First of all, today's Disney is as far from Walt's "vision" as it can be. Its " autocratic" tendencies are all in the service of corporate greed. Walt's original idea for Epcot was definitely a strange combination of fascist control packaged in 1950's Main Street nostalgia. As his kingdom grew so did his need for absolute control which I…
First of all, today's Disney is as far from Walt's "vision" as it can be. Its " autocratic" tendencies are all in the service of corporate greed. Walt's original idea for Epcot was definitely a strange combination of fascist control packaged in 1950's Main Street nostalgia. As his kingdom grew so did his need for absolute control which I think he made palatable to himself ( and others) by presenting it as a return to Norman Rockwell-like values.
Disney's Reedy Creek Utlities ( with its own ok to make a nuclear power plant) was an agreement made with the Orange Co. Fathers--and I mean fathers--when Walt first secretly bought all that scrub land in the western part of the County. Orlando was a small town and Orange County was rural. There was no way they could have geared up to supply power to the level Walt need in the time-frame Walt was on. And, now, it would be impossible for Orange County to take on such a sudden huge energy project. ( Unfortunately those same early "fathers" turned down a Disney proposal to build a monorail across the State. In hindsight it would have possibly been the public transport system we are now looking at needing to fund in the billions).
For DeSantis to be a "big girls blouse" ( as they say in Dublin) and throw a tizzy fit vs Disney may have been, ultimately,a step too far. It is also tinged with the smell of the ongoing struggle for power he is having with the Orange County Mayor, Jerry Demings, husband of Congresswoman Val Deming's (currently in closely watched Senate race for Marco Rubio`s seat).
Today, Disney is a huge corporate "village" which people continually confuse with being Orlando. It is an escape vacation place. There is a bit of a symbiosis with the locals through its philanthropy to Orange County Non- profits but that represents a pittance of its capability. But, thousands of locals are employed there in entertainment and a vast array of service jobs.
But here is the reality of the moment. Badly treated as employees or not ( Florida is a right to work state which hinders efforts to organize), a huge number of Disney employees are LGBTQ+ -- many drawn by the opportunities for performance which are scarce around here. They are the ones who put pressure on Disney's higher ups to resist DeSantis's all too transparent campaign to be President--this particular bill having landed heavily on the backs of the gay community (the same community that died in large numbers in the Pulse Nightclub shooting).
Disney hierarchy knows that if this population decided to walk they would have to close up shop!!
So, you are right to not totally canonize Disney for this latest move though I am glad they did it because DeSantis is simply running for President and catering to the trumpian base on the back of the State of Florida-- and, like Walt, he is dressing it up as a return to "family" values!!
Coincidentally, Disney just announced it is building a huge affordable housing project.
First of all, today's Disney is as far from Walt's "vision" as it can be. Its " autocratic" tendencies are all in the service of corporate greed. Walt's original idea for Epcot was definitely a strange combination of fascist control packaged in 1950's Main Street nostalgia. As his kingdom grew so did his need for absolute control which I think he made palatable to himself ( and others) by presenting it as a return to Norman Rockwell-like values.
Disney's Reedy Creek Utlities ( with its own ok to make a nuclear power plant) was an agreement made with the Orange Co. Fathers--and I mean fathers--when Walt first secretly bought all that scrub land in the western part of the County. Orlando was a small town and Orange County was rural. There was no way they could have geared up to supply power to the level Walt need in the time-frame Walt was on. And, now, it would be impossible for Orange County to take on such a sudden huge energy project. ( Unfortunately those same early "fathers" turned down a Disney proposal to build a monorail across the State. In hindsight it would have possibly been the public transport system we are now looking at needing to fund in the billions).
For DeSantis to be a "big girls blouse" ( as they say in Dublin) and throw a tizzy fit vs Disney may have been, ultimately,a step too far. It is also tinged with the smell of the ongoing struggle for power he is having with the Orange County Mayor, Jerry Demings, husband of Congresswoman Val Deming's (currently in closely watched Senate race for Marco Rubio`s seat).
Today, Disney is a huge corporate "village" which people continually confuse with being Orlando. It is an escape vacation place. There is a bit of a symbiosis with the locals through its philanthropy to Orange County Non- profits but that represents a pittance of its capability. But, thousands of locals are employed there in entertainment and a vast array of service jobs.
But here is the reality of the moment. Badly treated as employees or not ( Florida is a right to work state which hinders efforts to organize), a huge number of Disney employees are LGBTQ+ -- many drawn by the opportunities for performance which are scarce around here. They are the ones who put pressure on Disney's higher ups to resist DeSantis's all too transparent campaign to be President--this particular bill having landed heavily on the backs of the gay community (the same community that died in large numbers in the Pulse Nightclub shooting).
Disney hierarchy knows that if this population decided to walk they would have to close up shop!!
So, you are right to not totally canonize Disney for this latest move though I am glad they did it because DeSantis is simply running for President and catering to the trumpian base on the back of the State of Florida-- and, like Walt, he is dressing it up as a return to "family" values!!
Coincidentally, Disney just announced it is building a huge affordable housing project.
The fight goes on!! Buckle up.
Thanks for the excellent explanation of why we do, indeed, have to support Mauschwitz.