In the Reading City of Robots a particular quote stuck me more than others. "Disneyland tells us that technology can give us more reality than nature can."
It recreates a reality in which amuse people. Such as animals that can be found in particular places. You will always find that animal at Disney (it may be a constructed robot), but you will not necessarily see that same animal outside of Disney. Disneyland can create a reality in which people want. As it said in the article, Disney is an amusing carousel of fantastic journeys that take the visitor into a fantasy land.
As we know upon entering Disney that it is only a park for amusement, but I believe this article is trying to express that we become so engulfed in our surroundings while visiting, that in a sense it becomes a reality.
This idea of "reconstructed truth," brought up towards the end of the article, reminded me of a cmc200 article where Disney takes the past and reconstructs it so that the bad in our history is left out. Those who have not read this article may find it very interesting, it also illustrates how Disney creates this sense of need for technology. Technology is what has bettered our future and present day.
Disney reconstructs a better reality for its visitors though this idea of technology. Who would not want to visit such a fantasy land.
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2 comments:
Disney does leave out the bad... But would you want to visit a "fantasy land" where our most horrific histories are relived and exploited? Disney does a pretty good job of recreating things, say the African Safari. Do you wanna see them recreate (in their own historical opinions) the slave treatment or parts of Vietnam or the holocaust and our role in WWII with the atomic bomb? Count me out.
Part of me wants to defend Disney… even though I have major issues with the company and the ideals. But a child goes to Disney, and I can nearly guarantee that they don’t walk out of the “The Hall of Presidents” with the knowledge of every single US president. So while we blame them for not teaching history, we must also blame parents and schools for not teaching it.
I think Disney has social responsibilities that they do not step up to, but I also think that we do not place blame on other factors. Sometimes it is hardest to blame ourselves.
I think sometimes we credit Disney with the education of our children. We say they influence our girls (well I said this last semester for my CMC 100 project) to obsess of physical attributes that are unchangeable. That Disney tells these girls to not speak up for themselves, to have animals as friends, to wait for their prince charming to save them (and them marry them in order to live happily ever after). But this happens because they are not shown another way. And that is the responsibility of parents. If we don’t want Disney to teach our children, let’s make sure that we pick up their slack, fill in their gaps.
"Scarlett Wishes”
While reading this post and contemplating the related article, “City of Robots,” I began to think of how Disney, in the sense of historical recreation, relates to the typical museum of history. People flock to Disney for the rides and the general atmosphere of happiness at its pinnacle to remind them of childhood—but why does the average person visit a museum? Generally, unless there is a specific research component, people visit museums for pleasure as well. Museums display robots, stuffed creatures (think the Smithsonian) and portray virtual “life-like” recreations as well. Disney simply goes one step further and adds a not only a theatrical element, but a cartoonish and fantasy aspect.
I think the main difference between the virtual recreations of Disney and those of museums is the aspect of fantasy. Generally, museums display things of the past, things that have already happened—things which we have studied in school to be legitimized. Within those recreations, there must also be some form of creativity and bias as well, after all, the museum creators most likely were not there during the ice age, and for events that they were present for, everyone has an opinion. 9/11 is certainly not going to be portrayed in American museums as it would be from another country’s perspective.
I do not think the critic of Disney is falsified simply because our everyday lives are also carried out through fantasy and our own personal “realities.” I also think Disney is an excellent example of part of our ultimate fantasy world and how we are taught to think of historical ideas. However, the piece made me wonder how much of the same implications are present within our supposedly sterile scientific world? Disney is not known for its historical accuracy, but what would a critic of something that is suppose to be accurate be like?
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