Topic 7Topic 7

New Space: Disneyland, New Space: Disneyland, Controlled Environments and Controlled Environments and

the Toys of Miserythe Toys of Misery

The Media Education Foundation Presents:

Mickey Mouse Monopoly: Disney, Childhood and Corporate Power

Disney’s Media Dominance How to be a Girl? How to be a Boy?

(Gender Representation) Commercializing Children’s Culture

Mickey Mouse Monopoly: Disney, Childhood and Corporate Power

The Disney Company's massive success in the 20th century is based on creating an image of innocence, magic and fun.

Its animated films in particular are almost universally lauded as wholesome family entertainment, enjoying massive popularity among children and endorsement from parents and teachers.

This daring new video insightfully analyzes Disney's cultural pedagogy, examines its corporate power, and explores its vast influence on our global culture.

Mouse Monopoly will provoke audiences to confront comfortable assumptions about an American institution that is virtually synonymous with childhood pleasure.

History of Orlando Walt Disney World

All started from false premises. In persuading the Florida government of their plan,

Walt Disney described on screen the EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) plan, a model city, a residential community of 20,000 real people, working and playing there.

To achieve this, Disney demanded from the Florida government “solid legal foundation” & “flexibility” – municipal bonding authority, and the creation of two municipalities together with an autonomous political district controlled by the company and empowered to issue tax-exempt bonds.

Reedy Creek Improvement District

In 1968, Florida Supreme Court ruled that the Reedy Creek Improvement District was legally entitled to issue tax-free municipal bonds – the bonding power permitted public funds to be used for private purposes that are entirely in the disposal of Disney. The EPCOT and the theme park and related Disney facilities are all within the district.

Autonomous Political District Autonomous political district means buildings,

constructions, land-use, transportation and law and enforcement are controlled by the private corporation.

Disney’s autonomous political district in Orlando: a special administrative region. Will Disney HK be a Special Administrative Region within an SAR? The black-box operation – the confidential deals between the HKSAR government and Disney could very possibly have similar terms, as is usual of Disney requirements about total control of the theme parks and all Disney properties.

Autonomous Political District

As an “autonomous political district,” the Florida Disney APD (the Disney government), has free land use and free use of county, city and state infrastructure built by tax-payer money. Disney is a landowner-controlled government.

On the one hand, taxpayers need to bear Disney World’s entire infrastructure cost, and the entire administrative burden of regulating and inspecting the theme park’s construction.

On the other hand, Disney, as a private company, does not need to bear any responsibilities for addressing off-site impacts (e.g. traffic jams, road and public utilities safety etc.) as other developers, like Universal Studio.

Autonomous Political District The Reedy Creek Improvement district has its own

Laws and Law Enforcement force:

Disney uses private security guards to perform the police function within the Disney theme park and community, but Disney, as “private” company, has no obligations to provide “public records” about crimes in its properties to the government.

Conflicts with & off-site impacts of the Disney APD:

The EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow): where were the citizens-residents?

Disney did not build the EPCOT residential community but only hotels.

Orlando Disney (in Orange County, Florida) opened since 1966, but for very long, the EPCOT was no where to be found. Even in 1982, the EPCOT has no residents. It only showcases “world” restaurants, with themes like China, and these restaurants have mechanical games and rides inside them, just like a mini version of the Disney theme park.

What we can learn from the Orlando case: Political & Governance Issues

The Orlando regime of power is created under Disney’s commitment to growth, same as the HK government’s assumption.

Contract in secrecy: it might be necessary for business reasons, but there is no guarantee against dishonesty, e.g. Disney did not promise the Hong Kong government not to build Shanghai Disney in the contract.

Potential Problems of Hong Kong Disney:

Political & Governance Issues : Disney will trap benefits, becoming an SAR within the

HKSAR it have rights to refuse building roads within the area

or surrounding area?

Degree of tax-payer subsidy Hong Kong government owns 57% but has no decision

making rights. If the HKDL loses, the HK also loses. The government officials in HKDL are not accountable

to Hong Kong people.

Governance, public facilities & infrastructure, surrounding land use, property rights etc.

Economic Issues: What we can learn from the Orlando case: World Tourism Organization projects - 2010, HK

will be the 5 largest tourist city/economy

The Myth of Tourism: Tourist economies (relying heavily on tourism industry) –limited job benefits to the city – e.g.

Tourism economy can’t shift from low wage industries to high-tech industries.

Most jobs require only low level skills - does not promote value-adding skills. No accumulation of local tacit knowledge.

Potential Problems of Hong Kong Disney:Economic Issues: Disney has the first right to consider buying the

land of Phase II reclaimed land ( 竹篙灣 ) at a premium price (28 億 5000 萬 ).

Government loans to Disney 56 億 to be paid back in 25 years

Assistance from governments in building theme parks

Sustainable Development Impact on economic and corporate strategies:

outsourcing, e.g. coloring to Beijing

Potential Problems of Hong Kong Disney: Economic

Issues: Disney will resist paying:

Who will be responsible for maintaining the areas around Disneyland HK?

