How 'Disney Adults' Became the Most Hated Group on the Internet
By all reasonable definitions and standards, I am a Disney Adult. I have seen all of the movies multiple times, and enjoy most of them at least a little bit. I have strong opinions on various developments in the theme park ecosystem: the rebranding of Splash Mountain (staunchly pro!), the new exorbitantly priced Star Wars resort (con), the new Genie + ride reservation system (con, and which I feel more passionately about than most voting-reform legislation). And Ive adopted a strategy of Germanic efficiency toward conquering the massive crowds and wait times at the U.S. parks. Im one of those people who scream Bob and weave! Bob and weave! when trying to navigate my family through the swells of humanoid mozzarella sticks on Main Street, so we can make our 6:30 dinner reservation at the Mexico pavilion at EPCOT. What can I say? Im a sucker for a $17 oversalted margarita.
On the internet, however, being a Disney adult is nothing short of an embarrassment. A Disney adult is someone who lives and breathes the brand, buying limited-edition mouse ears and popcorn buckets and branded fitness trackers the moment they drop, constantly posting free advertisements for the park in the form of Cinderellas Castle and Purple Wall selfies (so named for the violently mauve wall in Tomorrowland) whilst wearing rose-gold mouse ears. To declare oneself a Disney fan in adulthood is to profess to being nothing less than an uncritical bubblehead ensconced in ones own privilege, suspended in a state of permanent adolescence, raised on a diet of wasp-waisted princesses and talking-animal sidekicks and dancing candelabras, refusing to acknowledge the grim reality that dreams really dont come true.
At no time was this distaste drawn into sharper relief than when a post on Reddits Am I the Asshole forum went massively viral. The post, which was reportedly written by a bride who had opted to pay for Mickey and Minnie to appear at her wedding rather than feed her guests, was, like most things on Reddit, anonymously written and poorly sourced. Yet it hit a nerve with exasperated internet denizens, who posted thousands of comments excoriating the author before moderators shut down the thread. The reaction was swift and vicious. People were saying Disney fans are a plague upon society, that they will be the end of Western civilization, says Jodi Eichler-Levine, a professor of religious studies at Lehigh University who studies the intersection of Disney and religion.
Is this accurate? Do Disney adults truly signal the end of Western civilization? Or are they simply just mildly annoying stans with an insanely high threshold for expensive mixed drinks? To find out, and to learn where the concept of the Disney adult comes from in the first place, I talked to a slew of academics, internet culture and fandom experts, and, yes, Disney adults.
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/how-disney-adults-became-the-most-hated-group-on-the-internet?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us
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I don't understand why not feeding wedding guests is such a crime? I didn't serve any food at my wedding. Not even a cake!
(I also didn't have Mickey or Minnie, either)
I'm proud to be a Disney Adult. There are worse things to be in the world.
Historic NY
(37,457 posts)find me at the pool or the bar. We are heading there for Christmas and will cook dinner there. Hey room service will do the final cleanup. No time for the parks. Resort hopping
LetMyPeopleVote
(145,722 posts)Now my oldest child is a DVC owner and we are headed to WDW on Dec 3 for a nice trip.
getagrip_already
(14,907 posts)I guess aside from it being a commercially based addiction, it really isn't any different from cosplay fanatics going full star wars or star tek or {pick your comic book genre}.
People get married at medevil festivals, and baseball games, and at all kinds of theme parks.
If disney is your thing, and your guests arrive and have a good time, then may you live happily ever after
Ocelot II
(115,922 posts)Not a Disney fan myself but if somebody enjoys Disney movies and characters or any other commercial entertainment product, what's the harm in it? The world would be a better place if people would just mind their own damn business.
LetMyPeopleVote
(145,722 posts)We have been numerous times and have fun. My middle child was married at WDW and yes I did feed the guests and we did not have Minnie or Mickie at the wedding. I remember standing in one of the lobbies at the Boardwalk complex with my middle child in her wedding dress waiting to walk her over the wedding site when a young child came into the lobby and exclaimed look there is a Disney Princess. That is a memory that I will cherish.
The whole family including my siblings are headed to WDW in December. It should be a fun trip
EarthFirst
(2,905 posts)For us; it was and is the Grateful Dead and Phish with a slew of bluegrass intermingling between performances. Some spend thousands upon thousands at Disney. Or beach vacations. Or live music. It doesnt hurt anyone and supports a living wages in tourist based economies.
Life is short. Buy the ticket. Take the ride.
electric_blue68
(14,970 posts)are serious Disney They're good friends w a long time of mine.
They don't live far from ?Disney World (?FLA). They go there alot. They take tons of photos. I have fun looking at the pics.
I have several serious fandoms myself. So, yeah, go have fun. 👍
mainer
(12,034 posts)Ive only been to WDW 2x but had a great time both times. My grandkids love Disney. Not gonna be ashamed of it. I was even on the new Star Wars ride when it broke down and even that was great because we got escorted out through the inner workings and got to see behind the scenes, then were given passes to be first in line when it was fixed the next day.
And Im 70 years old.
yellowdogintexas
(22,280 posts)an intervention.
She went in the hole working at the Disney shop in the mall. Her husband did not have a good salary either
The family still made trips to Disney World, took Disney cruises and spent lots of other money on these trips. They ended up losing their house because they couldn't keep up the payments.