Janet Wasko expresses her thoughts
about five common misconceptions in the article “Challenging Disney
Myths”. Although her views offer a
different perspective on Disney, both the man and the company, I believe that
her main ideas are too radical and assumption based. Wasko is very critical of Disney’s business
decisions and motives. She is very
negative when referring to the way that Disney ran his business. Accusing Disney of over exaggerating his past
and upbringing seems rather ridiculous and unrelated to his success as a
businessman. She discounts his
reflections of living on a farm because it was only for two years instead of
longer which seems overly analytical to me.
It was not really made clear why this argument matters in the first
place. Also Wasko lacks sources in many
instances, which make many of her arguments not credible. In regard to Disney’s demeanor as a
businessman, Wasko mentions that Disney was “praised for his masterful and
inspirational leadership” and known as a “rare charismatic leader” (241). However, Wasko continues by adding that “some
of his employees called him a “benevolent dictator” and he was known for being
“authoritative, moody and demanding” (241).
Personally, I believe that a good leader needs to be authoritative and
serious in order to be successful. If
you consider all of the other powerful business leaders I am sure they are
strict and demanding. I do not believe that Walt Disney should be held to a
different standard simply because he managed a company that appeals greatly
(but not exclusively) to children and families.
Disney (the company) is known around the world for its theme parks,
products, movies, etc. Clearly it would
not have been possible for Walt Disney to accomplish this if he was not hard on
his employees. When I think about all
the leaders of major corporations, I think of powerful and demanding
individuals. The amount of income that
Disney has made is unbelievable; it is not shocking to me that Walt Disney was
a demanding and ruthless boss. There are
certain points that Wasko make that I believe are valid and interesting. Her thoughts on how the products of Disney,
from movies to merchandise, target people off all ages. When commenting how Disney appeals to
multiple age groups, Wasko uses Eeyore as an example of how Disney can relate
to teens. Eeyore “is most popular with
teens, possibly because he is a little different from the others” (Hirsch 1999,
38). I thought this was an interesting
point because Disney is present in almost everyone’s lives. By the time you are a teenager, chances are
that you are familiar with the story of “Winnie the Pooh”. Eeyore represented the outcast, which can be
related to by people of any age group, teenagers in specific. This allows people of all ages to relate to
Disney. In addition, many Disney movies
and shows have characters of all ages, so it is possible for almost anyone to
relate to someone in the show or movie. This reminded me of the story of Cinderella
because she was a teenage girl who was treated horribly by her stepsisters and
stepmother and ended up turning into a princess. Many young girls who watch this can relate to
certain aspects of the story, such as fighting with parents or siblings. Wasko offers many controversial points in
“Challenging Disney Myths”. She does
touch on many aspects of Disney that could be considered “myths,” but in my
opinion her points do not change the way I view Disney as a man. Her ideas and critiques on Walt Disney and
his company are widely debated and will never be universally agreed upon.
