Enderikari said:Amongst all the glitz and glitter of the Happiest Celebration on Earth, in the wake of all the successful attractions that Walt Disney World has opened in the past 15 years, in spite of the parks being as visited as ever, making Walt Disney World one of the most visited vacation destinations in the world; there is still one glaring thing that is working against. One glaring omission, a blind spot, something that fights against the magic that WDW stands for, but which the Walt Disney Company is unable to control.
Ladies and Gentlemen, that black spot is the Internet.
People used to wonder about how things at Walt Disney World worked, marvel at the the attractions, and be amazed that WDW could do it all over again. A person riding Haunted Mansion would feel that creative spark and start creating their story for how that attraction came to be. People would laugh at the jokes in the Jungle Cruise because they had never heard them before. When Disney was building a new attraction, it was the mystic quality of word-of-mouth that got people excited about seeing the attraction.
But... not anymore. The magic of Disney is a lot like faith, it is something that is never supposed to be completely understood. A quick jaunt to the internet reveals all the secrets of Disney, simply so one webmaster can show how much he loves the attraction and feel superior to everyone else.
There are no surprises at Walt Disney World anymore. The magic of turning a corner and seeing something new is being stolen away. Whenever Disney starts a new project, internet junkies descend like vultures pecking away at any little bits of information they can find, real or imaginary. Internet armchair Imagineers criticize projects that they couldn't possibly fathom anything but the most cursory bits of the process. Disney can't build an attraction without thousands of people critiquing and second-guessing the project every step of the way. The dissemination of information has been a bane on Walt Disney World...
It's not the World that is changing, it's the guests. No longer do they stay up nights anticipating that one magical vacation. Having Walt Disney World constantly on the minds of guests you would think would be positive, but I argue that it is detrimental, because Walt Disney World is becoming "familiar." The more one reads about Walt Disney World, the more familiar they become with it, the more "real world" it seems. The familiarity chips away at the magical experience, and its a familiarity that hasn't been earned, the way an Imagineer has earned it. In short, its familiarity without comprehension, without an understanding of the underlying currents which cause that aspect of WDW to exist.
Its human nature to build up something only for interests of tearing it down. Look at the way society treats its actors or other celebrities, they turn them into stars, then tear away at them to make them human. Unfortunately, Disney seems to suffer the same fate. WDW is held to an impossibly high standard, and a certain group of people seem to delight in pointing out the fallibilities instead of enjoying the magic (D-Troops, MiceAge, Jim Hill). Through pure demagoguery, these useless folks define their existence on having people read what they write, they are addicted to it. They are addicted to the rush of having people agree with them, no matter what they say. And its sad to say that they have those people agree with their ludicrous statements on a frightening level. But, what do they do when the real information runs out? They only have two choices... The first choice is easy, start writing about their own opinions, trying to shape the impressionable minds of their readers, getting the rush of power that comes from making somebody think they way they do. The second option is just as prevalent, and more than a little scarier, they make stuff up.
A paint chip will be repainted by the decorators of WDW as soon as it is discovered and called in, in many cases this will be overnight. However, there are people who will take a picture of that paint chip, or that broken bulb, and put it out on the internet where it will live forever... No understanding, no comprehension, just supposed familiarity. These people are the ones I don't understand, because they hate Walt Disney World... They hate going there, they only get angry being there, and want everyone else to be as angry... They want to tear Disney down. They talk about the people running the place with such hatred that I can only see coming from unabashed jealousy. They hate the park because they don't run the park. Just like those Monday Night Football armchair quarterbacks, they are really good at making decisions that they physically aren't able to follow through with. They understand how the game works, but they really don't comprehend the overall gameplan of the team.
I like WDWMagic, Steve is good at keeping people excited about the things that are coming, at looking at Walt Disney World in a positive light. And I am all for the discussion of Walt Disney World, I love reading trip reports and seeing how much fun people are having. I love seeing people ask simple questions and watch forum members jump at the chance to help their vacation plans out. All of my photo trip reports have struck a chord in select members simply because of they can see pictures of someone who still enjoys going to Walt Disney World, who still believes there is one Mickey Mouse, who still loves experiencing a ride for the first time by ACTUALLY RIDING IT.
Find that magic everyone, there is no reason not believe there is only one Mickey Mouse, there is no reason to actively seek out reasons to be disappointed, there is no reason to be dissatisfied because Stitch's Great Escape wasn't made for you.
There is reason for fun, and laughter, and joy.... and Magic
Whats the Ciff Notes version of this?
