Elmo, Dorfman & Mattelart

The article by Dorfman and Mattelart titled “Introduction: Instructions on How to Become a General in the Disneyland Club” was much easier to understand than most of our other readings, perhaps because it had to do with Disney. This article reminded me a lot of a book I had to read my freshman year having to do with the idea of Disney and pop culture. Through reading this book I learned how Disney is not only a theme park but also a worldwide corporation. Disney as a company is horizontally integrated in our society by not only sponsoring theme parks but also having a television station, radio station, as well as CD’s and DVD’s, the list could go on forever. Disney paints a picture of the world almost too perfect for words and this is how children come to view it. It is only later in life that they realize they are not living in a perfect Disney world. As Dorfman and Mattelart state, “children’s comics are devised by adults, whose work is determined and justified by their idea of what a child is or should be. Often, they even cite “scientific” sources or ancient traditions in order to explain the nature of the public’s needs. In reality, however, these adults are not about to tell stories which would jeopardize the future they are planning for their children” (125). This quote reminded me a lot of what I had read my freshman year and learned in CMC 200 last semester. Parents and adults want to shield kids away from the hash reality that is life. They don’t want kids to be scared to grow up or have fears of what the “real world” may be like. Adults want children to think of the world as a safe and happy place and don’t want them to have to face the reality of crime and hardship, which sometimes people must face. Adults want to their children to look forward to a bright future rather than one tarnished with terrorism, poverty, or divorce. Disney is definitely a blanket covering up the abrasive real world.