Still from Disney's Lion King‘The Miasma Enshrouding Disneyland’ and Other Disney Poetry by Brian Yapko The Society November 6, 2023 Beauty, Culture, Human Rights in China, Poetry 35 Comments . The Miasma Enshrouding Disneyland I came here as a fairytale-struck child; The tickets cost less than a week of pay And we would spend a carefree, joy-filled day. The park was clean; the rides were fun though mild: Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean. The Haunted Mansion where blithe spirits whirled; Exotic dolls who sang “It’s A Small World”— Some Asian, African, some European. We’d greet Snow White, The Princess and the Frog. But now this happy place is choked with fog. There was a time when Disney used its charm For fun, when films did not have hidden claws; When storytellers did not push for laws And goals that make it seem the pirate arm Of Antifa. I simply can’t conceive That Walt would want sex taught in the third grade Or seek drag queens for Disney On Parade. But corporate executives believe That they are out there fighting the good fight. They’re in a bubble. Left’s not always right. Whistling while they lie, each minion thinks Good business means embracing all that’s woke, Not grasping that they wear a villain’s cloak. Take Disney’s park in Shanghai. Disney blinks When it is partnered with the C.C.P. Their spells help Beijing’s evil disappear Before the tourist hordes who laugh and cheer And fill their coffers with hard currency. Ignore the Uyghurs and the Falun Gong— This “happiest place on Earth” can do no wrong! In Florida and California they Push withering new life within the womb And having gender-markers meet their doom While social engineering crowds all day. They proudly shun the thought that all life matters By planting race where race does not belong Let’s be inclusive. Put it in a song! Rend history and fairytales to tatters; Make politics our puppet on a string— It helps us fill resorts and sell Mouse bling! Rewriting history is now their mission As they abuse the hope Walt tried to build, Ensuring innocence is all but killed For tax relief and cruise-ships. Ban tradition! Block Aesop, Mother Goose, The Grimms, Mark Twain. Make Peter Pans, Aladdins and Tom Sawyers Grow up to be amoral, venal lawyers Who prove that all Walt stood for they disdain. Mirror. mirror on the castle wall— Who’s the biggest hypocrite of all? . . Feed the Birds The studio’s composers struck a chord: Walt Disney wept when they played “Feed the Birds”— A Mary Poppins song now much adored With music which enchanted; and deep words. It spoke of giving tuppence to an old Bedraggled woman selling crumbs of bread Outside St. Paul’s Cathedral in the cold. “Come feed my birds” she’d cry, eyes red. The saints and the apostles all could see The hearts of those who sneered and those who shared. This song uniquely spoke of charity And Disney loved the goodness it declared: Let charity and faith be why we live. Let us be judged most for the love we give. . Poet’s Note “Feed the Birds” from Mary Poppins was one of Walt Disney’s favorite songs. The composers, Richard and Robert Sherman, recalled that Walt Disney would often invite them into his office and they’d talk about things that were going on at the Studio. After a while, he’d wander to the north window, look out into the distance and just say, “Play it.” And they would play “Feed the Birds” for him. And Walt would whisper to himself “Yes. That’s what it’s all about.” (source) . . Brian Yapko is a lawyer who also writes poetry. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. Trending now: 35 Responses Jeff Eardley November 6, 2023 Brian, the first is so sad. On our first trip to the States in 1980, we had the most wonderful day at Disneyland. The rides were exactly as you describe. We visited Eurodisney three years ago and I could not believe the lack of magic in this money-grabbing, broken down overblown travesty of what should have been. I was touched by “Feed the Birds” and the influence of Walt on the childhood of my generation. Now we have twelve year olds watching pornography. What has happened to us? A most thoughtful read today. Reply Brian A. Yapko November 7, 2023 Thank you very much for your kind comment, Jeff. I’m glad that you got to see what Disney was like before it took such a sharp turn leftward into cynical and venal wokitude. What Disney has become is hateful as are most commercial enterprises which infuse child entertainment and education with ideological trojan horses. They are helping to create a generation of deeply confused and increasingly monstrous young people. Reply Cheryl Corey November 6, 2023 “Miasma” is spot on, with a great closing couplet. Walt would turn in his grave to see what’s become of his beloved company. At least the wokester version of Snow White’s been put on ice, hopefully forever. Reply Brian A. Yapko November 7, 2023 Thank you very much, Cheryl! You’re absolutely right… Walt is turning over in his grave. I feel very certain that what Disney has become is not what this good man intended. Reply Phil S. Rogers November 6, 2023 Brian; Excellent—“all Walt stood for they disdain” sums it up completely. Such a tragedy Disney has become. Thank you for this morning’s poem. Reply Brian A. Yapko November 7, 2023 Thank you very much, Phil. It is time, I think, to become vocally critical of this colossus of wokitude. Ideology and social engineering have become Disney’s principal purpose at the expense of innocent entertainment. Reply Phil L. Flott November 6, 2023 Thank you for saying out loud in Miasma what the most of us are thinking. Reply Brian A. Yapko November 7, 2023 Thank you very much indeed, Phil. