A Spirited 15 Rounds ...

[Pixieish]

I was a 'free range kid' and I lived in the country where a young human could be a tasty easy to catch meal for a mountain lion, coyote or brown bear. Taught one to be aware of surroundings and the world IS NOT your oyster

I just can't get over what a bunch of spoiled, whiny, "I don't like myself, so I'm going to rain all over you and your parade" ninnies that are being raised these days. Kids NEED disappointment in order to appreciate good things. They NEED to hear horrible, frightening fairy tales so they can cope with their own real fears (like death). They NEED to learn to push the safety boundaries...all this mollycoddling is doing nothing but destroying society. (Example in point...my kid threw a rock at another kid when he was in 2nd grade...to defend a girl - go son! The kid he threw the rock at? Came up to me at a birthday party about 8 months later and tried to rat on him for it AGAIN. My son missed with the rock, just to be clear.)

 

[FigmentJedi]

Shanghai just debuted a Halloween parade with only three tiny floats.

 

[Pixieish]

The IP acquisitions aren't bad deals for the company. They are bad for the long term identity and soul of Disney because Disney is no longer the focus. General Motors of the entertainment industry, if you will.

Gary Snyder's essay is still prescient.

Wow...those last comments about knowing the consumer...that's pretty telling and makes it extraordinarily obvious that Iger has no business running the company. When was that written? (The link pulls up an error page)

 

[John park hopper]

I am of the generation that not every one got a trophy, we kept score and there were winners and losers, we did not have play dates we made up our own teams from kids in the neighborhood and played sandlot baseball, and tackle football without gear, we rode our bikes without all the safety gear and no one ever died (skinned knees yes). We were taught to be independent and take responsibility for when we srewed up. We had BB guns only after learning gun safety. I can still hear my father say so you want to drive --buy your own car and pay the insuranc (which I did) My own sons were raised as I was. I guess in todays society the uncoddled are considered dinosaurs.

 

[ford91exploder]

I am of the generation that not every one got a trophy, we kept score and there were winners and losers, we did not have play dates we made up our own teams from kids in the neighborhood and played sandlot baseball, and tackle football without gear, we rode our bikes without all the safety gear and no one ever died (skinned knees yes). We were taught to be independent and take responsibility for when we srewed up. We had BB guns only after learning gun safety. I can still hear my father say so you want to drive --buy your own car and pay the insuranc (which I did) My own sons were raised as I was. I guess in todays society the uncoddled are considered dinosaurs.

Never was allowed to play with 'toy' guns. Father wanted me to appreciate that guns were dangerous tools to be respected.

I had a .22 which i could use only when Father was around - he stiill keeps it under the same rule!

 

[Pixieish]

Never was allowed to play with 'toy' guns. Father wanted me to appreciate that guns were dangerous tools to be respected.

I had a .22 which i could use only when Father was around - he stiill keeps it under the same rule!

We had BB guns, but I had even better...my mother signed me up for woodcarving classes when I was 13, and I spun it into a long-term job. I was (and still am) the queen of blades (especially to hubby ).

 

[MisterPenguin]

That you can't get a value resort room for less than $100 a night without a discount offer really shows the levels of greed management is willing to go to.

Actually, it's the cost of the perks you get for staying at a Disney Resort.

When you stay off-resort and want all the benefits of staying at a Disney Resort, you'd have to pay for some or all of the following:

• airport transportation both ways
• parking at Disney or at the off-site resort or for readily available bus shuttle
• pay for extra hours for Disney (if ever they would offer such a thing other than as seasonal one-night or -morning upcharge),
  
• pay for 60 day FP (if Disney were ever to charge for that separately)

You get all those things at a Disney Resort in the form of a hidden resort fee. Thus, the surcharge compared to a comparable motel.

 

[brb1006]

Shanghai just debuted a Halloween parade with only three tiny floats.

I wonder what their Christmas parade might be?

 

[SoManyWasps]

I am of the generation that not every one got a trophy, we kept score and there were winners and losers, we did not have play dates we made up our own teams from kids in the neighborhood and played sandlot baseball, and tackle football without gear, we rode our bikes without all the safety gear and no one ever died (skinned knees yes). We were taught to be independent and take responsibility for when we srewed up. We had BB guns only after learning gun safety. I can still hear my father say so you want to drive --buy your own car and pay the insuranc (which I did) My own sons were raised as I was. I guess in todays society the uncoddled are considered dinosaurs.

