Sue Burbach (Photographer).

(2016, March).

A Walk Through Magic Kingdom

By: Hannah Burbach

5/24/17

If you’re still with me here, congratulations. You’ve shown your loyalty and now you get to hear my side of things. As I’ve said before, I’ve been to Disney World more than any sane, frugal, and self-respecting person should. But I don’t regret it at all because now I have so many awesome stories and memories. I’m not really a situationally aware person by nature; in fact, I’m quite oblivious to anything that’s not directly in my line of sight. However, on my last trip to the magical world of Disney, I took it all in. Literally all of it. I was a kid in a candy store, looking every which way in awe. And what I observed actually correlated with the research I’ve been conducting on the topic of Disney’s social hierarchy (see my first article for the categorization of workers).

You Shall Not Pass (until you get your bag checked)

We took the ferry across the lake to get to Magic Kingdom and upon entering the park, we had to have our bags searched. This was my first encounter of the day with a Disney employee and, even though they were wearing the cherry blue uniforms, they were definitely not feeling the magic. It’s not like they were miserable; they were simply doing their job of searching and confiscating. They smiled slightly, if only to return a polite greeting, but who can blame them? They don’t even get to spend their workday inside park. I would categorize these workers as the menial workers since they aren’t quite guides, despite their interactions with the guests. These were some of the older workers, not quite the youthful look often associated with Disney World.

Bright and Cheery

Then, we were walking right down Main Street, with only the occasional college intern waving at us with a giant white Mickey glove and a costumed Pluto (Mickey Mouse’s dog), chillin’by the American flag. These are  the guides. They’re the young, bright, cheery people who are ridiculously underpaid but appear happy to be alive nonetheless. A guide is likely  the job that most people think of when they imagine working for Disney World, especially the little girls who wish upon a star to become a Disney princess. I know this from experience, because I always wanted to be Ariel… okay, I’ll be honest. I still want to be Ariel. Or maybe Merida from Brave. I could settle for either. But I’m getting off track. My apologies.

Technical Difficulties

Sue Burbach (Photographer). (2016, March).

There I was, exploring Magic Kingdom and I’d seen workers from two of Johnson’s categories: menial and guides. I had yet to see any workers that seemed to be from management or from the technicians group. But, that’s to be expected because they do most of the behind the scenes work. I wasn’t too disconcerted, especially because I didn’t know what I was looking for at the time. So, I went on my merry way and headed to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride in Adventureland. If any of you have been on this ride, then you’ll know that it breaks down constantly. I remember one breakdown in particular for two reasons: 1) I wrote about it, and 2) we stopped right before a big drop in the ride. That tell-tale voice came over the intercom to explain a technical difficulty and I just knew we would be sitting there, anticipating the splash, for a long time. I looked around and as I looked upward, I saw a window set into the “rock.” And in that window were two technicians, running the ride and trying to work through the problem. I was shocked because this ride’s my favorite, I’d been on it numerous times, and never had I seen this window. It’s so subtle that if the ride hadn’t stopped at that exact moment, no one would’ve seen it. However, due to the circumstances, I took notice. And, with me being me, I smiled and waved at the workers. They seemed stunned that I was looking at them, but they waved back nonetheless. And a year later I checked technicians off my mental list of workers.

The Last Hoorah

Disney PhotoPass (Photographer). (2016, March)

My family and I continued to make our way through Magic Kingdom and as we did so I kept seeing the guides and the occasional menial worker. But the technicians weren’t coming around as often and I don’t believe I ever did see a worker in management. I suppose the head honchos have more important things to do than amble through the park interacting with tourists. The day ran its course and we did our thing, eating packed lunches because we learned not to be manipulated into eating at the restaurants, buying our overpriced souvenirs (yeah, not so good at avoiding the manipulation with that), and riding the rides. The last worker I saw in the park was on my way out at 11:00 pm. A young boy had obviously had too much sugary goodness and looked like he was about to blow. I quickly ushered my family past him, which was a good thing because I glanced back to see a nice… pile… on the ground. I eagerly wanted to share the disgustingness with my cousin, however when I got her to turn back, a man was already sweeping up the sawdust-ed mess into a bin. It was miraculous how quickly that worker was on top of the situation. I applaud him. He helped keep Magic Kingdom clean and tidy.