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who’s felt very dissatisfied with Disney’s thinly-veiled ideological social-engineering agenda. Reply Julian D. Woodruff November 6, 2023 Thanks, Brian. All of us have our favorite examples of Disney ingenuity and brilliance. Now what can be done except to shake our heads and lament as you do. Reply Brian A. Yapko November 7, 2023 Thank you very much, Julian. Disney used to be a source of great joy and ingenuity, as you point out. From a technological standpoint I imagine that it still is. But it has lost its soul. A lament is exactly right. Reply Roy Eugene Peterson November 6, 2023 I am truly saddened by the miasma that Disneylands have become and the trashing of all the good things for which Walt Disney spent a lifetime magnifying and sharing. What is left of the childhood innocence that once made us revel in the rides and characters? The imposters have stolen what was once the “happiest place on earth.” You make powerful points that need to be heeded and changed. Thank you for explaining the song Walt Disney loved was “Feed the Birds.” Both poems are exceptionally well written and delivered. Reply Brian A. Yapko November 7, 2023 Thank you very much, Roy, for this insightful and generous comment. I’m glad you liked both poems because I wanted to present an “after” and a “before” snapshot of what Disney is versus what Disney once was when Walt was alive. Actually, Disney was great even after Walt died for a good 30 years after Walt died in 1966. Disney produced some of its greatest movies in the 80s and 90s. But it sold its soul and became a cynical corporation ruled by committee and ideology. As you point out, “the imposters.” Reply Joseph S. Salemi November 6, 2023 The Disney Corporation is now terrified of its younger employees. And rather than firing them and bringing in a more intelligent group, they prefer to cater to the demands of those left-liberal woke employees, allowing them to set policy. Reply Brian A. Yapko November 7, 2023 Thank you for reading and commenting, Joe. I wonder how terrified Disney is of its younger employees…? Another example of responsible adults being derelict in managing the immature. I’ll say this. Walt died in 1966. For 30 or more years, Disney was still Disney and did some of its best work — especially during its animation renaissance during the 1980s (Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin.) They made great pictures and the theme parks were dedicated to families having fun. And then Disney made a sharp turn leftward (how telling that this is so only in the U.S. and Europe, but not in their Chinese parks in Shanghai and Hong Kong!) Here in the West where they know there are no consequences, Disney shoehorns racial and sexual orientation issues into stories where they are utterly inorganic. This is not “diversity.” Diversity is organic. This, rather, is social engineering. Worse, I’m dismayed by their ventures into California and Florida politics in which they have promoted and defended (with teams of lawyers, of course) their insistence that gender identity be taught to children in the third grade and that minors be allowed without restriction into drag shows in which nudity and obscenity is presented. And, of course, they proudly announced that they would pay for their employees to travel out of state to get abortions as needed. This is not Walt Disney’s company. It is a soulless, amoral, cynical behemoth. As for Governor DeSantis, I’m glad he’s gone to battle against them. Disney has become too big for its britches and acts like it is a fifth column arm of the C.C.P. Reply Joseph S. Salemi November 7, 2023 It’s a problem in many large corporations today, that have an extensive cadre of young employees fresh from college, where they have been indoctrinated with the CRT, DEI, and trans-friendly ideology of left-liberal faculty. They are energetic, glib activists for their views, and insist on seeing them embodied in practice. In the past, those in charge of the corporation would have told them to shape up or ship out, and shut the hell up about company policy. That doesn’t happen today for two reasons: first, their replacements would most likely have the same intellectual poisons; and second, there is a massive failure of nerve among older Americans to speak out against the general leftist drift of our society. This is different in Israel, where the younger generation is growing more heavily rightist and conservative, and the older left-liberal-socialist Ashkenazi Jews are dying out. The recent Hamas attacks have now cemented this rightward shift among younger Israelis, thank God. Brian A. Yapko November 7, 2023 “… there is a massive failure of nerve among older Americans to speak out against the general leftist drift of our society.” Joe, you have hit the nail on the head here! This is so painfully true! I talk with many people my age or older who share our views on many things but who are afraid to speak up. How did the generations that