Yeah, that is a cute narrative but it just isn't true. I bought my first car for $2000 from my grandfather, and just paid off my second. I've always paid my insurance, I've been paying my own phone bill since I was 18 and never once did I get a participation trophy (but I did get more trophies than I needed or wanted). Yes, there are millennials who had the opposite experience as me, but I'm hardly an exception to any sort of hard and fast rule.

Don't be mad at millennials for being different, be mad at the people who changed the way the world works (and, in large part the parents of millennials are not to blame for this). I didn't ask to be born in the decide I was, just like you didn't. Playing baseball all day with the neighborhood kids is a point of pride for you. The 30 page graphic novel I wrote and illustrated with the one neighbor my age is for me. Neither is inherently bad or good as a concept. We're at a point in society where every single generation is going have a series of previously unheard of life experiences in their childhood. Using the merits of previous generations to judge subsequent ones is incredibly foolhardy based on this fact.

 

[Pixieish]

I get what you are saying, but I think you are not correct at all. I think Disney has done the opposite thing and taken brands that tended to be pigeonholed into certain groups and gone out of their way to broaden their appeal. Marvel has gone from being geeky, male dominated to something a random 20 some girl has an awareness of and can speak about. Star Wars was always very popular and diverse, but they've made efforts to make it more girl and minority friendly and child accessible. Yes, Frozen was very young girl and princess centric, but that's the minority of Disney branded stuff -- I mean, Wreck It Ralph? Big Hero Six? Zootopia? Even Moana being kinda princess-y was more adventure based just with a female lead. Pixar has always tended to have broad appeal.



I'm not even sure I understand this statement. Disney, over its history, has basically defined general entertainment. That's basically been their shtick with films and the theme parks of being wholesome family entertainment that can be enjoyed by anyone and everyone.

I agree with you, but on the same note, I think those IPs need to be allowed longer stays in the parks. My boys were both extremely disappointed that they couldn't meet Ralph or Baymax or Judy and Nick while we were there. Sure, the Princesses get the girl and tiny-tot market, but for pre-teen boys, the pickings are slim. Yes, they like Star Wars (my oldest will be super upset that he's aging out of Jedi Training), but they aren't into the specific characters of those films outside of the robots like they are with the animated and Marvel films. For now, we're up in the northeast and just can't spend thousands on a yearly trip as much as we would love to, and it seems like every trip we DO make, we've just missed the current character my boys are head-over-heels for. SO MUCH space is dedicated to Princesses and that they have such a huge presence in the parks and restaurants over characters that everyone enjoys.

 

[Pixieish]

Actually, it's the cost of the perks you get for staying at a Disney Resort.

When you stay off-resort and want all the benefits of staying at a Disney Resort, you'd have to pay for some or all of the following:

• airport transportation both ways
• parking at Disney or at the off-site resort or for readily available bus shuttle
• pay for extra hours for Disney (if ever they would offer such a thing other than as seasonal one-night or -morning upcharge),
  
• pay for 60 day FP (if Disney were ever to charge for that separately)

You get all those things at a Disney Resort in the form of a hidden resort fee. Thus, the surcharge compared to a comparable motel.

Okay, let me rephrase that then...if they're going to expect my family to pay more than $85 per night for a value, I would expect them to also make sure that there aren't large black areas in the high-traffic spots of the rugs because they've needed to be replaced for so long, or that the trash from a previous guest wasn't left in the room, or nasty, threadbare bedspreads. EVERYONE knows Disney makes more than enough money to do basic re-furbs (my husband installs floors for a living, so you can't tell me that they can't afford to shut x number of rooms for x amount of time to replace a carpet and a bedspread...he can install a new carpet in a room that size in just a few hours.).

My big point is that what they're giving you - a horribly old-looking room and half a day standing in lines - really isn't worth the price hikes we've seen across the board. Especially considering how much they manipulate where and what people do.

Iger also needs to think about this - I'm hyper-aware of where my money goes when we spend so much time waiting because there's more time to think about it. In the early 2000s, when I was on my honeymoon, we spent so much in gifts for family in the parks that we had to buy an extra (large-sized) suitcase just to cart everything home, and I'd be surprised if we spent more than 20 minutes waiting for anything. Our spending for souvenirs and snacks our last trip couldn't have amounted to more than maybe $200 on a 5-day trip. People are far less likely to get caught up in the moment and make frivolous purchases when they're standing in line for an hour and their brain invariably turns to how much money the trip is costing them.

 

[jackmosby]

Actually, it's the cost of the perks you get for staying at a Disney Resort.