It's nice that I can use my previous research to categorize the workers I saw on my last trip, but I also would never use those categorizations in daily conversation because the workers are all equally important. The labels could be interpreted incorrectly and I want to avoid that, especially since I’ve seen the workers in action. Each and every person who works in Disney World has a unique and vital role. Anyone who says otherwise can come talk to me, because I’ve done my research. I recently asked my mother if we could take another trip next summer, 2018, and who knows, maybe I’ll finally see a magical manager meandering among the masses. Or maybe I’ll just try to see Mickey Mouse. Yeah… that sounds more fun.

Disney Tourists: Playing Along Since 1957

By: Hannah Burbach

5/19/17

Surveys1 (Photographer). (2012, July 7).

Retrieved from http://www.flickr.com

Welcome back, fellow Disney enthusiasts! If you read my last article, then you’re well informed of a few theories behind the Mickey Mouse ears: the American Dream, societal hierarchy, lack of freedom, etc. But, let’s be honest here, theories are good, you know, in theory, but the real question is: do they apply to real life? I set out to answer that question and carried out my own primary research on this topic because I wanted to see if my results correlated with Johnson, Pike, and Wright’s ideas. I wished to know if people seemed to follow Disney’s mannerisms of crowd control or if the attempts to manipulate thousands of people fail.

Methodology

I made a survey through Google forms, like any self-respecting undergraduate student would, and sent out it to family and friends, with 18 gracious responses. The survey was basically trying to find if people succumbed to Disney’s control, such as buying food within the parks and watching the parades. It also includes Disneyland because, for this particular area of research, both are managed in the same way. In the survey, I asked the following questions:

• When was your last trip to Disney World/Disneyland?
• What do you feel when you are in a Disney park?
• Do you watch the parades when they come around? Why?
• When you went to a park, did you bring your own food or did you purchase it inside the park? Why?
• Did you purchase souvenirs while inside a Disney World/Disneyland park? Why?
  Have you ever used Fast Passes for a ride?
• Have you ever stayed at a Disney World/Disneyland resort? If so, did you use their transportation services to get to and from the parks?
• On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest, how would you rate your experience at Walt Disney World/Disneyland?

10/10 Recommend Disney Parks

Generally, most of the participants said that they were excited and happy and amazed while in a Disney park, and all of those who responded as such rated their experience as an 8/10 or higher. Only one participant seemed to have had a bad experience, saying the park made them feel stressed and rating their trip as a 2/10. Translation: Disney World and Disneyland are great places… okay, no. That’s not the actual translation. The real one is that people feel all these emotions in response to the Disney environment while completely unaware that they are being manipulated both economically and regarding their mobility from place to place within the park.

Parades, Restaurants, Souvenirs – Oh My!

As I stated in my previous blog post, the parades in the center of the parks are one of the major ways the park managers maintain order. A ton of tourists flock to the bright lights, the dancing, and the music, leaving the outer rings of the parks relatively empty and the lines for the rides significantly shorter. Three-quarters of individuals answered that they sometimes or always watch the parades as the come. One responder’s answer perfectly sums up how the parade version of crowd control works: “Not the whole parade, but I stop by and watch it sometimes because the crowds gather around and it's hard to walk from ride to ride when a parade is ongoing.”

DisneyDreamz (Photographer). (2009, May 15). Retrieved from

http://www.flickr.com

Another way that Disney World and Disneyland generate a lot of income is by opening non- chain, thematic restaurants. Almost all of the survey participants said they both ate food at those restaurants and also brought food in. The reasoning for eating in the parks: it’s all a part of the experience. This is a true statement, as the waiters and waitresses dress up and act the part and the internal environment is specific to the area of the park. For example, when my family traveled to Disney World when I was eight, we were all about the thematic experience. One restaurant I remember is Pecos Bill Café, located in Frontierland in Magic Kingdom. The food was all Old Western-style and the waiters dressed in cowboy boots and hats. But, we also carried our own food into the park because the grub is EXPENSIVE! This is a personal example, but it is a trend I noticed in my observations while I visited Disney World and also in my survey.

