Dixie Landings - Why the name change?

[Empress Room]

I seem to recall reading something recently that explained why Disney changed the resort Dixie Landing's name to Port Orleans - Riverside, but I just can't put my finger on it.

As I recall, there is something apparently politically incorrect about the name "Dixie" - hence the change. Other than evoking general connotations to the "old South" and, by implication, slavery, does anyone know Disney's reasoning?

Although it's quite possible that we "Yankees" don't quite understand the negative implications associated with the term "Dixie," I don't see anything overtly offensive. Can anyone help?

 

[Master Yoda]

From my understanding not just the name "Dixie" but the theme of the resort resembled the old cotton plantations of the south. This of course could invoke the idea of slavery. The removal of anything related to the south during that particular time frame in US history has been a hot topic down here for quite a while. IMHO Disney was being proactive. The most current issue has been the removal of the rebel flag from several state flags in particular Georgia.

 

[WDWRLD]

I think the term was...being PC.

 

[Teenchy]

Disney has reacted in several ways to remove anything that has mention of or a conotation of slavery or that time in our history. They do not want to take the chance to offend anyone or the "bad press" they would recieve about not being sensitive to the issue. And Dixie was one of them. But of course this also is the reason that my favorite Disney movie "Song of the South" (hence my name and avatar) will probably never see the light of day again for new generations.

http://www.songofthesouth.net/home.html

 

[napnet]

But of course this also is the reason that my favorite Disney movie "Song of the South" (hence my name and avatar) will probably never see the light of day again for new generations.

Odd that in the Splash Mountain queue music you can hear 'Dixieland' being played frequently...

 

[C&D]

Political Correctness; same reason that the pirates quit chasing the women in "Pirates of the Caribbean" and now the women chase the pirates. I will limit my criticism to: SHEESH

 

[DisneyMusician2]

Every Disney movie is a bit non-PC. Some of the "necessary" chages were so silly looking, that they got bad reactions from their devoted fan base. Besides, the press (especially the Orlando press) very rarely paints a great picture of DIsney no matter what interests they attempt to satisfy.

 

[Aurora23]

Although it's quite possible that we "Yankees" don't quite understand the negative implications associated with the term "Dixie," I don't see anything overtly offensive. Can anyone help?

I believe this to be true. 8 years ago I moved from NE Ohio to Memphis, TN. I have had several discussions on this very topic. I am a very curious person and luckily the people around me have been very open and informative. I now see why it would be offensive, but I would have never know this up north.

I still think it should be two seperate resorts, though. I think they should rename them Disney's Riverside and Disney's French Quarter instead of it all being Port Orleans. It's silly that they are one resort but have two seperate check-in areas.

 

[Unplugged]

I'm only stating an opinion here and do not mean to offend anyone....(that said....)

Hiding the past by editing out non-PC things can in itself be bad. My thoughts go along with the horrific acts of WWII. Specifically, we don't want to forget the holocaust and need to ensure such things will never happen again. However, in Germany, they have laws outlawing discussion of said topics...their way of ensuring it doesn't happen again. My concern on that is that after a few generations, facts get lost and the real severity and tragedy of such acts is lost.

Is this not the same for the history of the US in the south? I understand we want to be tactful about it, but are we not doing an injustice to the people who were victimized by sweeping it under the carpet?

Sorry, I'm a yankee and don't know any better. Of course, here in the North, the various PC issues are always being raised by someone even though I (born in 70) had nothing to do with the either of the acts to which I refer.

I don't plan on forgetting the terrorist acts in NY. I work with some folks from the middle east and have no issue with them, we're all good and remembrance helps in this case. It takes mutual understanding of perspectives to get past and avoid repetition. Can anyone help with my apparent lack of insight on? :veryconfu

 

[coastermaster83]

I have to ask "WHEN IS P.C. GOING TOO FAR?" My girlfriend just complete english 1 and 2 at college and they were told when writing their papers they were not to us Gender and that if they spoke of our forefathers of the US They would get counted off or failed and they were too us fore people to be correct, well I have got to say that I think we are going WAY WAY WAY too far with all this crap. Get over it people its a flag, its a word, before long we arent going to be able to speak its going to be mute or nothing, I think we are getting a little crazy with all the P.C. :wave: ok well thats my 2 cents.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

Iif they spoke of our forefathers of the US They would get counted off or failed and they were too us fore people to be correct

I'd stick with "founders" or something in that case. No professor would bully me into butchering the language with some goofy nonword like "forepeople." :dazzle: :lol:

 

[MKCP 1985]

My girlfriend just complete english 1 and 2 at college and they were told when writing their papers they were not to us Gender and that if they spoke of our forefathers of the US They would get counted off or failed and they were too us fore people to be correct, well I have got to say that I think we are going WAY WAY WAY too far with all this crap.

