is there a better idea? If all else fails, we might try teaching kids the truth about nature. We might try introducing kids to the incredible world of real animal behavior. We do have the Discovery and the Science Channels, but they can’t complete with Disney’s saturation of the media. We should be teaching young children the skills of critical thinking. Of course, we might have to ask how we can make money on truth and on good education. Unfortunately, it is often easier to make money on lies, exaggeration, and magic than on science, logic, and truth.
How can we compete with a company that convinces people that even cars can talk and feel and scheme? Is all we can provide one more entertaining lie? There is a relatively small core of bright, productive people who make fortunes on producing things for a better life, things such as computers, medical innovations, and incredible labor saving machines—all the things Disney does not do. The herd, however, labors in go-nowhere jobs spending its money on dreams, entertainment and magic. And Disney is always there to sell feel good lies.
We even elect Disney-like heroes to high office, and then we get our reward when they turn out to be Disney-like villains.
Next month: Designer gods.
Politics
Factzone: The truth about Kim Jong Il
Kim Jong Il, the leader of the free world, has decided to move on to more fertile grounds, leaving with us just the memories of 8-color rainbows, singing Korean women and couple of nuclear weapons. But who was this man whose next ambition would have been to get the next Nobel Peace prize? Here are just a few facts you should know about.
more
Top 5 Conspiracy Theories Related to John F. Kennedy's Assassination
26.Aug 2011
Since just after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, conspiracy theories abou...read
ISRAEL KEEPING GHADDAFI AFLOAT
10.Mar 2011
...read
Glen Beck Is NOT the Anti-Christ!
10.Mar 2011
Hurtful and fiery rhetoric is now media’s default setting! This slippery and m...read
Recipe for A REVOLUTION! (10 easy steps - try not to get burned!)
28.Feb 2011
Rebellion is cooking in the air. People are mad as hell, and not going to take...read
Opinion
World governments charged with criminal negligence (in response to Megaupload case)
EARTH (thecheers.org) - Federal authorities of the universe have charged the governments of all the countries in the world as well as the operators actually in power in these countries with operating a criminal enterprise, the Galaxy warriors announced Today.
more
The Great OSCARS 2011 – or so it would seem
5.Mar 2011
So, how exciting......a morning off, the Academy Awards. I wish I could say the...read
Top 7 Expensive Bordellos. Prostitution: Shakedown, Tier Down, and Priced Out
31.Jan 2011
According to a report of the Washington DC-based US Department of State, The Ph...read
The Great Secret and Reason for the JFK Assassination
11.Oct 2010
The great question is why the great secret? On June 4 1963, President Kennedy s...read
Don't Do it! The 3 Worst Times to Get Tattoos
4.Oct 2010
As a general rule, tattoos gotten after 2 am are a bad idea. But in a bigger pi...read
|
Travel
Travel Warning 13 September 2010 - DO NOT TRAVEL TO IRAN
13.Sep 2010
TRAVELWISE has been watching the situation in Iran for some months in relation ...read
more
TRAVELWISE TRAVEL ADVISORY 5th June 2010. DO NOT TRAVEL TO ISRAEL.
5.Jun 2010
Given the recent incident whereby the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad, used...read
TRAVELWISE. 16 APRIL 2010. EUROPEAN TRAVEL ALTERNATIVES
16.Apr 2010
Travelwise issues the following advice in relation to cancelled flights to, fro...read
TRAVELWISE 6 APRIL 2010. AUSTRALIAN AIR TRAVEL. THE BEST WAYS TO TRAVEL BY AIR IN AUSTRALIA.
5.Apr 2010
Regular readers might have seen and read the various advisory and no-fly notice...read
TRAVELWISE 2 APRIL 2010. QANTAS.
2.Apr 2010
Some concerns have been raised in relation to some of the maintenance practices...read
No Payoff From the Playoffs
$16.50 will Get Anyone in the Hall Mr McGwire
Stupid Athlete Tricks
Think Big! Think the World's Largest International Trade Show
Top 9 cool laptop accessories for laptop geeks
Twittering: I'm not that interesting
Cheers
|
