Page 145 - The Disneyization of Society

THE DISNEYIZATION OF SOCIETY

(though in fact the farmers are often corporations), and given a glimpse of farming
in the future where corporations and technology rescue agriculture from the
136 vagaries of nature. Nature is presented as something ‘that needs to be cajoled to
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behave itself’. Thus, rather than listening to the land (the ride’s original name) or
living with the land (its current name), the land must be controlled by corporations
or at least by the technologies they devise in order to extract its maximum poten-
tial and productivity. Control is therefore an overriding theme in which nature is
viewed as untamed and problematic without some harnessing of its energies.
This attraction is by no means the only one in which control emerges as part of
a narrative of progress. It can also be found in Frontierland in the Magic Kingdom,
which is essentially a celebration of the conquest of the Wild West and of the
American Indian. Adventureland is similarly imbued with a narrative of imperialism
and of white triumphalism over natives. In the Animal Kingdom theme park in
Disney World, the company rejoices in its manipulation of the land by creating
environments for the animals that are replications of their normal landscapes.
Trees, foliage, and other environmental features had to be introduced in order to
create for the visitor the impression of being on a safari rather than in a zoo. In
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various ways, then, control emerges as a motif that celebrates a sense of conquest
over nature or of peoples.

Control over the behaviour of employees

The behaviour of Disney theme parks employees is tightly controlled and there
are several dimensions to this control.

1. Recruitment The behaviour of Disney theme parks employees is in a sense controlled
through recruitment (or ‘casting’ as the company prefers to call it) in that only indivi-
duals with the right kind of basic appearance and apparent capacity to behave in a Disney
way are hired. This means that in terms of the issues explored in the previous chapter,
they are hired for their prospective capacity for emotional and aesthetic labour.
2. Training and socialization Disney recruits are trained in Disney traditions and are encour-
aged to appreciate the company’s unique culture and to become committed to its
distinctive ways of doing things (see Box 5.1, p. 108). Such control amounts to cultural
control. 11

3. Rules and regulations Disney employees are also given instruction in Disney rules and
regulations. There is a substantial set of rules and regulations governing rides, the
distribution of food, relating to guests, and so on.

4. Scripts Employees are given scripts from which to work when interacting with visitors.
They may be able to depart from the scripts but only within certain limits, so that
the amusing patter of the Jungle Cruise guides is rarely ad libbed or spontaneous,
but has invariably had to be cleared before being used in practice. In addition, cast