The "Disnification" of the World
(or, I will never forgive the Disney corporation for giving Winnie the Pooh such a large head...)
I was on the bus today and I overheard two grown men (and later, a grown woman joined them) who spent the entire time raving about Disney theme parks as one of them had just returned from California and had visited Disneyland on his journey. I became annoyed and I am not sure why really. Nevertheless, I was annoyed. They loved the place, said that the temperatures were lovely but failed to mention that you can rarely see the sky through the smog and that you could hardly breathe.
It made me think that world travel, for many people, is to go somewhere that is clean and beautiful and that has at least one of those evil American fast food outlets. These people don't want to experience anything different, they want to see something that is a little different and only if they can have all of the comforts of home. There is nothing wrong with comfort but one should not assume that this comfort will exist elsewhere in the world.
These corporations are like a virus. McDonalds, Starbucks, Disneylands are springing up all over the world and we have to stop it from spreading further...
A Japanese friend told me recently that young people in Japan grow up learning that life, and travel, is like a Disneyland. Safe and clean. I could tell that he was quite dismayed by this thought. His example was that Japanese tourist that went to Iraq and then was beheaded after he had been kidnapped. Had this young man not been so "brainwashed", he would never have believed that he would be safe there.
People just don't seem to be realistic about their boundaries when they travel somewhere new. Many believe that they can tolerate a great deal of some other culture and then when they get there, have a rude awakening. It's not as easy as it looks. We have to be more realistic about our own comfort zones.
I used to go to McDonalds quite often but now, like an reformed smoker, I abhor the place. I was lulled by the insulated and "happy" environment that they provide and avoided thinking about the "crap" food they serve. They market to children so that parents give in to the kids' whining when they don't get the "toys". This is a very harmful thing. Just look at the young people in North America. They are overweight, depressed and have no desire to get out there and do things.
A friend lent me the book Fast Food Nation and I have to say that it was an interesting, yet horrifying read. If you have a chance, you should give it a read. It may change your life.
Let's bring these corporations down! And let's get Winnie his original head back!
(or, I will never forgive the Disney corporation for giving Winnie the Pooh such a large head...)
I was on the bus today and I overheard two grown men (and later, a grown woman joined them) who spent the entire time raving about Disney theme parks as one of them had just returned from California and had visited Disneyland on his journey. I became annoyed and I am not sure why really. Nevertheless, I was annoyed. They loved the place, said that the temperatures were lovely but failed to mention that you can rarely see the sky through the smog and that you could hardly breathe.
It made me think that world travel, for many people, is to go somewhere that is clean and beautiful and that has at least one of those evil American fast food outlets. These people don't want to experience anything different, they want to see something that is a little different and only if they can have all of the comforts of home. There is nothing wrong with comfort but one should not assume that this comfort will exist elsewhere in the world.
These corporations are like a virus. McDonalds, Starbucks, Disneylands are springing up all over the world and we have to stop it from spreading further...
A Japanese friend told me recently that young people in Japan grow up learning that life, and travel, is like a Disneyland. Safe and clean. I could tell that he was quite dismayed by this thought. His example was that Japanese tourist that went to Iraq and then was beheaded after he had been kidnapped. Had this young man not been so "brainwashed", he would never have believed that he would be safe there.
People just don't seem to be realistic about their boundaries when they travel somewhere new. Many believe that they can tolerate a great deal of some other culture and then when they get there, have a rude awakening. It's not as easy as it looks. We have to be more realistic about our own comfort zones.
I used to go to McDonalds quite often but now, like an reformed smoker, I abhor the place. I was lulled by the insulated and "happy" environment that they provide and avoided thinking about the "crap" food they serve. They market to children so that parents give in to the kids' whining when they don't get the "toys". This is a very harmful thing. Just look at the young people in North America. They are overweight, depressed and have no desire to get out there and do things.
A friend lent me the book Fast Food Nation and I have to say that it was an interesting, yet horrifying read. If you have a chance, you should give it a read. It may change your life.
Let's bring these corporations down! And let's get Winnie his original head back!
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