Pleasure and Politics in Disney’s Utopia

© Canadian Review of American Studies/Revue canadienne d’études américaines 32, no. 1, 2002 Pleasure and Politics in Disney’s Utopia Adelaide H. Villmoare and Peter G. Stillman I: Introduction Traditional notions of liberal, democratic politics1 and freedoms fostered in the United States and found in documents like the “Declaration of Independence” and “Constitution” have relied on the ideas of an open, rich marketplace of political ideas, individual assertions of rights, energetic public spaces and dialogue, and clear limitations of governmental powers. As American as Walt Disney World (WDW) is, it smoothly suppresses these ideas, even where it presents utopian visions of the country’s past, present, and future.2 Visitors to WDW bask in the feeling of being “freed up” from the demands of their daily lives3 as they move through a highly controlled and controlling environment. Public spaces here are really private, corporate avenues to a limited variety of rides, food, shows, stories; they also serve as stages for carefully orchestrated performances by “cast members.“ Individuals readily fall into lines, rarely move their conversations beyond their own family or group, and take photos at the anointed “Kodak Picture Spots“ around EPCOT (Klugman 15). The pleasure here lies largely in the clean, organized, commercial lack of freedom. But, a sceptic might respond, WDW is part of the economic market, a sphere where visitors need not concern themselves with democratic freedoms.4 The park is only entertainment, set apart from the real world – that is its appeal. Further, the lack of freedom here has no relevance to the world outside Disney. As one friend gently chastised us when we complained about the authoritarian character of WDW, “It”s just an amusement park.“ For her, the lack of freedom was very much beside the point, not worth considering. Somehow we had missed the purpose of WDW, which was simply to have fun. We were taking things too seriously . Still, in the contemporary US, where consumer pleasures increasingly engage our social energies and constitute a part of the political culture, we believe that the ways in which we seek our fun deeply resonate in our political outlooks and dis- Canadian Review of American Studies 32 (2002) 82 positions.5 Entertainment and popular culture form and inform public discourse, including political discourse.6 Further, to the extent that “popular culture is for most people the realm within which they learn how to make sense of the world around them“ (Mills 76), WDW, as an icon of consumer popular culture, helps educate the forty million people a year who now visit it.7 When we flock to authoritarian playgrounds, we ought to be concerned about the political meanings of those playgrounds.8 Generations of families have come to see WDW as the place to seek solace from a harsh world; for them it is a utopian holiday spot. They are happy to find here a restricted markets of goods and ideas, an absence of public spaces, and passive discourses that characterize much of modern political life. Indeed, much appeal of WDW as a modern, playful pilgrimage spot is rooted in these qualities (Moore 1980). Entering into Disney’s tidy, efficient world, visitors enjoy themselves while escaping the contentions, stress, tough decision making, and plain messiness of democracy.9 II: WDW as Utopia In combining pleasure with authoritarian control, WDW evokes many utopias and dystopias of the past 150 years. These utopias and dystopias often envision rationally organized, well-managed societies in which malevolent self-interest is limited, material plenty abounds, and individuals live happily, with free choice of economic goods and services but little or no self-government. Twentieth century dystopians give voice to the fear of a world based on sensual gratification in which individuals feel free even though their ideals, thoughts, and actions are strictly limited and controlled. WDW is directly connected to these utopian/dystopian traditions. The Disney corporation has long operated on the extended vision of Walter Elias Disney, who tenaciously struggled to create a modern amusement park without the old parks’ dirtiness, hucksterism, and crudeness. As Disney himself said, “I don’t want the public to see the real world they live in while they’re in the...