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Distinction between "theme park enthusiast" and "Disney Adult"

Jrb1979

Jrb1979

Well-Known Member
From watching the video, the one thing that stood out was how most Disney Adults view other theme parks including some Disney ones.
One example in the video is how some Disney Adults hate Disney Sea due to the lack of IP attractions.

For many Disney Adults, they aren't theme park fans at all just Disney fans. In the video, he touched on other theme parks that are just as good as Disney, like Efteling and Europa park. Since they don't have the Disney IP, many Disney Adults aren't interested in them.
 
Tom Morrow

Tom Morrow

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
Stripes said:
Correct me if I’m wrong, but you are disturbed by the mean-spirited mocking of your love and appreciation for Disney’s theme parks because you feel unfairly characterized as belonging to the Disney adult basket when in actuality you belong to a different weird, nerd basket called “theme park enthusiasts.” Well, I hate to break it to you, but there’s plenty of jerks that will mock you for loving theme parks too.
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A key difference is that most people understand why an adult might like theme parks. The general public has a hard time understanding why adults might like Disney, specifically, and thus there is now widespread mocking of that and that vitriol kind of keeps growing.
Stripes said:
Also, just because somebody has a particular attachment to Disney’s parks doesn’t mean they are obsessed with Disney. My mom loves Disney’s parks and is quite passionate about them but she doesn’t enjoy Universal’s parks. However, she doesn’t really care about Disney outside of their parks. Does that make her a “Disney adult?”
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No it doesn't, and this is exactly why I feel this is an important discussion to have on here.
Stripes said:
Sports team fandom is mainstream and has wide engagement. Any fandom that isn’t mainstream gets mocked by jerks.
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Unfortunately. But the vitriol toward Disney Adults is on another level and we should be able to love theme parks without being grouped in as a Disney Adult. The same way it isn't fair for me to assume that everyone who engages heavily with caring about professional sports is a simpleton who enjoys the most easily accessible thing to care about because they have been conditioned to think that caring about that thing is a normal thing that normal adults do.

Agent H said:
3. What’s wrong with someone being happy about a Disney character topiary at flower and garden? They’re made specifically so people can look at them and marvel at how well it represents their favorite character. I know that’s something he specifically saw but If Poseidon wanted to make a point about people superficially interacting with something because it represents an Ip they like (A point I’ve already made clear i disagree with) he should have chosen something with an objectively higher standard attached to it Like a ride or a show.
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I took issue with this as well. I don't agree with every statement in that video.

Agent H said:
4. (And I don’t want to sound mean when I say this) If people on the internet are mistaking you for something you’re not you can either correct them or ignore it. They are probably strangers who by the sound of it are wrong about you. Why should you care what they think?
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While you are right that I shouldn't care about what they think, Poseidon's video makes a good argument as to why its worth addressing: the way Disney Adults engage with the parks is directly influencing Disney to cater to their wants, which is in turn making the parks a worse experience for me.

JMcMahonEsq said:
You don't think there is widespread mean spirited mocking of across other common obsessions like Sports teams? Go to New York wearing a red sox jersey, or head out to Michigan wearing OSU red. Or got to any bar on a Sunday and see the people with the lap tops getting laughed at as they play pretend manager of their fantasy team.
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Most of the time, this type of thing is done in friendly jest. Yes, there are morons that take it too far.

JMcMahonEsq said:
Although honestly, any response that starts out with "If you YouTube search..." unless it is in answer to the question how do i find great cat videos, is basically useless (although to be totally fair i did find a great Jambalaya recipe on Youtube once.) Why would anyone care what some random online poster says is a "Disney Adult?" Its a completely subjective term with no practical meaning. Do i get 10% off if i can prove i qualify as a Disney Adult per....what? A bunch of lonely people sitting in their parent's basements coined a phrase, of which there is no universally accepted definition, no objective measure of who is or is not part of this definition, and of which there is no consequence of being perceived as part of said group or not....who cares.
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The Disney Adult label and hate is actually pretty widespread now, even moreso than when I created this thread 2 years ago. It's a sentiment among the general public that keeps growing.

Let's say you start a new job somewhere and you casually tell your new coworkers that you just got back from WDW. You never once gush about meeting Mickey or anything like that. But your new coworkers all have a preconceived notion that any adult who goes to Disney is a weirdo because they all shared viral videos that cherry pick the worst examples of Disney Adults with each other. Cool, now your reputation at your new job is off to a bad start because they think you're a weirdo that cries over hugging Pooh, all because you enjoy theme parks and wanted to ride the new TRON coaster.

I know that is a hypothetical situation but I would wager it's going to happen more and more.
 
Sirwalterraleigh

Sirwalterraleigh

Premium Member
TrainsOfDisney said:
Exactly. If I’m an adult visiting multiple Disney properties each year (plus I saw lion king on broadway) I’m definitely a “Disney adult” - who cares?
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I don’t go with the “anybody going is by default a Disney adult”

There are “limitless” recreation options…but people don’t do them.

