new found respect for mickey

[rockhound]

We took the family to Disney for Christmas this year. My youngest is four and the last time we went she was till in the womb and didn't get to see much

In a new world of political correctness with corporations removing Christmas from their employee's vocabulary the mouse proudly stands up and says Merry Christmas. The week before we left Chase bank removed the donated Christmas tree from a branch lobby for fear of offending non christian customers.

From the 70 foot Christmas tree at the front entry to every last employee the days we were on Disney property we NEVER heard "happy Holidays". Every time you get on a ride, buy a meal, get off a ride, ask a question you are left with a cheerful "Merry Christmas" regardless of your skin color or ethnicity.

We spent Christmas day at Epcot, and witnessed their "Candlelight Processional" I am not an overly religious person, but this program, ten years in the running, is worth seeing and hearing. It is a professional conducted orchestra/choir performance designed to celebrate Christmas, and the story of Mary and Joseph. It is clearly, unabashedly, christian. Narrated during our visit by Edward James Olmos the songs and the story ,as Olmos loudly insisted upon it's ending, were meant to bring Christ back into Christmas.

Again I am not overly religious but it was refreshing to go somewhere that is so clearly an American institution and see a corporation that is not afraid of its roots, it's heritage, and understands the people that made it what it is. They care about the American customer and anyone else that is visiting from another country knows they are in America and in America we celebrate Christmas.

[Geology Rocks]

Thats great to hear!

The issue with companies removing their Christmas stuff so they dont offend non-Christians is very interesting to me. I am a Christian and I find it offending that they dont have a tree or tell me Happy Holidays. So now what they are saying is non-Christian feelings are more important than Christian feelings.

Joe
ps- I am a Christian, and I am not offered, I just wanted to bring up a point. I say Merry Christmas back to them...

[BigBear]

Disney is as PC as anyone and all about the money. They have Christmas and they also have their May Gay Day complete with parade. It's about money, entertainment, and putting on a good show. I'm glad they are saying "Merry Christmas" and all, but I personally think they've strayed a LONG ways from Walt's original ideals.

[rockhound]

Walt Disney's ideals, no way. Walt was a capitalist of the highest order.

Point is as they are loading someone in a head diaper into the ride they could just as easily taken the PC way out and say happy holidays.

Give me one other example of a corporation who five times a day tells the story of Mary and Joseph to all of their customers. No way can you do it.

Yes they are about the money. They don't have to do this. Their gates would just as full saying Happy Holidays.

[BigBear]

Walt Disney's ideals, no way. Walt was a capitalist of the highest order.

Walt was a capitalist, but he had standards too. He was also a family man who would shut down Disney now a days if he was alive to see Gay Day or some of the other programs they put on through the year.

Point is as they are loading someone in a head diaper into the ride they could just as easily taken the PC way out and say happy holidays.

Give me one other example of a corporation who five times a day tells the story of Mary and Joseph to all of their customers. No way can you do it.

I can name several, Focus on the Family followed by a list of 4 or so other corporations just here in the Springs off the top of my head.

Yes they are about the money. They don't have to do this. Their gates would just as full saying Happy Holidays.

That is true. I was trying to say that I don't have a "new found respect" or anything relating to modern Disney as I feel they are just making their money and playing nice, not trying to take an actual stand. I'm sure if someone actually complained, they would easily switch to "Happy Holidays". I yearn the years of old... and I'm not old.

I'm glad you had fun there. I wasn't trying to start a fight. Just want to throw out my 2 cents that they aren't anything special since they still cater to the special alliances and lobbists. BUT, it IS nice to see a company go back to their roots and not cave in to the "don't want to offend anyone so say Happy Holiday" crowd...

Which is something else I find funny since the Happy Holidays people don't want it to be a religous time but the etmyology of the word "Holiday" itself is a pairing of "holy" and "days".... but whatever.

[sniper7]

glad they say merry christmas. I am tired of the "happy holidays" bullshit.

fuck that. we were founded on Christianity as a country, speaking english and people should say merry christmas. if they don't celebrate, they can come back and say happy Hanuka or whatever else.

[theGinsue]

glad they say merry christmas. I am tired of the "happy holidays" bullshit.

Whenever I hear someone say "Happy Holiday's", I've finally taken to saying: "What holiday's are you referring to?". They stops folks in their tracks.

[Irving]

Walt Disney also hated Jews. So what?

[rockhound]

i have heard that before. things have changed a lot since he was around, who knows how someones political or personal reasoning would have been changed depending on the time the lived and grew up.

a lot of americans hate muslims now days, there used to be a lot of anti Japanese feelings in this country too. we have also hated Nazi's and many other groups.

I think you have to put those kinds of hatreds in perspective based on the historic times the person grew up in. what would anyone's feeelings toward blacks, Japanese, jews or any other group have been if they grew up during the times of the depression, colonial times, days of women's sufferage, or the racial tensions of the 60s.

I am sure that all of us have biases that can be analyzed after our death.

[Irving]

My response was directed to BigBear, specifically about his comment that Walt would have shut down the park for having a Gay Day.

I think it's great that they put special focus on Christmas. Focus on the Family is a church by the way, isn't it?