fought World War II, Korea and Vietnam become so passive and conflict avoidant? It’s a phenomenon. If they rediscovered their cojones and allowed their voices to be heard it would make a world of difference. fred schueler November 6, 2023 No idea what Disney is up to these days, but here’s a Disney poem from 1988: Don’t worry, Walt. Snowhite is alive and well And making millions, Mocking the Sons of Durin. Dead you may be at last, Damned Story-killer, But they send your neotenic Mickey Mouse to the Great Wall To save the Yellow Peril from their history. And Bambi farts under his tail, Turning Movie Actresses against the outports. We know your corner Where you sit and wait and wait and wait — but no one comes No Lewis Carroll praises the way you tarted up Alice, Nor A.A. Milne your Sears Roebuck Pooh, Nor Kipling to rejoice in your Pink Pajama Bagheera, Nor predators to explain that they never wanted to eat. Rot in Hell until you send a message to your Evil Empire: “The love of money is the root of all evil — and the wages of sin is death.” Reply Brian A. Yapko November 7, 2023 Thank you very much, Fred. An entertaining poem which is amazingly prophetic. What Disney is up to these days is far worse than it was in 1988! Reply Paul A. Freeman November 6, 2023 I thought ‘Feed the Birds’ is one of the most moving sonnets I’ve ever read. I was also put in mind of the Bird Lady from Home Alone 2. ‘Mary Poppins’ certainly is one of my families favourites, not least for Dick van Dyke’s performance – he discovered after filming that his ‘Cockney’ voice coach was a fraud! Maybe Disney should do an authentic remake of Peter Pan. I read the book for the first time last year. Boy is it bloodthirsty! Thanks for the reads, Brian. Reply Brian A. Yapko November 7, 2023 Thank you very much indeed for this generous comment, Paul. I’m especially grateful for your kind comment regarding the sonnet. “Feed the Birds” has long been my favorite song from Mary Poppins, which I saw when I was 4 years old — too young, you say! — and yet it has never left me. Probably because my parents bought me the album and I listened to it over and over. I’d love to see an authentic Peter Pan. But Disney would muck it up. They’d come up with reasons why it’s wrong to criticize pirates. Among other things. Reply C.B. Anderson November 6, 2023 I’ve never been to Dismal World, and I hope never to go there, but I was raised on the weekly show that used to be aired on television. In the interests of full disclosure, I must admit that I always liked Donald Duck and his nephews more than I liked Mickey. Lucky you for having plans to move to Florida, where Governor DeSantis has taken some of the wind out of Disney’s corporate sails. I want to say, “Great stuff, as always,” but I hate generalities. Reply Brian A. Yapko November 7, 2023 Thanks for commenting, C.B. and the kind words. And the acerbic ones as well! “Dismal World!” That’s one I’ll long remember! I myself never cared for Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck. I did have to get a coonskin cap, though, when the Wonderful World of Disney reran Davy Crocket. One of the reasons we are going to Florida is because we believe it to have good governance. We’re tired of leftist nonsense and, although DeSantis went out on a limb going after Disney, I agree in spirit with his efforts. Reply Cynthia Erlandson November 6, 2023 These are wonderful, Brian. “Miasma” has so many insightful phrases that struck me: “The tickets cost less than a week of pay.”; “when films did not have hidden claws”; “the pirate arm / Of Antifa”; and especially the last two lines of the poem. “Feed the Birds” is indeed a beautiful song, and deserved to be glorified in this beautiful poem. Reply Brian A Yapko November 7, 2023 Thank you very much indeed, Cynthia. I’m especially glad you singled out the “hidden claws” line and the closing two lines because they sum up all the withering contempt I feel for a corporation I once respected. And “Feed the Birds” is indeed beautiful — musically as well as its fine lyrics. I think it’s the best song in Mary Poppins. I wish I had written it, but at least I got to write the sonnet! Reply Margaret Coats November 7, 2023 These are good critical pieces with a touching tone of Disney nostalgia for the magic long ago offered to so many. As a child in a family that could not afford theme parks at all, and movies very rarely, the topic brings to my mind the oddity of selling show business fantasia to children. My own children went to Disneyland once, when young adult cousins were kind enough to take them. The fun of the day was being with their cousins. I too was fairytale-struck, reading as many books as I could check out from the library. I have the feeling I might find commercial representations fake, even if well done. But with Disney warping as well as faking the objects of childlike imagination, there will still be healthy ways to stimulate it–history, the outdoors and grandparents! Reply Brian A. Yapko November 7, 2023 Thank you very much indeed for your comment, Margaret. I rather wish you had visited Disneyland (at least as it was) so that you could better understand the joy it brought to young children in those days before Disney succumbed to the dark side. It has never occurred to me that the filming of fairytales might be something of an