Disneymania

I have to admit. I have had Disney on the brain for the past three months now. My thoughts and feelings about Disney have completely evolved in this time frame too. I initially used to think of Disney as this magical and wonderful thing. Who doesn't have fond memories of watching countless hours of the Disney films and anxiously waiting for their trip to Disneyland? On the other hand, I've begun to slowly, but surely, start to turn on Disney. I think that my recent exposure to all things Disney has tainted my idyllic vision of Disney. I've certainly noticed every little time Disney comes up in mainstream media, and have began to see what an impact it has on our society.

As a little "experiment," I decided to go to the Boise Towne Square Mall. I decided that I would walk around, very causally, not necessarily seeking anything out, and try to see how much Disney propaganda I could see. I must say, I was surprised at just how much I was able to find. My inspiration hit me like a ton of bricks when I walked through the doors and saw a woman walking out with about five huge bags from where else....The Disney Store! My point exactly.

Disney is such a huge corporation that even in PO-dunk Boise, Idaho, we have a store made to sell Disney products. To anyone who has never actually stopped and looked at all the store has to offer, be grateful. I walked in and immediately felt like I stood out. I think the fact that I also didn't have a child under the age of eight there made me feel a little bit more uncomfortable. Never in my life, except for maybe actually at Disneyland (which makes sense), have I seen so much.....crap. Everywhere I looked I saw costumes of every Disney character imagined. Things from dolls, toys, stuffed animals, overpriced videos, and the preview for High School Musical 3 repeating over and over again.....I felt overwhelmed. You can imagine how awkward I felt as a grown man taking photos by myself at the Disney Store.

That was pretty much it for me. I wandered into Borders, and noticed that there is a whole entire DVD section dedicated to Family Films, which the majority is made up of Disney movies. I realized that Disney is exactly what I began to fear. A product. An idea. Nothing more. I began to realize that I did not buy into this idea of Disney anymore. I had been tainted. Disney has infiltrated our homes and has turned us all into mindless consumers purchasing anything that has those special Mickey Mouse ears on them. This was also made only the more obvious when I later went to my parent's house, and saw to my surprise: Disney Trivial Pursuit. My parents youngest child is fifteen. For the life of me I can't think of what possessed them to purchase that game. I could only laugh, and realize that my point was proven. Even my parents, who only have adults and teenagers as children, were still trained to purchase anything with the words "Disney" on it. I guess they've won.