Disney as a religion, the college course
John sez, "Jennifer Porter, a Canadian professor who has previously examined the spirituality of Star Trek, Trek fans, Buffy the Vampire, and other sci-fi worlds has turned her attention to the one true religion of Disneyism."
My current view is that Disneyism, as a religion, is a reality. But it's at an infantile stage (even though some would argue that it started with Walt's approval of the Mickey Mouse Club back in 1928 as a way to recruit young practitioners (aka, audience members for his cartoons). There are cathedrals (the theme parks), acolytes (myself, other Disney authors and subject matter authorities), and even worship meetings (NFFC groups, MouseFest, and online discussion boards).Link (Thanks, John!)Currently there is no written doctrine and no consensus among those core groups on exactly what the 'faith' and 'belief' of Disneyism involves. Like many religions it is a pretty personal faith defined by ones experiences with the subject. As a defined faith it clearly has a ways to go.
the latest
latest episodes
this is funny... but hey anything is possible...
I went to DisneyWorld over Thanksgiving with my wife, kids, and the grandparents. My mom's a pastor and she commented that for her Disney is a religion and that the majority of fans to continually trek to the parks are on a pilgrimage.
I can see how others ave arrived at that idea though I've always thought that something is a religion because it incorporates elements of faith, which I don't necessarily see Disney fans doing. Most people I know aren't praying to Mickey Mouse or Uncle Walt. Maybe it's more a philosophy?
Either way, I'd love to take this class. She should open it for matriculating on the web.
Second #2's proposal. It may not have articles of faith, but the cult behaviors seems almost textbook. If only the Catholic Church could turn out animation of similar quality, they might pull better numbers.
Magic Kingdom In The Sky
DaVinci's Notebook
All my life I have been searching
for that fabled promised land,
With my sisters and my brothers
we shall walk there hand-in-hand.
Through the trials and tribulations
and the devils cruel temptations.
I know that we'll all get there one day!
After years and years of wandering,
oh, that kingdom we shall find
and the doors might not be open
but we'll gather in the line.
And our hearts will swell with pride
the day those gates swing open wide
and take a walk down Main Street, U.S.A.!
Oh, that Magic Kingdom in the sky!
We will all be there together by and by!
We will all drink from the fountain
and go riding on Space Mountain!
When we reach that Magic Kingdom in the sky!
When Mother Minnie and Uncle Dopey
and Saint Tinker Bell abide
There'll be no more cares or sorrow
on that heavenly Teacup ride.
I will lay down all those fears
when I put on those big black ears,
and join the choir to sing in harmony!
We will sing the song of aimless souls,
that once were gone astray
Who were lost but now were found
in the Electrical Parade
Singing Hakuna Matata,
growing musketeer stigmata
In the only club that's made for you and me!
Oh, that Magic Kingdom in the sky!
We will all be there together by and by!
All God's children shall be free in
Pirates of the Caribbean
When we reach that Magic Kingdom in the sky!
Oh, the meekest and the poorest
their inheritance shall see
and a zillion Japanese tourist
all will join the jamboree
They will ride that holy Monorail
into sweet providence
When they learn their redeemer
is a mouse in short red pants!
Won't you take me to Orlando
where the sun is shining bright?
All the angels are clean shaven
and the people snowy white
Where your problems are all hidden
and unhappiness forbidden
You will find salvation for a modest fee.
Climb in my Winnebago
and if you will help with the gas
Maybe then we can finagle
you a five or six day pass
May your afterlife be blessed
just American Express it
Let Master Card and Visa set you free!
Oh, that Magic Kingdom in the sky
We will all be there together by and by!
All religions may be practiced
there (except for Southern Baptists)
When we reach that Magic Kingdom in the Sky!
Oh, that Magic Kingdom in the sky!
Manufactured by that Uncle Walter guy!
We'll give thanks to that old geezer
and we'll keep him in the freezer
When we reach that Magic Kingdom in the...sky!
MP3 link: http://sotn.rootoon.com.nyud.net:8080/img/cdrom1/MagicKingdomInTheSky.mp3
In my work I did meet one woman who's life motto was, "Faith, trust and pixie dust!" For her the motto was something of a mantra, a place to turn in time of trouble.
