Ninth Bit of Media—Disney Tag

So this bothered me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CEqh9hMn-k

Tell me with a straight face that not one of these
glamorous gals elicits in you an emotional reaction.

I've mentioned in my post about Tumblr how much I hate the unfairness of small, independent content creators essentially advertising for large corporations. But this took it to another level, since it exposed how crazily huge Disney has become in our culture.

This is more than just a lovemark. This is a way of life.

We see in the video Kayley, the titian-haired goddess of vlogs, going into raptures about how Disney was part of her childhood, and part of who she is today. Sure, she is a bit cynical about the corporate nature of Disney culture, but overall she maintains that the company was essential to making her childhood magical.

And Liam, the "Scottish princess" as named in his version of the survey, is no better, at one point telling Kayley, "Don't ruin Disney!" as she explains how employees at the parks could have skimped on preparing a replacement backpack for her. He doesn't tell her "Don't ruin the parks!" and even though the drama dramatic tone he uses is partly in jest, his emphasis on the magic of Disney comes from the knowledge that its role in society is to be the guardian of childhood innocence and imagination.

And this observation is so scary because it is so true, not just for Liam and Kayley, but for me, and probably for you. How many people can honestly that Disney was not a driving force in their early childhood, that it did not shape their early beliefs and values? Think about it.

The glittering generalities and simple solutions may have been what drew the adults taking care of us to shower us with exposure to the company, but in the end it has become our entire lives, not just a product. It may have originated as a way to keep the kids entertained and imaginative, but look what the Disney universe has done to us and our culture: it has made itself into the fairytale our children learn when they are young and the one they nostalgically look back on years later.

Disney has become our childhoods, or a very large element of them anyway.

*Runs screaming into the night*