It's interesting how, the presence of something annoying can be grating, but it's absence not appreciated. This isn't a thought which came to me over the memories of Disney bags and small dangling Mickey figures on cell phones. It came to me a long time ago when I was suffering from chronic and oppressive pain. When you don't have pain, you don't think about its absence or appreciate being free of it. When you have it, all you can think about is how badly you'd like it to go away.
While being exposed daily to a bizarre Disney obsession (among adults, no less) is nowhere near the same as being in pain, I've found that its absense has simply meant that I just don't think about it at all (much as I don't think about pain when I'm not in it). Honestly, I've found that America has its fair share of childish or neurotic omnipresent bits of flotsam that people use to boast their affiliations as well (sports teams, "Hello Kitty", etc.). I could do without both of them. I don't miss the Disney obsession in Japan, though I can't say that I've given it much thought over the two years since we left Japan.
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We are planning a trip to Disney for Andy. He has never been and is still young enough (chronologically and mentally) to have the experience be a fond one of his childhood. I didn't go as a kid and therefore don't see the big deal but my hubby grew up around the way from Disney and went all the time. I can take it or leave it but I am determined to have fun... the one time I went for fun as an adult it was no more than an ocean of strollers and high priced corn dogs.
ReplyDeleteI remember watching the news here in Tokyo one day and one of the headline stories was about Disneyland opening back up after months of closure due to the earthquake. They were live at the opening of the front gates and once they were opened, all these adults ran in screaming. There were like two or three kids at most. There were grown women posing with character-costumed employees and one of them was sobbing almost uncontrollably and all she could get out was "Mickey! Aete yokatta!"
ReplyDeleteI had to avoid talking to people all day after that...