Page 178 - The Disneyization of Society

IMPLICATIONS OF DISNEYIZATION

placed on it so that there is far less of a sense of the déjà vu that is associated with
standardization.
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Anti-Disneyization

It might be imagined that Disneyization is less likely than other globalizing
tendencies to give rise to the displeasure of anti-globalization writers. For one
thing, it is not a homogenizing force and as such is less vulnerable to the charge
of creating a bland world of sameness. In addition, it is much less directly associ-
ated with specific companies than the flow of prominent brand names and insti-
tutions. It is precisely the companies that are deeply associated with such brands
(such as, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Nike, Burger King, Coca-Cola) that are the typical
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targets of their ire. Disneyization may be directly associated with companies that
export its principles, albeit in localized formats, but it is also adopted abroad by
local companies, as the discussion at the end of the last section suggested. Thus,
Disneyization’s lack of direct connection with specific companies renders it less
visible and at least to some extent, perhaps, less objectionable.
That Disneyization is less likely to engender such criticism than transnational
companies and their brands does not render it immune to ideological criticism. It is
vulnerable on several fronts. The following have been touched on in earlier chapters:

• Distortion of history and place. The widespread use through theming of historical periods
and events as the foundation for commercial activity has been criticized for the
frequently sanitized and bowdlerized images that are served up as capsule accounts of the
past. The distortions that are heaped on the past in such locations as South Street Seaport
in New York and The Rocks in Sydney are examples of the way in which the past is ran-
sacked and then purged of the realities of labour, exploitation and poverty. These repre-
sentations have been highly contentious for many writers, some of whom were mentioned
in Chapter 2. Similarly, images of place are prone to distortion and frequently produce
patronising representations sometimes with colonial overtones. Relatedly, it may be worth
observing that the large sums of money that can be invested in making such representa-
tions compelling in the name of ‘education’ may make it more difficult for hard-pressed
public educational organizations to compete in terms of both the mechanisms for getting
pedagogical messages across and the subversion of simplistic versions of time and place.
• Manipulation of children. Disneyization is strongly associated with the manipulation of
children. As we saw in Chapters 3 and 4, the use of such techniques as giving toys away
with meals and the widespread merchandising directed at children are blatant marketing
appeals to get children to spend money via their parents. Because children are seen as more
vulnerable to such appeals, some commentators, such as the Archbishop of Canterbury, see
these techniques as reprehensible for their priming of the young for consumerism. 37
• Manipulation of consumers. The use of various tactics for getting consumers to stay longer,
to purchase items they had not intended to buy by positioning outlets strategically,