Walt Disney has been dead for 43 years now. What would he say to the way his legacy is being managed? Certainly his nephew Roy is unhappy with the Disney corporate culture established by Michael Eisner et al, as soul-less and rapacious.
Henry Giroux writes well, and largely convincingly of the dangers which Disney presents, to me the important dangers are the creation of a population with little or no ethical grounding, and no sense of community or public good. I can concede that these may disappear as children gow older, but I would worry that this would not happen until they are much older and iun the meantime we have a class of commercial immoralists.
Another problem which bothers me is the use of academic professionals to assist in the commercial rape of youth. It seems to me that these people are acting unprofessionally in prostituting their abilities, and themselves seem to lack a sense of the public good and interest.
Giroux may speak in generalities, but in my view, his analysis is spot on.
Disney has been exceptionally aggressive is defending its copyrights, as well as lobbying to have the term of copyrights extended. The stanford Fair use Project has a special video on copyright and Fair Use, specifically positioned to enrage Disney:
http://cyberlaw.stanford.edu/documentary-film-program/film/a-fair-y-use-tale
I agree. When I read the article the word that came to mind was "rape." I hate to use that term, but it is true. Disney has changed the commercial world forever.
ReplyDeleteI dont't know. As a professional who has used Disney movies in the classroom (Wall-E and others) I think that it can still be used to teach some important messages. I think the term "raping our youth" is a bit harsh.
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