Natlee75 (Photographer). (2014, May 17).

Retrieved from http://flickr.com

Similar to the dining, buying souvenirs is a part of the package. Kids love to buy that perfect pirate necklace in Adventureland or that adorable Ham Pillow Pet™ waiting outside Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin (that second example was me… two years ago… when I was a 17-year old junior in high school). Adults aren’t exempt from the trap either; they can’t wait to purchase a sweatshirt or ball cap to commemorate their time. Again, 14 out of the 18 participants recorded that they bought a souvenir from Disneyland or Disney World at one time or another. In my opinion, one person gave the perfect answer that sums up everyone’s souvenir-buying experiences while in Disney: “I’m a Disney hoarder.” We, as consumers, see one thing and eagerly grab it, and then we want more and more because when it comes to Disney souvenirs, the more the merrier. But, allow me to be frank, the same souvenirs are waiting at the friendly neighborhood Target for a significantly cheaper price. Yet, for some reason, people are made to think that the souvenirs at the parks are somehow more special or more legitimate even though they’re not. That’s the Disney mind games, for you.

The Perfect Utopia

With all these structures in place, Disney World and Disneyland are essentially the perfect Utopia: they function economically on their own and each person follows the patterns and unspoken rules. My results simply support the ideas that Johnson, Pike, and Wright presented because people do behave as though they are being controlled a certain way, even if they don’t realize it. And this information may drive someone to despise the parks for taking away their freedom, but I doubt it because everyone likes to lose control for a little while and not have any worries. Like my good pals Timon and Pumba like to say: Hakuna Matata.

Beyond the Mickey Mouse Ice Cream Bars

By: Hannah Burbach

4/23/16

Park Troopers (Photographer). (2017, March 17). Retrieved from

https://stocksnap.io/photo/X49U1Z54XM

Disney World has been considered “The Happiest Place on Earth” pretty much since the day it opened in 1971. It has bright colors, upbeat thematic music, characters galore, and, of course, those iconic Mickey Mouse ice cream bars. I, for one, love everything Disney, probably to the effect of an obsession, but that’s still to be determined. Therefore, I’ve gone to Disney World four times in the past four years, as any sane, happiness-seeking person obviously would. After all of my visits to this magical place, I yearned to learn more. I wanted to know how it all works. In my research, I found that Disney World represents so much more than what I originally knew. It’s intriguing, really, the way some people see this mega-theme park. I, for one, see it in an entirely new light. Stay tuned if you, too, would like to be enlightened on the subject.

The “American Experience”

Everyone knows about the concept of the “American Dream.” To non-Americans, it means a place where work is consistently available and where everyone has an equal chance to succeed. However, Americans understand what the true American life is really like. There are social constructs put in place that keep people where they are, with little chance to rise above. The latter is what Disney World seems, with pretty solid evidence, to be based off. David Johnson, professor of anthropology at North Carolina A&T State University, explains this representation in his article “Disney World as Structure and Symbol: Re-creation of the American Experience.” Johnson takes some time to talk about the social hierarchy within Magic Kingdom, the main park in Disney World. It seems to be primarily based on the physical structure of the park and the workers themselves. According to Johnson, there are four categories of workers:

• Menial workers, who are the out of sight workers, doing the cleaning and transporting services.
• Guides, who are visible but are stuck within their routinized roles of showing guests around and constant smiling.
• Technicians, the ones who do all that mechanical work that we meager humans don’t understand.
• Management, also known as the head honchos running it all.

Anyone who has been to Disney World can agree that the workers they see the most are the characters and guides. And they almost never see those aforementioned menial workers. That’s because Disney World emphasizes a very well managed “frontstage view.” This means the backstage work, such as cleaning and transportation, is hardly seen, and therefore hardly appreciated

Journey to the Center of Magic Kingdom

Simpson, Tom (Photographer). (2013, December 6).

