Dot - Eco

I really enjoyed reading Umberto Eco's piece "The City of Robots" and found his insight on hyperreality very insightful. Having never been to Disney World, I do not know if I can fully grasp or understand all that he presented in the same way that someone who has experienced the "degenerate utopia" might be able to (2). 

Growing up my parents never choose to take my brother and I to Disney World, proclaiming that my father hated lines and that it was a waste of money. When I tell this to my friends they say that I was a deprived child and that trips to Disney were some of the best times they ever had. Everyday people travel hundreds and even thousands of miles to visit this fantasy land, but I really do not feel as though I have missed out on very much. Sure it may be fun to ride the rides and see the princesses, but knowing it is all man made and fake actually makes me not want to go. 

To me, Disney Land and Disney the company try to sell an escape reality to those people in our society who cannot deal with the actual reality of their own lives. The illusion that Disney creates in its fantasy lands is one that people begin to strive for in their own lives. As Eco says, "Disney Land not only produces illusion, but in confessing it stimulates the desire for it" (3). It makes people want the perfection they see in their own lives, which we all know is nearly impossible. 

Eco goes on to say that "Disney Land is really the quintessence of consumer ideology" and I totally agree with this (3). Not only does Disney sell all of its products at the park, but also at malls all over the country. The Disney Store sells all types of Disney products, I am sure similar to the ones sold at the actual locations. Besides products, Disney also sells a lifestyle, one not realistic at all. It is unrealistic not due to its pricy nature, but because of its ultimate fabrication and falsity. Disney promotes a way of living through its films and parks that make people think that the fantasy world they see is something they can one day achieve, and that they need to achieve it to be ultimately happy. 

In the end of Eco's piece, he presents an idea that I think is extremely insightful and highly representational of our culture as a whole. He states that at Disney, "visitors must agree to behave like its robots" (5). People who visit the parks are told what to do, where do go and when to do it. This theme is very reminiscent of our everyday lives, as society tells us all of these things, but on a much larger scale. Could this be why so many people enjoy Disney World? Do they need direction and a higher power to control their every move? Are we all robots being controlled with societies remote?