Disney = Religion For Kids

An Opiate for Young Masses says Dave Cotright

I was at a conference in Anaheim, CA recently. I was staying at a hotel that was literally right across the street from Disneyland. The hotel was teeming with Disney-going families, and boy were those kids excited! They talked about the rides, and the shows, and the food, but what struck me the most was the awe and reverence when they talked about meeting Mickey or Jack Sparrow or one of the princesses. That was clearly a highlight.

My brother has two girls (8 and 5) and they've been to Disney World in Orlando, FL. They stayed at a hotel where you can have breakfast with Cinderella for the low, low price of $36-$60. For them it was the highlight of the trip. They couldn't stop talking about it.

When I was in Anaheim overhearing the boys and girls talk about it, I couldn't help but think it was like a religious experience for them. These characters that they see in books, watch on TV, wear on their shirts, carry around on their lunchboxes... these characters that they so look up to are like religious figures to them (dare I even say, gods).

And the adults all go along with it. In fact they encourage it. They want their kids to experience this unbridled joy. It's what Disney is selling, and American families are buying it in bulk.

Eventually the kids grow out of it. There's probably no one point in time where they realize these characters aren't real. They just lose interest. They move onto other things. And without mom and dad to encourage them, there's no pressure to stick with it.

But with organized religion, there's constant pressure to stick with it; to keep the fantasy alive. The leaders in America all perpetuate the belief in god, just like parents perpetuate the belief in princesses and pirates. But here's the thing about American leaders: they never let up. They keep the fantasy alive throughout our childhood, into puberty, and all the way through adulthood. All the while, we're over-paying for every meal we eat to be in the presence of these fictional characters.

A good parent wouldn't take their kids to Disneyland every year, even through their teens, have them eat breakfast with princesses and pirates, all the while claiming these characters are real and worthy of awe and respect. They know when to stop; when it's time for their kids to grow up and face reality. I wish I could say the same for the leaders of our country.

Dave Cotright's "philosophical musings from a geek-tech viewpoint in the heart of Silicon Valley" appear on his blog, KPAO, which is the source of this article.