Mike Wittmer:
As my family was leaving the park after a fun day at Disney, the loudspeakers were playing a happy song with the chorus, “In everything you do, celebrate you!” The song reminded me of the earlier parade which encouraged us to celebrate our dreams, “whatever they are.” My twelve year old son, apparently the cynical one in the family, proclaimed that his dream was to take over the world. Should that be celebrated? My dream was for free refills, but that was dashed too.
Disney seems to be selling smiles and self-esteem. This makes good business sense, as no one would hang out in a place that berated them for their shortcomings. Disney is an amusement park, and the quickest way to amuse someone is to play catchy songs that say they’re great.
I get that, but it’s still important to spell out the message of iconic parks such as Disney to see how it stacks up against the gospel. Those who unreflectively hum the world’s songs are most likely to be influenced by them.
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