oddity but I see your point (and the delightful irony in your use of the term “fantasia”.) To validate your intuition, in these troubled days of course you would find commercial representations of fairytales fake — even more so these days with racial, sexual and class issues infused into traditional stories in contexts where this infusion makes no sense and can only add to the confusion of our children — sexually, racially, historically and literarily. But who am I to criticize the propaganda of committed ideologues who mean well? Reply Margaret Coats November 8, 2023 Brian, keep up your criticism. The ideologues do not mean well; they are trying to realize fantasies of their own without care for the cost. I would rather be in the company of those who could believe painted structures were a magic kingdom–and maybe it’s that company doing the magic. Susan Jarvis Bryant November 11, 2023 Brian, both poems are beautifully and admirably conceived and most timely. The title of the first is superb and Evan’s picture complements the words perfectly – adeptly woven words that tell it like it is… and it sucks! In a short span of time this illustrious and revered brand has been warped out of all recognition. You pull no poetic punches with your observations, Brian, and the result is a triumph of a poem that hits the right note. All should read it before immersing their children in this far from salubrious environment. I especially like the clever touches littered throughout – “Whistling while they lie” is wonderful, as is the closing couplet. To end with the beautiful and heart-touching sonnet “Feed the Birds” adds weight to the horrors of Disney and makes me ache with nostalgia for times gone by. Very well done indeed! Reply Brian A. Yapko November 13, 2023 Thank you, Susan! You understand precisely the moral decay I was trying to convey. Disney’s fall is particularly sad because it has a venerable history, an original purpose which was wholesome and it has a prominent pulpit from which to manipulate others. Did I say “manipulate?” I meant “colonize.” Because isn’t that (ironically) what leftists do everywhere they plant roots? And, ironically, on our southward trek to Tampa Bay we are due west of Orlando. Reply Adam Wasem November 13, 2023 Hi Brian, just a little aside to support your thesis about how bad it’s gotten: My grandparents took my father to Disneyland in Anaheim the year it opened, and ever since, he had been a lifelong fan, with boxes full of the comics, numerous books on Disney and his animation studio, etc., and our whole family would visit the park at least every other year ever since I can remember. Although he’d naturally soured on the movies over the last decade, and is disgusted at what Disney has done to Star Wars, even so, when I came to have children of my own he would still pay their way into the park as well, he was so keen on the place. Then they came for the theme parks themselves, and that was it. When they wokeified the Song of the South area of Splash Mountain, removing the entire underground diorama and replacing it with nothing, the lifelong fan, who had, along with his parents, spend literally tens of thousands of dollars at the theme parks over the years, swore off Disney forever. Now he actively roots for Disney’s bankruptcy. Reply Brian A. Yapko November 15, 2023 Thank you for this story, Adam, and the additional insights and experience. I had forgotten that Disney is the entity that acquired and then destroyed Star Wars in a frenzy of wokitude. Now I have another reason to resent them! I knew about the Song of the South issue — they’ve cancelled the song “Zip A Dee Doo Dah”. I didn’t realize they took it to that level of pandering by redoing a lousy ride. Boy, do they think they’re important! It’s almost like a drinking game to see what woke “socially responsible” (read social engineering) thing Disney will do next. I too actively root for its bankruptcy. Let its finances be a direct reflection of its integrity. Reply Joshua C. Frank November 16, 2023 These are both great! The first one does a great job of showing the contrast between what it was and what it is now. I remember Disneyland from early childhood, back in the late 1980s… it’s such a shame what they’ve done to it. Of course, when I look at the movies I enjoyed so much back then (the “Disney Renaissance” of the late 80s and early 90s), I see the propaganda hidden in stories calculated to be appealing to children. In these romantic stories, the relationship is the “pearl of great price” that supersedes all other considerations–even virtue, family, community, finances, health, etc. Whichever of these are lost for the sake of the relationship are counted “but as dung,” and this is assumed to be normal, natural, and worthy of praise (as if they were coming to Jesus, when in reality, they’re worshipping their love interests as idols). Anyone who says otherwise (if anyone even does) is presented as causing “needless” suffering by clinging to “antiquated” ideas. The sins (especially the pride and lust) are thus presented as the only morally correct course of action. In this way, the stories teach a specific, identifiable set of wrong beliefs. These movies are fun, but they’re best watched by people old enough and wise enough to know that what they teach are lies. How they could be called