Mickey and Minnie in the Utilidors [digital image].

Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com

How is this social hierarchy managed? Well, the tunnels, of course! Beneath Magic Kingdom is a maze of tunnels running all throughout the park. These tunnels consist of offices, employee changing rooms, control rooms, and so on (Pike 2005). This underground world keeps all that backstage work “backstage”. Daniel Pike, published author and associate professor of literature at American University, investigates these tunnels. In his work “The Walt Disney World Underground”, Pike brings to light the subtle social structure. He writes, “projected socially, they [the tunnels] usually split into the glamorous city as a place of play and amusement and spectacle and the dark city of slums and crime and degradation,” (Pike 2005). Looking into it, one can observe how true this actually is. The aboveground is all about the fun, whereas the underground is all work and no play. Johnson also mentions the difference in the above and belowground workers, further convincing his audience of the social structures. The aboveground workers are practically all young, mostly white, very polite, smiling, and well-groomed. This represents that middle-upper class that the American Dream wholeheartedly values. The underground workers, however, are the complete opposite. The worst part of it all: the pay for workers is small, regardless of where one is working. Therefore, what is the point of moving on up if there’s not really any more benefits?

Control Freaks

Motta, Paolo (Photographer). (2012, February 24).

Disney Parade [digital image]. Retrieved from

http://flickr.com

Though it represents a certain social order of the outside world, Disney World is still all an illusion. Now, there’s a loaded statement for you. But think about it: the parks are impeccably clean, there are no signs of aging or decay, and everyone seems happy ALL THE TIME. Honestly, how is this possible? The answer to that question lies in the manner of control. From the plants and animals in the parks to the tourists, Disney World is designed in such a way that the outside world isn’t visible from within the parks. Chris Wright talks about this manipulation and control in his article “Natural and social order at Walt Disney World; the functions and contradictions of civilizing nature.” Wright mentions that tourists imagine that they are free to do whatever they want at their own leisure, but that isn’t the case at all. Due to the timing of everything within the parks (parades, ride maintenances, shows, etc.), tourists are confined to a strict itinerary. They are manipulated to go to a certain section in a park and to buy a certain product. Somehow, in a space holding tens of thousands of people each day, Disney World manages to have a civil order, something that is quite difficult to do. The parks place subtle constraints on their visitors, keeping them in line while simultaneously emphasizing enjoyment and freedom from anything bad in the world.

Johnson, Pike, and Wright may have different subject matter in their works, but they all converge onto the similar theme of representation. Disney World clearly represents the world we wish we lived in: clean, free from illness, and filled with turkey legs. However, it also represents the world we actually live in, which is one that is socially constrained and somewhat oppressive in nature. Despite all of this, however, Disney World still holds that coveted title of “The Happiest Place on Earth.” For me, I still see it as such. The arguments of the authors above couldn’t sway my opinion of the parks, and I don’t intend to do that to anyone else. Rather, I believe it’s important to know how the parks operate and how they are micromanaged, because not everything is as it seems. With this newly discovered knowledge in mind, I plan to take advantage of it and give everyone the recognition they deserve the next time I make a trip, because everyone needs a genuine “thank you” for the work they do. I sincerely hope that you all will do the same.

Questions for Further Research

How do the managers of the parks keep out the decay of the plants and/or animals?

What are some experiences of workers that prove or disprove the social hierarchy theory?

In what other ways are visitors controlled to think and behave a certain way?

How much time is spent daily keeping the parks clean?

Suggested Readings

Johnson, David M. (1981). Disney World as Structure and Symbol: Re-creation of the American Experience. Journal of Popular Culture, 15, 157-166.         search.proquest.com/docview/1297336405/fulltextPDF/A60A6DF3E95643A4PQ/1?accountid=14608.

Pike, D. L. (2005). The Walt Disney World Underground. Space and Culture, 8(1), 47-65. doi:10.1177/1206331204269432

Wright, C. (2006). Natural and Social Order at Walt Disney World; The Functions and Contradictions of Civilising Nature. The Sociological Review, 54(2), 303-317. doi:10.1111/j.1467-954x.2006.00619.x