Page 166 - The Disneyization of Society

Chapter Seven

Implications of Disneyization

Mini Contents

Disneyization as systemscape 158
Disneyization and globalization 161
The Disney theme parks encounter the local 163
Disneyization and local conditions 164
Structures of similarity 167
Anti-Disneyization 169
Sweated labour 170
Destruction of land and natural habitats 171
Running down of cities 172
Creation of partial citizens 172
The economic meets the cultural 173
Conclusion 175

In this chapter, I reflect on some of the broader ramifications of Disneyization.
The discussion entails spelling out some issues and themes that have been
implicit in the book thus far. Two areas of particular concern in this chapter are
the interconnections between Disneyization and both consumption and global-
ization. The latter two concepts are themselves connected, of course, since
globalization is frequently motivated by pressures to spread the canon of consumerism
and to provide an infrastructure for it, along with the goods and services them-
selves. As noted in earlier chapters, consumption lies at the heart of Disneyization
and will therefore be a recurring motif in these final reflections. Consumption
provides the rationale and context for the mechanisms of Disneyization that have
been explored.
The affinity with consumption is a feature that Disneyization shares with
1
McDonaldization. Like McDonaldization, Disneyization is a large-scale social
process that is made up of a number of analytically separate components. Some
institutions may be described as both Disneyized and McDonaldized. Shopping
malls, McDonald’s itself, and theme parks are prominent examples, in that
they reveal elements of both processes. However, although Disneyization and
McDonaldization may sometimes overlap with respect to certain institutions,
they are distinctively different processes. Disneyization should not be viewed as

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