Page 61 - The Disneyization of Society

THE DISNEYIZATION OF SOCIETY

• Cookies Schmitt and Simonson suggest that a range of cookies marketed by Pepperidge
Farm in the USA are themed. There is a ‘Distinctive Collection’ which draws on European
52 narratives: Milano, Geneva, Brussels, etc. They quote from the Mint Brussels packet:
‘Imagine strolling down a cobblestone street to your favorite European bake shop. The
aroma of Old World baking fills the air. … European heritage and American ingenuity com-
bine to create wonderful cookies you can enjoy every day’. 154 In addition, there is an Old
Fashioned collection (‘Cookies that could have come right out of Grandma’s cookie jar’).

Conclusion

In this chapter, I have sought to make a case that more and more areas of modern
life are becoming themed in a similar way to the sense in which Disney theme parks
are themed. Walt Disney did not invent theming and the use of simulations on
which theming thrives, but between them, his theme parks have provided rich
exemplars of what theming entails and the kinds of use to which it can be put. There
are undoubtedly numerous examples of theming prior to 1955 but Disneyland was
a high-profile and hugely successful paradigm of its potential which has been
widely drawn upon. The Disney theme parks are emblems of the process of theming,
as they are with the other dimensions of Disneyization discussed in this book.
Increasingly, theming has been used as a means of differentiating service providers
as diverse as restaurants, malls, shops, zoos, and holiday destinations. The more
standardized services and places become, 155 particularly as a result of the homoge-
nizing tendencies of McDonaldization, the more important theming becomes as a
mechanism of differentiation. Theming becomes a mechanism for distinguishing
otherwise identical and unremarkable venues and products.
Critics of theming often disapprove of the use of symbols of nostalgia for the-
matic cues. Drawing on faux designs and histories, theming in terms of nostalgic
references is often depicted as presenting a sanitized history, one that removes
any reference to hardship and conflict in the cause of consumption. Their critique
is therefore levelled at the commodification of these emblems of the past that
resonate in our culture. Interestingly, many of the companies that guard their
copyright images, logos and works most tirelessly, such as Disney and Nike, are
precisely the companies that draw on the public domain emblems of heritage and
popular culture with impunity. Their use of images is a one-way street so far as
copyright permission is concerned, since impressions of the Wild West, seafaring,
and ancient Egypt can be plundered more or less free of constraint.
In addition to theming being depicted as part of a strategy of differentiation, it is
sometimes suggested, especially in connection with shopping, that it is deployed so
that people lose themselves in the experience and are more likely to buy. This may
happen to some people some of the time, but as several commentators have pointed
out, this is to construe the consumer as a kind of cultural dope who mindlessly buys