"The Mouse That Roared": How Disney Instills Greed and Consumerism - Starting at Three Months

[Almira]

Posted: 8/23/11 at 1:01pm

Learn more about Disney's creeping cultural hegemony - read "The Mouse That Roared," Truthout's Progressive Pick of the Week, reviewed in this article.

In American culture, Disney has become synonymous with childhood. Present-day grandparents grew up watching the animated films, wearing Mickey Mouse pajamas and begging to go to Disneyland. But while it all seems innocent, few people have considered the hold that the Disney Corporation has not only on their own lives, but on the world as a whole.

Article:

http://www.truth-out.org/se-mouse-roared-how-disney-instills-greed-and-consumerism-starting-three-months/1310572322

Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people. - Eleanor Roosevelt

[Broadway Joe]

Posted: 8/23/11 at 1:12pm

So long story short is that Disney is a business that wants to make millions of millions of dollars. I don't think this is really new news or something that is really surprising anyone. Lots of people still understand this yet still enjoy their theme parks, movies and rides and other Disney things because they are fun.

All this made me think of was the South Park episode when evil mickey beats up the jonas brothers haha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BKOwptKaiQM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/23/11 at 1:30pm

Looney Toons, Warner Brothers, Harry Potter, Universal, hell even Mother Goose was a pre- and post-Disney commodity that branched beyond books and penetrated pop-culture and the entertainment industry. Disney expanded like any other insanely successful business in a capitalist society and the points raised in that article alone are laughably extremist.

Disney is, after all, a business. They want to make money. And they achieve this goal by marketing products to our children, to our infants, even.

LOL You mean like any other company that provides toys/entertainment for children? But it gets even funnier...

Even if one puts aside the theme parks' unfiled injury reports, or the egregious gender stereotypes, ultimately, Disney is creating an army of consumers out of children, which is a frightening thought.

Unfiled injury reports? Wouldn't that be up to the injured parties? And the gender stereotypes they mention are attached to FAIRY TALES from Little Mermaid to Enchanted. I guess they missed the African American girl who works hard on her own to earn enough money open her own restaurant. And Disney is not "creating and army of consumers out of children" single-handedly. The United States have been doing it since the advent of commercials aimed at children on the wireless radio during Little Orphan Annie and found toys in cereal boxes. This book sounds like hysterical junk.

[tazber]

Posted: 8/23/11 at 2:47pm

I only have so much energy to exert being outraged and Disney isn't really at the top of my list.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/23/11 at 2:54pm

I know what you mean. I just loaded my codes on DisneyMovieRewards.com and I'm bushed. I can barely sum up the energy to check out the sale items on their website.

[adamgreer]

Posted: 8/23/11 at 3:15pm

That entire article is nonsense. Laughable, really.

[iflip4musicals]

Posted: 8/23/11 at 5:36pm

There are tons of books and articles on this subject. For all of the reasons previously mentioned, it's silly. I've been in many a debate/discussion about it, but Disney is a consumer product - surprised?

[Craig]

Posted: 8/24/11 at 7:27am

I consider this very old news.

For one - the original version of this book came out in 2000. This latest version came out in 2010.

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 8/24/11 at 9:31am

I did a production of "The Mouse That Roared" in Junior High.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mouse_That_Roared

[best12bars]

Posted: 8/24/11 at 9:52am

^ Me, too, Doodle. LOL

I'll bet it was infinitely more interesting than this book. I have no interest in bashing a company just because they're massively successful.

We don't "have" to buy their products, go to their movies or theme parks, or watch their TV shows. They haven't forced mom-and-pop stores out of businesses in communities like Walmart has. They may pay cheap, according to some. Then don't work for them. You don't "have" to.

I actually have several good friends who work for Disney. Two have been there more than ten years. One is a top executive, the other is a trailer editor. There are wonderful benefits to being employed there and a lot of corporate crap, too ... just like any other company in the world.

You don't have to like what they do, and you don't have to expose your kids to it as an "automated babysitter" like some parents do. It's up to you.

But I'm not interested in a "take down" book. Find something more constructive to write about, or target a company that really is harming small businesses or "forcing" people to buy their products at exorbitant prices, or working their employees at below-minimum wage.

Disney is a big, greedy, old-school entertainment company that occasionally puts out "machine-made" crap and occasionally puts out creative brilliance. One of the most successful in history. Welcome to America.

Updated On: 8/24/11 at 09:52 AM

[strummergirl]

Posted: 8/24/11 at 10:26am

"I consider this very old news.

For one - the original version of this book came out in 2000. This latest version came out in 2010."

My mother owns the original version. It seemed more appropriate at the time. The Disney renaissance grew stale, movies were coming out that 10-15 years ago would have never been greenlit, hand-drawn animation for both their TV and film mediums were becoming abandoned, and the Eisner era could not end soon enough. Now, I won't go as far to say people are rooting for Disney, but I do think people want to see a John Lasseter-led animation division bring back the early 90s Disney for the sake of good animation and creativity that defined the company.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 8/24/11 at 10:45am

If the article wasn't so hyper-liberal, it's conspiracy theories and fear-mongering would make a great piece for Fox News. Perhaps Nancy Grace can interview the author.