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Married to the Mouse
Feb. 5th, 2023 05:50 pmI visited Disney World in November (and that post is still only half finished…I should get on that). Consequently, I read Married to the Mouse: Walt Disney World and Orlando by Richard E. Fogelsong. I don’t know how this made it onto my reading list—I’m guessing one of the youtube channels I’ve watched mentioned it.
This is a really excellent read. At least for me. I’ve already read quite a bit about urban planning and the Disney Corporation (including The Disney War), as well as watching a number of Disney history/Disney commentary youtube channels. Also—I’ve spent a lot of time in Florida. My parents moved there when I went to college, so I spent summers working at UF in Gainesville. My grandmother lived outside of Orlando (Winter Park) for fifteen years. That means I’m very familiar with Orlando, Disney World, Florida politics, and the Florida highway system. So the fact that the first chapter is about how Orlando business boosters made the interstate add 70 miles to its length by bending over to Orlando, rather than running straight from Jacksonville to Miami—that’s interesting to me. But might be offputting for someone else.
The author uses an extended marriage metaphor for the Disney-Orlando relationship that gets a bit forced at times. But his point is—once Disney got its Reedy Creek charter and started building, they were stuck with each other, and this has been a source of conflict ever since.
So let me give you some of the highlights of the total shit show that is Disney’s almost absolute power in Florida. Just to note, this book was written in 1999, and I would love nothing more than an update.
( This is dystopia territory )
Having just been to Disney World, there is a thing that Disney is doing that no one else is—and reading this book makes it clear that the reason for that is that Disney has been given unconstitutional powers to undemocratically control every part of the experience. You’ll never see a homeless person a Disney—the county is dealing with them. You’ll never even see the lowest wage workers in the kitchens and utilidors who are forced into mobile homes the county has to pay for. You never hear about crime or deaths on the Disney property, because if you called 911 you’d only be talking to Disney and they might decide they’d rather not get law enforcement involved. I mean, why would you ever go to a bar in downtown Orlando when you can go to Downtown Disney (now Disney Springs) and not have to look at any of the economic inequality created to give you your vacation experience?
The book doesn’t talk at all about the racial aspects of this, but having seen how white centrist the Disney World experience is, it’s hard not to read a longing for segregation into a lot of what Disney has done here and its enduring appeal.
I looked up some news stories about the current fight to dissolve Disney’s charter at Reedy Creek. It’s unclear to me from reading this if they even legally could. But if they did—they’d pick up a lot of tax money, yes. But they’d also have to take over all of Disney World’s infrastructure costs, from roads to water treatment to police. And they’d take on Disney’s debt. Because they’re municipal bonds, you know. They wouldn’t stick to the corporation. Having gotten themselves into this, it’s hard to see how Florida can get itself out.
I’ll have to see if there are similar books covering the last twenty years of Disney-Orlando conflict. But just, you know, keep this in mind next time you’re planning a family vacation.
This is a really excellent read. At least for me. I’ve already read quite a bit about urban planning and the Disney Corporation (including The Disney War), as well as watching a number of Disney history/Disney commentary youtube channels. Also—I’ve spent a lot of time in Florida. My parents moved there when I went to college, so I spent summers working at UF in Gainesville. My grandmother lived outside of Orlando (Winter Park) for fifteen years. That means I’m very familiar with Orlando, Disney World, Florida politics, and the Florida highway system. So the fact that the first chapter is about how Orlando business boosters made the interstate add 70 miles to its length by bending over to Orlando, rather than running straight from Jacksonville to Miami—that’s interesting to me. But might be offputting for someone else.
The author uses an extended marriage metaphor for the Disney-Orlando relationship that gets a bit forced at times. But his point is—once Disney got its Reedy Creek charter and started building, they were stuck with each other, and this has been a source of conflict ever since.
So let me give you some of the highlights of the total shit show that is Disney’s almost absolute power in Florida. Just to note, this book was written in 1999, and I would love nothing more than an update.
( This is dystopia territory )
Having just been to Disney World, there is a thing that Disney is doing that no one else is—and reading this book makes it clear that the reason for that is that Disney has been given unconstitutional powers to undemocratically control every part of the experience. You’ll never see a homeless person a Disney—the county is dealing with them. You’ll never even see the lowest wage workers in the kitchens and utilidors who are forced into mobile homes the county has to pay for. You never hear about crime or deaths on the Disney property, because if you called 911 you’d only be talking to Disney and they might decide they’d rather not get law enforcement involved. I mean, why would you ever go to a bar in downtown Orlando when you can go to Downtown Disney (now Disney Springs) and not have to look at any of the economic inequality created to give you your vacation experience?
The book doesn’t talk at all about the racial aspects of this, but having seen how white centrist the Disney World experience is, it’s hard not to read a longing for segregation into a lot of what Disney has done here and its enduring appeal.
I looked up some news stories about the current fight to dissolve Disney’s charter at Reedy Creek. It’s unclear to me from reading this if they even legally could. But if they did—they’d pick up a lot of tax money, yes. But they’d also have to take over all of Disney World’s infrastructure costs, from roads to water treatment to police. And they’d take on Disney’s debt. Because they’re municipal bonds, you know. They wouldn’t stick to the corporation. Having gotten themselves into this, it’s hard to see how Florida can get itself out.
I’ll have to see if there are similar books covering the last twenty years of Disney-Orlando conflict. But just, you know, keep this in mind next time you’re planning a family vacation.