children’s movies is beyond me. Notice also that few Disney movies have both parents present and alive throughout the movie, and in many of those, the parents are animals (101 Dalmatians, Lady and the Tramp) or the fathers are presented as foolish, out of touch, and clumsy (Peter Pan, Mary Poppins). I’m not sure the Walt Disney company has ever lived up to its image. Anyway, the second one is great as well. It sheds a very interesting light on the song “Feed the Birds.” Reply Brian A. Yapko November 16, 2023 Thank you very much indeed, Josh, for this generous comment and the extremely perceptive analysis of the surprising hidden agendas featured in so much of the Disney canon. What you describe about the lack of parents in Disney films is interesting. I can certainly see the validity of your point but I also wonder whether it comes with the territory of animating fairy tales which (no pun intended) can be quite grim. Fairy tales have a disproportionate amount of dark events and challenges, whether it involves the orphaned Cinderella or the poisoned Sleeping Beauty or the sadly childless Geppetto who creates a puppet to be his son; or Red Riding Hood whose grandmother gets eaten by a wolf shortly before she herself becomes the victim. Disney’s focus happens to be on dark stories so the absence of two parents does not strike me as odd. But Disney has become far more focused on self-fulfillment and self-realization in the last couple of decades as it fees into the narcissism of young people today. You’re quite right when you observe that the values promoted are petty and self-absorbed. Reply Monika Cooper November 18, 2023 I watched and tolerated a lot of Disney animation as a kid but I always knew the real stories were elsewhere. Mary Poppins transcends other Disney movies and “Feed the Birds” is the most beautiful thing in it. I also think there was something special about Fantasia, especially the final “Battle Between Good and Evil.” I have a memory of going to a Disney-based concert: at the end, everyone stood to sing along with “When You Wish Upon A Star” and it felt downright religious. Reply Brian A. Yapko November 18, 2023 Thanks for reading and commenting, Monika. That’s very interesting… that story about “When You Wish Upon a Star.” That, of course, is classic Disney from the 1940s when Walt was in charge and the work his studio did had a real sense of goodness and wonder. Contrast that gentle innocence with “Let it Go” — the anthem to narcissism from Frozen that also inspires religious zeal — and you’ve got a perfect before and after comparison: Pinocchio’s innocent wonder versus Elsa’s self-absorption wrapped in cynical social justice virtue signaling. Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Jeff Eardley November 6, 2023 Brian, the first is so sad. On our first trip to the States in 1980, we had the most wonderful day at Disneyland. The rides were exactly as you describe. We visited Eurodisney three years ago and I could not believe the lack of magic in this money-grabbing, broken down overblown travesty of what should have been. I was touched by “Feed the Birds” and the influence of Walt on the childhood of my generation. Now we have twelve year olds watching pornography. What has happened to us? A most thoughtful read today. Reply
Brian A. Yapko November 7, 2023 Thank you very much for your kind comment, Jeff. I’m glad that you got to see what Disney was like before it took such a sharp turn leftward into cynical and venal wokitude. What Disney has become is hateful as are most commercial enterprises which infuse child entertainment and education with ideological trojan horses. They are helping to create a generation of deeply confused and increasingly monstrous young people. Reply
Cheryl Corey November 6, 2023 “Miasma” is spot on, with a great closing couplet. Walt would turn in his grave to see what’s become of his beloved company. At least the wokester version of Snow White’s been put on ice, hopefully forever. Reply
Brian A. Yapko November 7, 2023 Thank you very much, Cheryl! You’re absolutely right… Walt is turning over in his grave. I feel very certain that what Disney has become is not what this good man intended. Reply
Phil S. Rogers November 6, 2023 Brian; Excellent—“all Walt stood for they disdain” sums it up completely. Such a tragedy Disney has become. Thank you for this morning’s poem. Reply
Brian A. Yapko November 7, 2023 Thank you very much, Phil. It is time, I think, to become vocally critical of this colossus of wokitude. Ideology and social engineering have become Disney’s principal purpose at the expense of innocent entertainment. Reply
Phil L. Flott November 6, 2023 Thank you for saying out loud in Miasma what the most of us are thinking. Reply
Brian A. Yapko November 7, 2023 Thank you very much indeed, Phil. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one who’s felt very dissatisfied with Disney’s thinly-veiled ideological social-engineering agenda. Reply
Julian D. Woodruff November 6, 2023 Thanks, Brian. All of us have our favorite examples of Disney ingenuity and brilliance. Now what can be done except to shake our heads and lament as you do. Reply
Brian A. Yapko November 7, 2023 Thank you very much, Julian. Disney used to be a source of great joy and ingenuity, as you point out. From a technological standpoint I imagine that it still is. But it has lost its soul. A lament is exactly right. Reply