I'd stick with "founders" or something in that case. No professor would bully me into butchering the language with some goofy nonword like "forepeople." :dazzle: :lol:

Reciting Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg address would be a problem in that school, I guess.

I don't get upset about changing the name of the hotel. Disney is supposed to be a place to go for fun for everybody. It wasn't open that long before the name change, and hotels in other places change their names all the time. *shrug*

 

[palmage]

Hmmmmm.................:veryconfu

New Orleans? Plantantion Mansions? All built upon slavery.

And that's better than Dixie?

I'm as un-PC as you can get.

So all I'm saying, is if they were going to change the name for PC reasons Port Orleans wouldn't be it.

 

[Horizons1]

Most likely for the reason already stated, darn political correctness. Somehow, Dixie is apparently offensive, just like anything else that refrences to the old South, and the name is changed.

Really stupid IMO but of course, I'm not too politically correct either. Seemed kinda dumb to try to cover up the past and pretend it never happened...

 

[tecowdw]

I believe this to be true. 8 years ago I moved from NE Ohio to Memphis, TN. I have had several discussions on this very topic. I am a very curious person and luckily the people around me have been very open and informative. I now see why it would be offensive, but I would have never know this up north.

I still think it should be two seperate resorts, though. I think they should rename them Disney's Riverside and Disney's French Quarter instead of it all being Port Orleans. It's silly that they are one resort but have two seperate check-in areas.

I agree. Whatever they call them, they should be different.
Although I never had any issue with Dixie Landings, I can understand the change if it was deemed offensive to a large group of the population. But why the heck would they choose to name them both the same???

 

[wedway71]

Even though im am not PC I can see why Disney changed the name. I dont think Disney is being PC either.I think they made a smart business move. A large amount of their Guests who are African American felt it was offensive and like any other company they made a decision no to alienate themselves from a large and growing vacation population.

 

[darthjohnny]

I believe this to be true. 8 years ago I moved from NE Ohio to Memphis, TN. I have had several discussions on this very topic. I am a very curious person and luckily the people around me have been very open and informative. I now see why it would be offensive, but I would have never know this up north.

I still think it should be two seperate resorts, though. I think they should rename them Disney's Riverside and Disney's French Quarter instead of it all being Port Orleans. It's silly that they are one resort but have two seperate check-in areas.

Well, technically the All Star Resorts and soon to be the two Pop Century hotels are under the same name, yet have different check-in areas. They are technically two seperated though related hotels.

As for the name change, again it was probably for being P.C.

I don't know for sure, but my theory is that it might have had something to do with the whole "Dixie" being tied to the Song of the South movies.

Brer Bear, Brer Fox and Brer Rabbit were sort of the mascots of the hotel (I know because I've seen people bring the old Dixie Landings cups to the Port Orleans restaurant to be refilled.)

So Disney probably wanted to do away with that whole angle, even though I don't think they really changed any of the architecture (both Magnolia Bend and Alligator Bayou).

 

[Master Yoda]

My own personal beliefs on this subject can be summed up in a quote by George Carlin.

"I've never owned a slave, or was a slave, I didn't wander forty years in the desert after getting chased out of Egypt, I haven't burned any witches or been persecuted by the Turks and neither have you, so shut up already."

 

[Wilt Dasney]

My own personal beliefs on this subject can be summed up in a quote by George Carlin.

"I've never owned a slave, or was a slave, I didn't wander forty years in the desert after getting chased out of Egypt, I haven't burned any witches or been persecuted by the Turks and neither have you, so shut up already."

:sohappy: :lol:

 

[CaptainMichael]

My own personal beliefs on this subject can be summed up in a quote by George Carlin.

"I've never owned a slave, or was a slave, I didn't wander forty years in the desert after getting chased out of Egypt, I haven't burned any witches or been persecuted by the Turks and neither have you, so shut up already."

The man speaks the truth!