LEGCO archive on Disney 1999 September to December; 2005 Mar 16 meeting CB(1)1062/04-05(03); CB(1)1063/04-05 etc.

Demolitions: 財利船廠清拆工程 Housing issues: 2010: projected 810 萬人 . At

first, the land now belonging to Disney ( 東北大嶼山 ) was to be the site of these public housing.

Disney sea and air rights

Potential Problems of Hong Kong Disney:

Economic (Environmental) Issues: Physical/Cultural Landscape impacts; environmental

hazards (non-disclosure clause) Land Reclamation: the Lantau and Cheung Chau

research Demolitions: 財利船廠清拆工程 , no environmental

compensations Air pollution due to daily fireworks. Myth: Disney investments has nothing to do with high-

tech development

Potential Problems of Hong Kong Disney: Economic Issues

The Disney brand will define Hong Kong in the tourism industry. Can Hong Kong then develop industries other than tourism?

Disney and other tourist attractions will stimulate low-wage service economy with increasing age discrimination, encouraging a city’s young work force to give up education and training for more and more low wage jobs.

Cultural Disney: difficult to fight Disney cultural dominance due to its ubiquity

Synergy: a combined action or operation between individual units - produce an immediately recognizable brand。

Walt Disney CompanyWalt Disney Studios Walt Disney

AttractionsWalt Disney Consumer Products

Walt Disney AnimationTouchstone PicturesHollywood PicturesDisney Channel (85): bought ABC>200 more channels to come, 20+ radio stationsDisney Vacation Club

Disneyland, Walt Disney World, Euro Disney, Tokyo Disneyland

Stores, records, licensing 16,000 items of merchandise worldwide, computer software, Disney Education (English learning program with Harvard)

What we can learn from the Orlando case: Cultural Issues

Cultural Domination: any local newspapers or magazines criticizing Disney died due to Disney pressure and market manipulation.

Intellectual Property violence: Culture of Extreme Control: Controlled sense of total environment “Disney realism” programs out negative, unwanted elements,

like poverty, war, social issues Control nature through technological progress and corporatism Controls employees through instruction manuals, handbooks,

scripting, audio-animatronic figures phasing out cast members.

What we can learn from the Orlando case: Cultural Issues

Culture of Extreme Control: Control visitors’ behavior. LA park spokesperson Bob

Roth, “We de reserve the right to ask people to leave if we feel their appearance would be offensive to others at the park.” (Koeing, 209).

Private property: can enforce discriminatory rules of its own, e.g. No gay couples dancing and touching, No sloppy clothes

Suppress Cultural Diversity: eliminate and transforms local cultures, heritage,

communities to Disney-fied versions. Eliminate historical conflicts, wars, genocides and other “unpleasant” facts

What we can learn from the Orlando case: Cultural Issues

Disney does not need to go by the Discrimination Act:

A male couple filed a suit against Disney forbidding them to dance on the park. Disneyland has a long-standing policy calling for ejection of “individuals or groups who may by their actions, dress or attitudes interfere with or jeopardize the enjoyment Disneyland gives to others” said Bob Roth. The Supreme Court judge ruled that the guards’ actions were allowable and reasonable to protect the interests of other patrons.

Cultural Issues: sexual equalityWalt Disney Co.’s attitude towards differently

sexual-oriented staffs & visitors:

By the 1991, entire company (not only the studio) formally instituted a nondiscrimination policy based on sexual orientation. Beginning in 1996, offer domestic-partner benefits.

Beauty & the Beast honor lyricist Howard Ashman, who was openly gay & who died as a result of AIDS.

August 1992, LEAGUE (Lesbian And Gay United Employees) were formed in WDC. After 5 months, Florida employees formed ALLIANCE.

The capitalist imperative led Disney to recognize a “gay market” not a gay agenda. Disney defines the identity of the gay community as: “identifiable, accessible, measurable, profitable, white middle or upper-middle-class.”

Cultural Issues: Disney Values

Disney Movies: specific formula, always moral tales with overt values represented – reinvention of folk tales (de-politicized, sanitized)

Heroes and heroines are handsome/beautiful (eventually), with upper class or aristocratic background. Villains are extremely fat or extremely thin, with exaggerated facial features, and usually have accents, body languages of poorer classes and non-white cultures.

Individualism, optimism, good triumphs over evil (but de-contextualized from social reality)

Corporatism (corporations improves our lives), technological progress, consumerism (consumption replaces control at the workplace)

Cultural Issues: (1) The Disney Corporate Model - theming,

differentiation, merchandising, emotional labor...

Alan Bryman, The Disneyization of Society “argues that the contemporary world is increasingly converging towards the characteristics of the Disney theme parks. This process of convergence is revealed in: the growing influence of themed environments in settings like restaurants, shops, hotels, tourism and zoos; the growing trend towards social environments that are driven by combinations of forms of consumption: shopping, eating out, gambling, visiting the cinema, watching sports...”

