Sometimes we get flack for being too negative for a Disney theme park fan blog.
Particularly on Twitter where it’s apparently perfectly acceptable to say rude things to people you wouldn’t ever say to their face. (Now before anyone says we’re hypocrites: we would say and have said much of what we’ve said online to the faces of the people who work for Disney and Imagineering. In fact, we occasionally get in trouble for doing so at social functions.)
All that being said, we’d honestly prefer not to be negative or focus on negative things. Look at this blog – not all of it is negative, heck – not even a majority of it. But we do post negative things when Disney does things that are stupid, dangerous, ill-concieved, ugly, or otherwise of piss-poor quality. Someone has to. If no one bothered to, things would be far worse than they currently are and have no hope of ever getting better. We’d be stuck with DCA version 1.0 if no one bothered to speak up and saying DCA 1.0 sucked.
And besides, the far worse sin – as aptly pointed out by an Imagineer to the press mind you – the alternative to people complaining is for people to stop caring. Having people collectively not care about the parks would be a far worse fate than a few folks at Disney with egg on their face for their last dumb idea being outed publicly as such.
Rabble rousing online is a very important function in the system of checks and balances for Disney’s theme parks. And again – we don’t only complain. Unlike the dellusional rants the angry emails we receive daily would have you believe we’re spouting – we make an effort to criticize in a manner of using facts and research. That makes it pretty hard to just write off our complaints as mere fanatical ranting.
Which is probably where we get into trouble. There’s a strange bit of psychology that allows people to begin defining themselves in terms of Disney. “Disney” becomes a part of how many people define themselves and their sense of self. Thus, if you point out the flaws in Disney – a corporate entity mind you, not flesh and blood – you’re somehow perceived as making a personal attack on the people who identify as being “Disney.”
In case it wasn’t clear, we’d like to pause and point out that we don’t hate you, your grandma, your memories, your dog you named after a princess, your child’s smile on their first ride, your family vacation, or even Disney itself. Again – we care. An awful lot. It’s our job, it’s what we do.
If Disney is going to be completely full of crap, push crap, and generally cut costs and put out a crappy lesser product and think it can get away with it unchallenged – specifically because of it’s brand-power and social media prowress – by golly it’s our duty to make that abundantly apparent to as many people as possible. To stop it, to prevent it, to hinder the slow creep toward mediocrity, and stave off the eventual ruin of the parks themselves.
Yes, it’s entirely possible to have a Disney park in ruins, see Disney Studios Paris.
All that considered, and without much further ado, we give you the reason we know our role in the show: Duncan Wardle. In his own words of course, so we can’t be accused of putting words into other people’s mouths. Watch it, absorb it, and consider the role you are choosing to play when you respond to things online and in guest surveys exactly the way Disney wants you to.
Like we said, we know our role in all of this. Perhaps it’s time to know yours and reconsider the script you’ve been given too.