Roy Eugene Peterson November 6, 2023 I am truly saddened by the miasma that Disneylands have become and the trashing of all the good things for which Walt Disney spent a lifetime magnifying and sharing. What is left of the childhood innocence that once made us revel in the rides and characters? The imposters have stolen what was once the “happiest place on earth.” You make powerful points that need to be heeded and changed. Thank you for explaining the song Walt Disney loved was “Feed the Birds.” Both poems are exceptionally well written and delivered. Reply
Brian A. Yapko November 7, 2023 Thank you very much, Roy, for this insightful and generous comment. I’m glad you liked both poems because I wanted to present an “after” and a “before” snapshot of what Disney is versus what Disney once was when Walt was alive. Actually, Disney was great even after Walt died for a good 30 years after Walt died in 1966. Disney produced some of its greatest movies in the 80s and 90s. But it sold its soul and became a cynical corporation ruled by committee and ideology. As you point out, “the imposters.” Reply
Joseph S. Salemi November 6, 2023 The Disney Corporation is now terrified of its younger employees. And rather than firing them and bringing in a more intelligent group, they prefer to cater to the demands of those left-liberal woke employees, allowing them to set policy. Reply
Brian A. Yapko November 7, 2023 Thank you for reading and commenting, Joe. I wonder how terrified Disney is of its younger employees…? Another example of responsible adults being derelict in managing the immature. I’ll say this. Walt died in 1966. For 30 or more years, Disney was still Disney and did some of its best work — especially during its animation renaissance during the 1980s (Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin.) They made great pictures and the theme parks were dedicated to families having fun. And then Disney made a sharp turn leftward (how telling that this is so only in the U.S. and Europe, but not in their Chinese parks in Shanghai and Hong Kong!) Here in the West where they know there are no consequences, Disney shoehorns racial and sexual orientation issues into stories where they are utterly inorganic. This is not “diversity.” Diversity is organic. This, rather, is social engineering. Worse, I’m dismayed by their ventures into California and Florida politics in which they have promoted and defended (with teams of lawyers, of course) their insistence that gender identity be taught to children in the third grade and that minors be allowed without restriction into drag shows in which nudity and obscenity is presented. And, of course, they proudly announced that they would pay for their employees to travel out of state to get abortions as needed. This is not Walt Disney’s company. It is a soulless, amoral, cynical behemoth. As for Governor DeSantis, I’m glad he’s gone to battle against them. Disney has become too big for its britches and acts like it is a fifth column arm of the C.C.P. Reply
Joseph S. Salemi November 7, 2023 It’s a problem in many large corporations today, that have an extensive cadre of young employees fresh from college, where they have been indoctrinated with the CRT, DEI, and trans-friendly ideology of left-liberal faculty. They are energetic, glib activists for their views, and insist on seeing them embodied in practice. In the past, those in charge of the corporation would have told them to shape up or ship out, and shut the hell up about company policy. That doesn’t happen today for two reasons: first, their replacements would most likely have the same intellectual poisons; and second, there is a massive failure of nerve among older Americans to speak out against the general leftist drift of our society. This is different in Israel, where the younger generation is growing more heavily rightist and conservative, and the older left-liberal-socialist Ashkenazi Jews are dying out. The recent Hamas attacks have now cemented this rightward shift among younger Israelis, thank God.
Brian A. Yapko November 7, 2023 “… there is a massive failure of nerve among older Americans to speak out against the general leftist drift of our society.” Joe, you have hit the nail on the head here! This is so painfully true! I talk with many people my age or older who share our views on many things but who are afraid to speak up. How did the generations that fought World War II, Korea and Vietnam become so passive and conflict avoidant? It’s a phenomenon. If they rediscovered their cojones and allowed their voices to be heard it would make a world of difference.
fred schueler November 6, 2023 No idea what Disney is up to these days, but here’s a Disney poem from 1988: Don’t worry, Walt. Snowhite is alive and well And making millions, Mocking the Sons of Durin. Dead you may be at last, Damned Story-killer, But they send your neotenic Mickey Mouse to the Great Wall To save the Yellow Peril from their history. And Bambi farts under his tail, Turning Movie Actresses against the outports. We know your corner Where you sit and wait and wait and wait — but no one comes No Lewis Carroll praises the way you tarted up Alice, Nor A.A. Milne your Sears Roebuck Pooh, Nor Kipling to rejoice in your Pink Pajama Bagheera, Nor predators to explain that they never wanted to eat. Rot in Hell until you send a message to your Evil Empire: “The love of money is the root of all evil — and the wages of sin is death.” Reply
