Mickey Mouse Monopoly

It is not letting me post this as a comment, so here you go:

1.)
Disney has created a strong brand image by listening to their consumers with each movie, toy, or theme park that they produce. They have molded their products around a stereotype of American culture, shifted slightly by feedback - and the nature of needing 'new' material, which might very well be the same story made fresh with different characters, settings, etc. In most cases, they are simply pulling from classic folktales adjusted for modern society. We are clearly attached to strong female lead characters who exemplify Barry P. Powel's description of the Foltake in his book "Classical Myth"

"Often the main characters in folktale have low social status, at least in the beginning of the story, and are persecuted or victimized in some way by other characters. The folktale hero may be an outcast whose intelligence and virtue are not recognized by those in power. The hero is often the youngest child, the third of three brothers and sisters, abused by siblings or by a wicked stepmother. Very often, the end of the story brings a reversal of fortunes, the "happy ending" for which folktales are well-known. Initially taken to be stupid and ineffectual, the folktale hero triumphs over all obstacles and receives an appropriate reward." (p9-10)

We grew up with these stories and had parents smart enough to pull us away from the television long enough to grow up with an understanding of reality and the true hardships we would face as we got older. The perception of negative intentions on Disney's part grows out of a parents lack of proper guidance of their children. They are handing their children over to Disney, putting them in front of the TV for hours and thus feeding the company's ability to grow and produce more and more each year. Parents are the ones purchasing the Snow White sheet-sets, the 101 Dalmatian wallpaper, the 7 dwarfs stuffed toys, the Lion King play sets, etc. They are funding Disney's development and then blaming them for growing as a company.

2.)
A point that I touched on previously states that we, as consumers, are the ones putting money into Disney's pockets. I think that there are countless consumers who have spoken out against Disney, asking for them to change their ways toward a more socially-responsible company. We can "expect" them to be more socially responsible, but if they do not change their ways, it is most certainly up to us as consumers to purchase from other companies that we might trust and believe in.

For example: If Publix produces a pasta product which is not organic, they might provide us with an organic option (or we might purchase from a different organic food store), but that original product will remain on the shelves just as it is. People are willing to forgo their option to purchase organic products in favor of cheaper and, in their opinion, tastier pasta.

Although Disney is not dividing their company into socially-responsible and consciously reformed divisions, the "organic option" in this case is to watch movies, purchase toys, and go to theme parks that are produced by a company that IS more socially responsible in the first place.

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I love Disney and I find this conversation (and the movie) hard to swallow because I grew up watching their movies and collecting their toys - and I turned to be a strong, successful woman. One who clearly doesn't think every woman should have a four-inch waistline or give in to abusive men (and yet I watched Beauty and the Beast 1,000 times. Curious). It's difficult to deal with people who have had personal and positive experiences with Disney and ask them to look back on their own childhood and agree to arguments stating that the company they trusted is evil and out to take over the world with their demon ways.