Disney has evolved into a “category” over time…not just a trip…

And you know why?

Satan

But that’s not the Nuevo “Disney adult”

And I was just there (I know…not on my couch watching pioneer lady)…and the distinction between “adults” and “Disney adults” is very stark.

And i resisted that for a long time.

I been around…Disneyland aps are dedicated but different…Florida Aps are different…dvc is different…college program boomers 🪃 are different.

Disney adults believe its a “lifestyle”. Like sister wife cults, zombie cos and furries

It’s becoming weird and not healthy.
 
Tom Morrow

Tom Morrow

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
TrainsOfDisney said:
Exactly. If I’m an adult visiting multiple Disney properties each year (plus I saw lion king on broadway) I’m definitely a “Disney adult” - who cares?
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Once again, the entire point of this discussion is that enjoying themed entertainment - which Disney is a prominent provider of - does not automatically make someone a Disney Adult. You are reacting to the discussion in the exact same way that the general public does, the exact same sentiment that we're trying to diffuse.
 
Agent H

Agent H

Well-Known Member
Tom Morrow said:
I took issue with this as well. I don't agree with every statement in that video.



While you are right that I shouldn't care about what they think, Poseidon's video makes a good argument as to why its worth addressing: the way Disney Adults engage with the parks is directly influencing Disney to cater to their wants, which is in turn making the parks a worse experience for me.
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I understand how you feel. What’s happening with galaxies edge in Disneyland and probably Hollywood Studios at some point makes me a little upset because it’s Disney making the narrative of the land more of a hodgepodge and less narratively consistent. I am very much in the minority here. I just think we should blame Disney for making certain choices instead of individuals for enjoying different things about the parks
 
coffeefan

coffeefan

Well-Known Member
Tom Morrow said:
They're not. Though yes, there is some overlap between the two. Please watch the video and think about the points being made rather than knee-jerk posting.

Is it really too hard to comprehend that a person who likes ALL theme parks including Disney's theme parks does not automatically make them a Disney brand worshipper? Why is this an outlandish statement?
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If you're a Dodgers fan and you also like the Giants, does that mean you're no longer a Dodgers fan?


That just means you're a Disney adult AND, a Universal adult AND, a etc...
 
Tom Morrow

Tom Morrow

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
coffeefan said:
If you're a Dodgers fan and you also like the Giants, does that mean you're no longer a Dodgers fan?


That just means you're a Disney adult AND, a Universal adult AND, a etc...
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For the love of god, no. Liking a Disney theme park DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY EQUAL BEING A DISNEY ADULT that is the entire point being made and some of you keep completely missing it.
 
Stripes

Stripes

Premium Member
Tom Morrow said:
A key difference is that most people understand why an adult might like theme parks. The general public has a hard time understanding why adults might like Disney, specifically, and thus there is now widespread mocking of that and that vitriol kind of keeps growing.
Click to expand...
The “vitriol” is your algorithm doing its thing. My algorithm goes in phases. Sometimes I get a lot of that nonsense, and sometimes I don’t. Regardless, it doesn’t matter! Hating on people because they love Disney is childish. Don’t be afraid of how you might be judged for engaging in something you love. Life is far too short to worry about such nonsense.

“Critics who treat 'adult' as a term of approval, instead of as a merely descriptive term, cannot be adult themselves. To be concerned about being grown up, to admire the grown up because it is grown up, to blush at the suspicion of being childish; these things are the marks of childhood and adolescence. And in childhood and adolescence they are, in moderation, healthy symptoms. Young things ought to want to grow. But to carry on into middle life or even into early manhood this concern about being adult is a mark of really arrested development. When I was ten, I read fairy tales in secret and would have been ashamed if I had been found doing so. Now that I am fifty I read them openly. When I became a man I put away childish things, including the fear of childishness and the desire to be very grown up.”
-C.S. Lewis
 
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Stripes

Stripes

Premium Member
Tom Morrow said:
Does she make "liking Disney" her entire personality? Does she only like the Disney parks specifically because of the Disney branding? If yes to both then she's a Disney Adult. If no, then she's not.
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Not about the branding and Disney is pretty removed from her personality. She likes the “vibes” at Disney’s parks, but only Disney’s parks.
 
TrainsOfDisney

TrainsOfDisney

Well-Known Member
Tom Morrow said:
For the love of god, no. Liking a Disney theme park DOES NOT AUTOMATICALLY EQUAL BEING A DISNEY ADULT that is the entire point being made and some of you keep completely missing it.
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That’s not a fact, you’re trying to define something that does not have a solid definition.

Heck…. People claim Chicago deep dish isn’t actually pizza. Things aren’t black and white.
 

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