Brian A. Yapko November 7, 2023 Thank you very much, Fred. An entertaining poem which is amazingly prophetic. What Disney is up to these days is far worse than it was in 1988! Reply
Paul A. Freeman November 6, 2023 I thought ‘Feed the Birds’ is one of the most moving sonnets I’ve ever read. I was also put in mind of the Bird Lady from Home Alone 2. ‘Mary Poppins’ certainly is one of my families favourites, not least for Dick van Dyke’s performance – he discovered after filming that his ‘Cockney’ voice coach was a fraud! Maybe Disney should do an authentic remake of Peter Pan. I read the book for the first time last year. Boy is it bloodthirsty! Thanks for the reads, Brian. Reply
Brian A. Yapko November 7, 2023 Thank you very much indeed for this generous comment, Paul. I’m especially grateful for your kind comment regarding the sonnet. “Feed the Birds” has long been my favorite song from Mary Poppins, which I saw when I was 4 years old — too young, you say! — and yet it has never left me. Probably because my parents bought me the album and I listened to it over and over. I’d love to see an authentic Peter Pan. But Disney would muck it up. They’d come up with reasons why it’s wrong to criticize pirates. Among other things. Reply
C.B. Anderson November 6, 2023 I’ve never been to Dismal World, and I hope never to go there, but I was raised on the weekly show that used to be aired on television. In the interests of full disclosure, I must admit that I always liked Donald Duck and his nephews more than I liked Mickey. Lucky you for having plans to move to Florida, where Governor DeSantis has taken some of the wind out of Disney’s corporate sails. I want to say, “Great stuff, as always,” but I hate generalities. Reply
Brian A. Yapko November 7, 2023 Thanks for commenting, C.B. and the kind words. And the acerbic ones as well! “Dismal World!” That’s one I’ll long remember! I myself never cared for Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck. I did have to get a coonskin cap, though, when the Wonderful World of Disney reran Davy Crocket. One of the reasons we are going to Florida is because we believe it to have good governance. We’re tired of leftist nonsense and, although DeSantis went out on a limb going after Disney, I agree in spirit with his efforts. Reply
Cynthia Erlandson November 6, 2023 These are wonderful, Brian. “Miasma” has so many insightful phrases that struck me: “The tickets cost less than a week of pay.”; “when films did not have hidden claws”; “the pirate arm / Of Antifa”; and especially the last two lines of the poem. “Feed the Birds” is indeed a beautiful song, and deserved to be glorified in this beautiful poem. Reply
Brian A Yapko November 7, 2023 Thank you very much indeed, Cynthia. I’m especially glad you singled out the “hidden claws” line and the closing two lines because they sum up all the withering contempt I feel for a corporation I once respected. And “Feed the Birds” is indeed beautiful — musically as well as its fine lyrics. I think it’s the best song in Mary Poppins. I wish I had written it, but at least I got to write the sonnet! Reply
Margaret Coats November 7, 2023 These are good critical pieces with a touching tone of Disney nostalgia for the magic long ago offered to so many. As a child in a family that could not afford theme parks at all, and movies very rarely, the topic brings to my mind the oddity of selling show business fantasia to children. My own children went to Disneyland once, when young adult cousins were kind enough to take them. The fun of the day was being with their cousins. I too was fairytale-struck, reading as many books as I could check out from the library. I have the feeling I might find commercial representations fake, even if well done. But with Disney warping as well as faking the objects of childlike imagination, there will still be healthy ways to stimulate it–history, the outdoors and grandparents! Reply
Brian A. Yapko November 7, 2023 Thank you very much indeed for your comment, Margaret. I rather wish you had visited Disneyland (at least as it was) so that you could better understand the joy it brought to young children in those days before Disney succumbed to the dark side. It has never occurred to me that the filming of fairytales might be something of an oddity but I see your point (and the delightful irony in your use of the term “fantasia”.) To validate your intuition, in these troubled days of course you would find commercial representations of fairytales fake — even more so these days with racial, sexual and class issues infused into traditional stories in contexts where this infusion makes no sense and can only add to the confusion of our children — sexually, racially, historically and literarily. But who am I to criticize the propaganda of committed ideologues who mean well? Reply
Margaret Coats November 8, 2023 Brian, keep up your criticism. The ideologues do not mean well; they are trying to realize fantasies of their own without care for the cost. I would rather be in the company of those who could believe painted structures were a magic kingdom–and maybe it’s that company doing the magic.
