Posted on 04/15/2019 7:07:20 AM PDT by Davy Buck
I recently made a trip to Disney World with some of my family and grandchildren. It was an enjoyable experience and though I have my criticisms of Disney and all it represents, I was left with an overall positive view of Disney's accomplishments and enterprise. I was especially appreciative (and somewhat surprised) of the theme park's adherence to a traditional and positive view of American history. I had wrongly assumed that Disney would have succumbed to the pressures of political correctness and toned down its patriotism. I was pleasantly proven wrong.
(Excerpt) Read more at relicsandbones.com ...
Why?
Yes. Post it all here.
I can’t even read the content at the blog site due to browser incompatibility.
Interesting to hear.
I haven’t been to Disney in many many years . But from what we see on these boards about Disney, I was under the impression that they went politically correct years ago.
Didn’t realize “Johnny Tremain” was a Disney flick. Saw it just once 30+ years ago, but the “Sons of Liberty” song has stuck in my head ever since. “Yes, we are the sons, yes we are the sons, the Sons of Liberty..”
Years ago I was dragged to WDW with a chip on my shoulder, assuming it was commie-lib. At the AMEX-CocaCola display, the ambience started to soften me. A group in costumes sang BATTLE HYMN, but I grudgingly held out; until the stanza, “In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea....” At that point I told myself to knock off the surly crap and appreciate it. Happy to hear it still endures.
What he’s not telling you is his observations was from the County Bear Jamboree, that prove conservatives are a bunch of NASCAR watching, beer swilling hicks!
I was last there 1n 96 and DisneyLand in 78. There was, at that time, many holdovers from the Disney of my childhood. Liberty Tree Tavern, not bad food and a monument to the Sons Of Liberty stood out. Walt was a patriot and his creations showed it. I am glad to hear that some of that still survives. My teary moment came in Hall of Presidents as the Lincoln robotic in the voice of Royal Dano spoke The Lyceum Address. A speech all Americans should thoughtfully read and ponder in tgese times.
Walt Disney did a fantastic series on Francis Marion.
I recently made a trip to Disney World with some of my family and grandchildren. It was an enjoyable experience and though I have my criticisms of Disney and all it represents, I was left with an overall positive view of Disney's accomplishments and enterprise. I was especially appreciative (and somewhat surprised) of the theme park's adherence to a traditional and positive view of American history. I had wrongly assumed that Disney would have succumbed to the pressures of political correctness and toned down its patriotism. I was pleasantly proven wrong.
Walt Disney is remembered for many things. One of those things is his patriotism and interest in American history. Critics rightly note that Disney's "historical" films present a sentimental and immature version of American history. Certainly, that is true in many regards. But there's more to Disney's take on American history than what his critics present.
Born in 1958, I grew up in the 1960's watching many Disney films. I especially loved Disney's films on American history: The Swamp Fox, Johnny Tremain, Mosby's Marauders, The Great Locomotive Chase and Davy Crocket and the River Pirates come immediately to mind. The films fired my imagination and prompted me to explore the biographies of many American heroes in my school library. Though I loved the outdoors and sports, I was just as happy sitting in the school library during recess reading one of the Childhood of Famous Americans series. I believe I read every one our library had available.
While these films and children's books romanticized the events and characters upon which they were based, they served a purpose: they inspired a love of American history and heritage in the hearts of Americans, particularly young American boys like me who reveled in the adventure, courage and hero status of the characters presented. The Disney films offered a simplified narrative of good vs. evil and good always triumphed. And "the good" was America.
While cultural critics and "professional" historians will roll their eyes at such a view, they'll simultaneously ignore their own simplified and immature preferred narrative regarding American history. Those Disney films represent a counter-weight to the dark and evil narrative of American history that seems so prevalent in much of our culture today. That narrative, too, is immature and one-sided. Carry on. PS: An important announcement regarding this blog and other social media outreach is coming very soon; hopefully, later this week. Stay tuned and please encourage those who might enjoy our perspective to subscribe.
Walt Disney loved America and especially the middle American town (as did Ronald Reagan. Compare what they said about their youthful experiences).
I was proud to have my “Patriot’s History of the United States” sold in the “American” bookstore in EPCOT center when it first came out. (I don’t think they still sell it).
I first saw it in episodes on successive Sunday nights on “The Wonderful World of Disney” in the 1970s.
It’s available DVD.
The things you mentioned are still there, last seen this year by family, and by me four years ago.
I spoke of WDW, Florida.
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