While there may not be any systematic theology developed for Disneyism, there are also tons of religions that are similarly informal. A loose set of principles that create a larger meaning of life is about all that you need.
I'm not convinced that one would need to "pray to" Tinkerbell to make Disneyism a religion. Pinsky's book The Gospel according to Disney started treating this, it's interesting to see the conversation go on.
I think that calling an obsession a religion is descriptive of the passion of the fanatics, not indicative of a psychological state akin to transcendent thought (remember the studies with the meditators and nuns?), unless great happiness itself is similar to transcendence. Perhaps a study could be done on a link between general happiness and transcendent thought?
I know people call obsessions 'religions', but I think it was meant to be a metaphor so deep that the word 'religion' came to be used in a more general sense. Obsessions and religions may have similar traits on the surface, but I believe the cause and underlying psychological workings to be very different. Indeed, by merely referring to these pasttimes as religions (and attempting to categorize them as such), the lecturer is presenting potential bias into the equation. Once people start to see obsession as religion, a positive reinforcement bias will come into effect.
Why not? Osamu Tezuka has been the God of Manga for ages.
The great theorist of religion (or, historian of the study of religion) J. Z. Smith talks in his essay “Sacred Persistence” about religion as a form of obsessive behavior. Cicero made the connection long ago, suggesting that the word religion (or its equivalent in Latin) came from relegere, meaning to gather, to repeat, to go over again. In his essay “Obsessive Acts and Religious Practices,” Freud suggested that neurotic and religious acts were analogous. Of course the similarity is harder to see for those of us who live in a culture as Protestant-influenced as what we have in North America today.
Coming from the opposite direction, I know a professor who, when teaching students about pilgrimage in Tibetan Buddhism, always makes a comparison with going to Disneyland (note that he’s comparing religion to going to Disneyland, not comparing Disneyland to religion as Porter is doing). Your religion/culture suggests that you should go there; your desire to do so is often vague; while there you want to collect things to take home with you (souvenirs; relics, holy water, etc.); it’s a break from the routines that dominate your everyday life; going earns you a certain degree of esteem; people often want to talk to you about it when you get back, and so on. Not that anyone should argue that the two things are “the same,” but something interesting can come from making the comparison.
Look, this is simple really:
Is the supposed "religion" of Disney a life-and-death matter? Would its believers sacrifice and kill to defend the religion and its
community? Does it lead them to a profound spiritual acceptance about human mortality and suffering? Does it offer transformative rituals which give symbolic legitimacy to one's life cycle (including one's ability to become an adult, a spouse, a parent, a community leader etc.) ?
They can answer this question as "OBVIOUSLY, NO; EXCEPT FOR THE OCCASIONAL FREAK" within the first 15 minutes of the first class of the course, and then all the prof and all the kids can just take an extra free period per week for the rest of the semester! "A"s all round! Everybody wins! The tenure system works!!
Sorcerer Mickey (4), that's splendid. Is it yours?
BoinkBoink3000 (9), you're missing the point by a mile and a half. She's not saying that Disney is a religion. She's saying, "What does it tell us if we look at this complex nexus of forms of observance, pilgrimage sites, and iconic images and narratives as though it were a religion?" As Divo put it in the comment just before yours, "Not that anyone should argue that the two things are 'the same,' but something interesting can come from making the comparison."
That can be a surprisingly useful way to examine a subject: temporarily set the content aside, and look at the forms it takes. It's interesting how often the forms of behavior we use to manifest our interest in, and engagement with some body of content, are recognizably adapted from another context. Humans are forever doing that -- pouring new wine into old bottles.
Changing the subject: the crack about tenure was a cheap shot. First: you don't know this professor's work.
Second: the political disinformationalists hate tenure precisely because it does what it's supposed to do: put scholars outside their reach. Their constant trickle of stories about the supposedly bizarre doings of academics are no more objective than the contrived stories they spread about "abuses of liability law." In both cases, they're trying to tear down a system that protects people other than themselves.
Don't fall for it.
This is a joke and a waste of time. If you honestly think this is worth the cost of the credit(s), send your money to me instead and I'll call you up to talk about the "religion" of Kiss or Dylan or anime or Apple or Linux or Nissan or Nascar or Harry Potter or LOLcats. Just because something has fanatical followers does not necessarily make it comparable to religion, although it apparently makes for cheap publicity.