Gary--Eco

Disneyland/Disneyworld? What an easy target! Are you trying to tell me that the "Wild West World" really wasn't like this? Main Street USA is fake? I was aware of the buildings becoming 2/3 their size as they went up to the second and third floor, but did you know that every business name on top of the buildings on Main Steet was the original owner of the land that Disney acquired to build the park?? (Warning: Useless trivia)

The most relevant statement made by Eco is that these are indeed "Toy Cities". Disneyland does give us the impression of the past re-visited, but does not try to hide that this is pure fantasy. Everything is based on the consumer having a "magical" visit. Everything is also based on acquiring every dollar possible from the consumers pocket during their magical visit.

Eco says that "the audio-animatronic technique is used in many other parts of Disneyland [...] but in the pirates cave, more than anywhere else, it demonstrates all its miraculous efficacy. Humans could do no better, and would cost more (pg 204). Ouch....humans would demand wages, breaks, health insurance, shorter hours, while a computerized machine runs endlessly without complaint. Too bad we still need the humans to create, build, and maintain the computerized drone, or we could eliminate them all together. Why do I hear the Hale 2000 speaking somewhere?

At the gate when they told me that it was "required" for us to have our fingerprints electronically scanned into their database. I first questioned why this was necessary and received the coded answer from the Disney drone at the entry gate "Its our rules" I told them that it was not required and that I know there is an alternative. I was not having my fingerprint scanned by Disney, nor my five year old daughter. Where is the ACLU when you need them? After she conferred with the Hale 2000, I was allowed to enter by showing my ID, but I was informed that I would not be able to use a "speedpass"-my penalty for keeping my prints out of the Disney database...Damn.

Life is about choice, we still have it for the most part. If you go to Disney or any of the other "toy" cities as Eco calls them, enjoy them for what they are. On the other hand maybe I should just do what the guy held up in the line behind me at Disney yelled and "Get a life dude" I'll bet he was going to have a "magical" visit.....