Cultural Issues: the GDAP – Global Disney Audience Program

When asked to use one term to describe Disney, the most frequent answer is “fun,” followed by “happiness,” “fantasy,” “imagination,” and “family.”

Need alternative visions and rhetoric to deal with this. The audience term Disney animation as “cute, cozy,

warm, clean, safe, friendly, heart-warming, carefree, enchanting, wonderful, perky, innocent, mystical, moral.”

Disney-Harvard English program deal – target global middle-class aspirations (from age 0 onwards).

Invading memories: Kodak-Disney Deal – all childhood memories encrypted in Disney experience.

Cultural Issues: the Global Disney Audience Program

Reasons why respondents enjoy Disney:(1) pleasant memories with family and friends(2) contrast to everyday life practices and association to

holidays, celebrations, gifts(3) association with rituals and tradition(4) escape from problems such as pain of aging and social

problems Disney’s ubiquity incorporates family, romantic and

friendship rituals: some respondents place Disney in a “special, almost sacred, category.” (Wasko&Meehan, 2001: 332)

Movies are also promotional items introducing new characters for new Disney products: commodifying emotions

Potential criticisms against Disney: Labor Issues

Beware of Mickey:

Disney Sweatshops In South China

Potential cultural criticisms against Disney: Labor Issues

Emotional Labor: even the janitor is a “CAST MEMBER” performing a

staged cleaning.Labor Issues:品牌公常與外判公常的勞工問題 :

Control design of products, then licenses the actual manufacture to independent subcontractors, mostly in Third World countries in poverty-level wages and inhuman conditions.

“Toys of Misery: A Report on the Toy Industry in China,” The National Labor Committee reports, 2001, 2002, 2004: http://www.nlcnet.org

Hong Kong Christian Industrial Committee reports: www.cic.org.hk

Mexican & Chinese workers’ cases: www.maquilasolidarity.org/campaigns/disney/findings.htm

China Labor Watch report

Hierarchy of m anufactur ing process

Pro d u ctio n facilitiesMain lan d Ch in a, Vietn am , Th ailan d , Mexico etc.

Su b -Co n tractin g T oy M an u factu rersO EM Toy Man u factu rers

Hon g Kon g

T ran s-Natio n al T o y M anu factu rerse.g . Mattel, Hasb roUS, Jap an , Eu rop e

L icen se / Bran d Nam e Ow n erse.g . D isn ey

US, Jap an , Eu rop e

T o y Retailerse.g . ToysR 'Us, W al-Mart

US, Jap an , Eu rop e

Unequal share of profits and responsibilities down the hierarchy?

The International Sub-Contracting System The International Sub-Contracting System of Toys (Value Chain)of Toys (Value Chain)

Increasing bargaining power of toy companies Mergers and acquisitions

Retailer’s market Great concentration on ‘buyers’

Just-in-time delivery (burden of inventory management to manufacturers)

Low percentage of direct labour cost (0.4%- < 6%) Job insecurity (unstable employment) OSH problems

Labor Issues

Code of Conduct In the face of increasing consumer campaigns and the

anti-sweatshop movement, many TNCs (particularly those producing consumer goods) have issued their own Codes of Conduct during the last decade.

The emergence of Codes initially soothed consumer rage. However, people have not been convinced that Codes improve workers’ conditions and wages, particularly since much research has shown workers know little of the Codes.

Can a Code of Conduct help?

Disney’s Code authorizes Disney and its designated agents (including the third parties) to engage in monitoring activities to confirm compliance with the company’s Code.

Announced visits - factories are informed in advance. Workers claim that cheating always happens.

Double bookkeeping is always used to overstate the wages and underreport the working hours. Under-aged workers are moved or locked up when the monitors visit.

Can a Code of Conduct help?

It is Disney’s monitors’ fault that they do not effectively dig out the real conditions in the factory. Moreover, they cannot gain workers’ trust to report the truth because there is no guarantee against retaliation in the Code. Disney is duty bound to rectify these problems.

Workers Must Memorize Cheat Sheets before the inspectors come

They are either fined for note answering the model answer when questioned by the inspector, or given money if they answer as instructed.

Not “Cut & Run” but Disclose the information

When NGOs disclose any factories with poor working conditions, Disney will cut the order and move to the other factories.

Under this circumstance, it is more difficult and exhausting for the NGOs and the public to keep tracing and monitoring the production lines. It is a must to disclose all information of its suppliers for public scrutiny.

Who’s code? If Disney is really committed, as they say they are, to improving

workers’ conditions, then why not include the workers in the whole process of the Code: formulation, implementation, and monitoring?

More Visual Materials: Mickey Mouse Goes to Haiti, a 28 minute documentary

“about the exploitation of workers in factories contracted to Disney.” Students in Chicago saw the video and protested outside a Disney store together with their teachers.

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