Susan Jarvis Bryant November 11, 2023 Brian, both poems are beautifully and admirably conceived and most timely. The title of the first is superb and Evan’s picture complements the words perfectly – adeptly woven words that tell it like it is… and it sucks! In a short span of time this illustrious and revered brand has been warped out of all recognition. You pull no poetic punches with your observations, Brian, and the result is a triumph of a poem that hits the right note. All should read it before immersing their children in this far from salubrious environment. I especially like the clever touches littered throughout – “Whistling while they lie” is wonderful, as is the closing couplet. To end with the beautiful and heart-touching sonnet “Feed the Birds” adds weight to the horrors of Disney and makes me ache with nostalgia for times gone by. Very well done indeed! Reply
Brian A. Yapko November 13, 2023 Thank you, Susan! You understand precisely the moral decay I was trying to convey. Disney’s fall is particularly sad because it has a venerable history, an original purpose which was wholesome and it has a prominent pulpit from which to manipulate others. Did I say “manipulate?” I meant “colonize.” Because isn’t that (ironically) what leftists do everywhere they plant roots? And, ironically, on our southward trek to Tampa Bay we are due west of Orlando. Reply
Adam Wasem November 13, 2023 Hi Brian, just a little aside to support your thesis about how bad it’s gotten: My grandparents took my father to Disneyland in Anaheim the year it opened, and ever since, he had been a lifelong fan, with boxes full of the comics, numerous books on Disney and his animation studio, etc., and our whole family would visit the park at least every other year ever since I can remember. Although he’d naturally soured on the movies over the last decade, and is disgusted at what Disney has done to Star Wars, even so, when I came to have children of my own he would still pay their way into the park as well, he was so keen on the place. Then they came for the theme parks themselves, and that was it. When they wokeified the Song of the South area of Splash Mountain, removing the entire underground diorama and replacing it with nothing, the lifelong fan, who had, along with his parents, spend literally tens of thousands of dollars at the theme parks over the years, swore off Disney forever. Now he actively roots for Disney’s bankruptcy. Reply
Brian A. Yapko November 15, 2023 Thank you for this story, Adam, and the additional insights and experience. I had forgotten that Disney is the entity that acquired and then destroyed Star Wars in a frenzy of wokitude. Now I have another reason to resent them! I knew about the Song of the South issue — they’ve cancelled the song “Zip A Dee Doo Dah”. I didn’t realize they took it to that level of pandering by redoing a lousy ride. Boy, do they think they’re important! It’s almost like a drinking game to see what woke “socially responsible” (read social engineering) thing Disney will do next. I too actively root for its bankruptcy. Let its finances be a direct reflection of its integrity. Reply
Joshua C. Frank November 16, 2023 These are both great! The first one does a great job of showing the contrast between what it was and what it is now. I remember Disneyland from early childhood, back in the late 1980s… it’s such a shame what they’ve done to it. Of course, when I look at the movies I enjoyed so much back then (the “Disney Renaissance” of the late 80s and early 90s), I see the propaganda hidden in stories calculated to be appealing to children. In these romantic stories, the relationship is the “pearl of great price” that supersedes all other considerations–even virtue, family, community, finances, health, etc. Whichever of these are lost for the sake of the relationship are counted “but as dung,” and this is assumed to be normal, natural, and worthy of praise (as if they were coming to Jesus, when in reality, they’re worshipping their love interests as idols). Anyone who says otherwise (if anyone even does) is presented as causing “needless” suffering by clinging to “antiquated” ideas. The sins (especially the pride and lust) are thus presented as the only morally correct course of action. In this way, the stories teach a specific, identifiable set of wrong beliefs. These movies are fun, but they’re best watched by people old enough and wise enough to know that what they teach are lies. How they could be called children’s movies is beyond me. Notice also that few Disney movies have both parents present and alive throughout the movie, and in many of those, the parents are animals (101 Dalmatians, Lady and the Tramp) or the fathers are presented as foolish, out of touch, and clumsy (Peter Pan, Mary Poppins). I’m not sure the Walt Disney company has ever lived up to its image. Anyway, the second one is great as well. It sheds a very interesting light on the song “Feed the Birds.” Reply
Brian A. Yapko November 16, 2023 Thank you very much indeed, Josh, for this generous comment and the extremely perceptive analysis of the surprising hidden agendas featured in so much of the Disney canon. What you describe about the lack of parents in Disney films is interesting. I can certainly see the validity of your point but I also wonder whether it comes with the territory of animating fairy tales which (no pun intended) can be quite grim. Fairy tales have a disproportionate amount of dark events and challenges, whether it involves the orphaned Cinderella or the poisoned Sleeping Beauty or the sadly childless Geppetto who creates a puppet to be his son; or Red Riding Hood whose grandmother gets eaten by a wolf shortly before she herself becomes the victim. Disney’s focus happens to be on dark stories so the absence of two parents does not strike me as odd. But Disney has become far more focused on self-fulfillment and self-realization in the last couple of decades as it fees into the narcissism of young people today. You’re quite right when you observe that the values promoted are petty and self-absorbed. Reply
Monika Cooper November 18, 2023 I watched and tolerated a lot of Disney animation as a kid but I always knew the real stories were elsewhere. Mary Poppins transcends other Disney movies and “Feed the Birds” is the most beautiful thing in it. I also think there was something special about Fantasia, especially the final “Battle Between Good and Evil.” I have a memory of going to a Disney-based concert: at the end, everyone stood to sing along with “When You Wish Upon A Star” and it felt downright religious. Reply
Brian A. Yapko November 18, 2023 Thanks for reading and commenting, Monika. That’s very interesting… that story about “When You Wish Upon a Star.” That, of course, is classic Disney from the 1940s when Walt was in charge and the work his studio did had a real sense of goodness and wonder. Contrast that gentle innocence with “Let it Go” — the anthem to narcissism from Frozen that also inspires religious zeal — and you’ve got a perfect before and after comparison: Pinocchio’s innocent wonder versus Elsa’s self-absorption wrapped in cynical social justice virtue signaling. Reply
