Sunday, May 16, 2010

Don’t take the Mickey, you muppet

Don’t take the Mickey, you muppet: "Everyone seems to loathe Disneyland and yet everyone visits it - once. It's the ultimate triumph of hope over experience: perhaps just this one time the food will be good and nobody else will be there? (On a bank holiday weekend in May?) The social scientist Alan Bryman invented the concept of 'Disneyisation' to explain how the principles of Disney theme parks are dominating more of the world. The parks 'provide predictable tourist entertainment, exert considerable control over their guests (including control through the use of non-human technologies), and are highly efficient in their processing of guests'. Eek. I packed my bag and headed for the Eurostar."