What is Disney?

Disney as a culture is used as an example in many communication studies.  The culture as an employee was studied by in an organization communication class, looking at the differences between a strong and excellent culture.  In comm 160, we looked at it with the perspective of how it affects the audience that watches a Disney movie or tv show.  In the same class, we talked about the word simulacra, meaning becoming a representation or imitation of a person or thing.  I would argue that not only is Disney a good example to illustrate organizational communication, it is also good to explain on a thing can take on a life of its own and become something else through imitation.

As a parent, when I think of Disney, I think of wonderment, childhood innocence, love, family and pure.  The movies are family friendly, the shows are written for families or for young children.  Most of what they do is about bringing family together...at least in my opinion.  This is the image that Disney has created for me.  In this sense, Disney is a representation of what family is.

For others, Disney may have the opposite effect.  Someone may think Disney is fabricated, manipulative or condescending.  Maybe for that person, it may represent an ideal family that is created in the movies, but not reflect how families are in real life.  In class, we talked briefly about Dismalland in London.  With either viewpoint, Disney is more than an amusement park or movie/tv show creator.  The representation of it transcends these physical creations and becomes an ideology for many.

In a search to find what others have said to this concept that is Disney, I came across an article that talks about Jean Baudrillard's Simulacra and Simulation, http://culturalstudiesnow.blogspot.com/2012/10/jean-baudrillard-on-disneyland-and.html

I won't say it's easy to see how Disney can be viewed in this light.  One should have a general understanding of the terms used and how they can be applied to understand the hyperreality that has been created through Disney and all that it represents.  Once this is noticed, it's hard to NOT notice it more throughout everything that Disney does and how I interact with it.

As I said above, my idea of Disney is that it equals family.  Knowing what I know, I still agree with that, but also have a sense of how it does not need to be viewed as ideal or what we should strive to live up to.  Watching Disney movies or tv shows, visiting the theme parks, or going on a Disney cruise may be nice, but if one isn't able to do them, doesn't mean they are not living up to being an ACTUAL family or that their definition of family is wrong because it may differ than the perceived Disney definition.

In one blog post, only the tip of the iceberg can be uncovered.  This is a topic many have explored and dissected and in my opinion, worth diving into with some depth, to explore how our ideas may be manipulated (unintentionally) by the preconceived notions we place on something that may not match reality.