When you stay off-resort and want all the benefits of staying at a Disney Resort, you'd have to pay for some or all of the following:

• airport transportation both ways
• parking at Disney or at the off-site resort or for readily available bus shuttle
• pay for extra hours for Disney (if ever they would offer such a thing other than as seasonal one-night or -morning upcharge),
  
• pay for 60 day FP (if Disney were ever to charge for that separately)

You get all those things at a Disney Resort in the form of a hidden resort fee. Thus, the surcharge compared to a comparable motel.

I agree with you, even though we both know that the "free" airport transportation is as much for the benefit of Disney as ours. But still, I think we can agree than pricing the All-Stars at more than, let's say, 140$ a night is crazy

 

[The_Jobu]

and tackle football without gear

Interestingly, some now consider the protective equipment to cause more injury than it prevents. Compare injuries of American football with rugby for example.

 

[Pixieish]

Here's the problem. When I USED to visit Disney i usually wore leather walking shoes khaki's and a collared shirt. What DW calls my 'uniform' but because of that guests come up and ASSUME i'm management simply because i'm neatly dressed. To avoid that I took to wearing hawaiian shirts in place of regular shirt.

I dont know where the correlation between slovenly dress and comfort comes from in the US.

Any time you have clothes with an open neck, sweating, possibly getting wet, and the urge to lift the fabric off your skin that is invariably stuck there - you end up looking slovenly. Plus, summer fashion trends have changed a lot.

Edited to add that fabrics in mass-fabricated clothing aren't nearly what they used to be.

 

[Nemo14]

*wishes Spirit would come back and get this thread back on track*

 

[ford91exploder]

Any time you have clothes with an open neck, sweating, possibly getting wet, and the urge to lift the fabric off your skin that is invariably stuck there - you end up looking slovenly. Plus, summer fashion trends have changed a lot.

When I say slovenly I mean it, im not talking about tees that have become wet with perspiration.

Im talking about going out in pjs or torn sweats

 

[Pixieish]

Yes, but they have to be dress socks, not athletic crews or footies. It screams, "I'm so out of my element that I don't even own clothes for or know how to do this."

 

[Pixieish]

When I say slovenly I mean it, im not talking about tees that have become wet with perspiration.

Im talking about going out in pjs or torn sweats

Yeah...well, I may have done that on an occasion or two, but NEVER while on vacation. *runs and hides*

 

[Pixieish]

Yeah, that is a cute narrative but it just isn't true. I bought my first car for $2000 from my grandfather, and just paid off my second. I've always paid my insurance, I've been paying my own phone bill since I was 18 and never once did I get a participation trophy (but I did get more trophies than I needed or wanted). Yes, there are millennials who had the opposite experience as me, but I'm hardly an exception to any sort of hard and fast rule.

Don't be mad at millennials for being different, be mad at the people who changed the way the world works (and, in large part the parents of millennials are not to blame for this). I didn't ask to be born in the decide I was, just like you didn't. Playing baseball all day with the neighborhood kids is a point of pride for you. The 30 page graphic novel I wrote and illustrated with the one neighbor my age is for me. Neither is inherently bad or good as a concept. We're at a point in society where every single generation is going have a series of previously unheard of life experiences in their childhood. Using the merits of previous generations to judge subsequent ones is incredibly foolhardy based on this fact.

There is a VERY TRUE point to this narrative though. (Also the coddling started long before millennials.)

Children are not being allowed to experience disappointment. Children are not being allowed to experience fear. Children are padded to the gills in order to avoid being hurt (and likewise laws are being passed to protect idiot-humans from themselves and their horrible decisions), parents are showing up at colleges demanding to know why their child didn't get an A and are calling potential employers to ask why their child didn't get the job.

The world in general is raising a bunch of coddled, spoiled, temper tantrum-throwing people who couldn't fight their way out of a wet paper bag. If it is mildly unpleasant, parents feel the need to protect their child from it and all that is doing is setting those children up for failure. (I think it's safe to say that we're seeing a surge of these kinds of people in the parks as well.)

Oh, and previous generations taking a look at subsequent generations is how society deems what needs to change, so there's that, too.

 

[TeriofTerror]

I just can't get over what a bunch of spoiled, whiny, "I don't like myself, so I'm going to rain all over you and your parade" ninnies that are being raised these days. Kids NEED disappointment in order to appreciate good things. They NEED to hear horrible, frightening fairy tales so they can cope with their own real fears (like death). They NEED to learn to push the safety boundaries...all this mollycoddling is doing nothing but destroying society. (Example in point...my kid threw a rock at another kid when he was in 2nd grade...to defend a girl - go son! The kid he threw the rock at? Came up to me at a birthday party about 8 months later and tried to rat on him for it AGAIN. My son missed with the rock, just to be clear.)

I'm a Browns fan. Been there, done that, have the merch to prove it.