For those who haven’t read it, in the “TL:DR” section at the end of the book, she sums it up thusly:
… Being a Disney fan has given us joy, a community, and a safe place to land so that we can put the real world into even greater perspective. It’s allowed us to play and have fun—with our families, our kids, our partners, and our friends—in ways that the world tells grown-ups they shouldn’t. And perhaps most importantly, it’s given many of us a place to finally belong, despite the rest of the world telling us otherwise.
Anyone else who has read it have thoughts? I’m going to add a poll later as well.
Ha! It wasn’t the most high-brow writing style for sure. But it was an easy read and I know AJ from DFB so I am used to her voice. It was worthwhile IMO.
The term “Disney Adult” has been thrown around by a lot of people who don’t understand “our” culture. AJ was uniquely positioned to give a voice to those of us who belong in that category and explain why it shouldn’t be used derogatorily.
Her treatment was well balanced — she talks about the extremes, the budget busting, the obsession, the unhealthy aspects — but then she also explains why in the proper context being a Disney Adult can be an attribute of a healthy, well-adjusted, grown human.
I put other b/c I think it’s defined differently depending on who is using the term. Am I an adult that loves going to Disney parks? Yes! But Disney adult seems more than just parks and I don’t get into all the history (other than what I’ve lived) or know all the songs and/or sing along in rides (rude ppl being loud ruin it for newbies). I love the memes that discuss how much NFL tickets, and other hobbies cost, in comparison to a Disney ticket/trip b/c it helps me thumb my nose at those that criticize the money I spend going to the parks or Disney related things. Of course, living in a tiny space had changed and all Disney has all gone to the wayside but it is part of my fond history.
That can be true but everyone has their own unique relationship with Disney. For me it’s the parks and the animated films and Star Wars. Others might be more into Disney Channel or video games / card games. Some might be into merch and shopping. Choose your own adventure.
The term “Disney adult” has also changed over time. It originally just meant adults who like any aspects of Disney – movies, parks, cruise, etc. It turned into a perjorative over time. As happens to lots of terms.
I listened to it on audio and thought it was very well done. I didn’t have strong feelings one way or another about AJ specifically beforehand, but I’m slightly negative on DFB and AllEars because, although some of their content is useful, I find the clickbaity video/blog post titles pretty off putting. Given that, I was pleasantly surprised by how thoughtful and introspective the book was.
I’d consider myself a Disney adult but I’m still skeptical of the level of consumerism the brand encourages and I definitely question some leadership choices. There’s a certain kind of fan (probably small in number but loud) who can’t really tolerate anything negative or even questioning about Disney, and I think that seems unhealthy. I wouldn’t want to be thought of as that kind of “Disney adult,” but I also recognize that that kind of fan isn’t unique to Disney.
I chose other because I never thought much about trips to Disney World. I just realized, we wanted to go to WDW rather than “we should bring the kids there”. It wasn’t considered a kid destination.
A man at work once said to me, “Wow, Disney and cats. No wonder you’re single.” I told him I was pretty happy being single as marriage wasn’t super fun for me. He told me his wife made him a better man, and I said, “See - I don’t want to have to make someone a better man.” That shut him up pretty quickly.
He has a severe case of foot-in-mouth disease. His first day with us he said to me, “HR - my least favorite department.” I’m like, I’m standing right here, Dude!
Wow I am terrified of HR so that’s pretty brave. They have all the power to say harrassment, or not creating a safe workplace environment which is obviously not doing
See the thing about a real relationship is that you both are there for each other in equal measure. It’s not a one-sided thing; it’s so much more rewarding to all parties because not only do you get to feel like someone has your back but you also get a sense of worth from being someone else’s rock. I feel bad for his wife not getting her needs met.
And if they are really the right partner they’ll love disney cuz you do!
It wasn’t considered a kid destination.
GoOd GriEf