Why Can't the World Be More Like Disney?

Our day in the Magic Kingdom starts.

There are no strangers in Disneyworld; only friends you haven’t met yet. On a recent visit, our six-year-old grand daughter Bella made friends on the bus, at the pool, in line, waiting for fireworks. But it wasn’t just Bella; there is an atmosphere of friendliness everywhere you turn. I commented to my husband that the little chocolate covered ice cream cubes would be an easy-to-share snack —like cheese curds.

“Cheese curds?” the woman next to us in line piped up. “Are you from Wisconsin, too?” Soon we were in a conversation about the merits of Wisconsin cheese and what we had enjoyed most at Disney.

I am not a fan of Disney retellings that become the only version of a traditional tale that this generation knows. Like when the sleeping beauty DOESN’T sleep for a hundred years—the whole point of the story. Or the little mermaid marries her prince and lives happily ever after, turning tragedy to comedy. But Disney does run fabulous theme parks with top quality rides, cutting edge technology and spectacular landscaping

We took our daughters to Disney World for the first time as a stop-over on our way home after five years in Brazil. The girls were two and four. We were coming from a slow, we’ll-get-to-it-eventually-maybe culture in the interior where there was only one asphalted road and no one had heard of an anti-litter campaign. At Disney the girls thought the hotel escalators were as much fun as any ride in the park. We reveled in the smooth-running efficiency, cleanliness and artfully-landscaped beauty. We knew very well that this wasn’t reality, but Disney World represented everything America wanted to be.

That magical trip a generation ago

It still does. The efficiency, cleanliness and beauty of the landscaping are still impressive. But this trip it was the way Disney draws people together in shared experiences and memories that struck me. No, we won’t be friends forever, but for a few minutes we recognize that the muslim family wrestling a stroller onto the bus are not so different from us. The black teens shrieking around the TestTrack curves in the back seat of our car are enjoying the same thrills we are. (Bella went twice!) Friendliness and respect are the order of the day. Too bad the rest of America can’t be like Disney World.

My dream job--to wear a beautiful dress and sing eight-part harmony