If you’re like me, you’re a little sick of all the Maelstrom coverage
and commentary happening in our community currently… however, if you’re also
like me, you want your voice to be heard too regardless. My stubbornness coupled with my lack of
knowledge and personal experience when it comes to EPCOT, led me to join forces
once again with the well-traveled and experienced Mike from the Castle to Castle podcast. Mike and his cohost Emily had me on their podcast a few
months back and we discussed many Disney topics in terms of the sociological
angles we all love. You can find that
show here if you are interested! I
hadn’t planned to have two collaborative posts in a row, but my busy schedule
combined with great friends who can participate in civil discourse helped it
end up that way. So welcome, Mike, and let’s get to why we feel the need to chip in on the Maelstrom mess.
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| Photo by Mark Willard, used with permission |
The hot topics in the most recent conversations are the two
major forces at war here: Resentment over Frozen’s
massive influence in Disney park management, and a love of EPCOT and its
original mission and vision. I’m not
here to discount either of those feelings and so I’m not focusing on them here. I’m fixated on the bigger problem here, - yes
bigger than both Frozen and EPCOT - which
should spark more concern in the grand scheme of things, which is that this situation
may be a case of culture appropriation.
Kudos for framing this
discussion of Maelstrom-to-Frozen (or
‘Frozenstrom’, as I’ve taken to calling it!) within the context of cultural
appropriation and exchange. Most of the current discussion focuses on EPCoT
purists vs. Frozen fans (which is a
false dichotomy; I consider myself a bit of both!), with a sideshow of certain…less critical bloggers complaining about
the complaints, and then other folks getting annoyed about that.
Good point. Frozen vs. Maelstrom has become a binary
on which we as a community have been asked to choose a side. I, too, like both and refuse to pick a
“side.” Culture appropriation, for those
of you new to the subject, is the act of taking elements of another culture and
using it to further your motive of fitting in, looking cool, or meeting a surface-level
desire without actually learning about and respecting the many dimensions of
that culture. The first example that
pops into my mind is how ex-Disney star Miley Cyrus recently appropriated the
twerking dance move from African-American culture to further her career and
create a new edgy image. It’s unclear
what Miley has done to help with civil rights, racial inequality, or
discrimination in return, which is why this is problematic.
So why is this different from cultural appreciation? The concept of
World Showcase promotes appreciation of different countries and their
cultures. It emphasizes uniqueness while
reminding us we aren’t all that different after all. One could go there to learn more and explore
what makes Norway unique. It’s not as
commonly known as, say Mexico or Italy, so it was truly a new experience for
many people. Now that Maelstrom will be
removed for a Frozen attraction and
Anna and Elsa will be returning for meet and greets, it begs the question of
how much actual Norwegian culture will remain.
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| Photo by Mark Willard, used with permission |
I reckon, if we’re going to
respect World Showcase and the countries represented within, we need to be
constantly mindful of the difference between cultural exchange and
appropriation. You explain appropriation perfectly; cultural exchange goes beyond mutual
appreciation, to where the two (or more) different cultures can share ideas and
customs, without anyone getting short-changed or disrespected.
I’m concerned because children and families are missing a
key opportunity here. Media literacy, or
explaining good and bad possible consequences of what we see in the media, is
important for education and socialization as kids grow up. If you can sit with your child (of a certain
age) while watching Peter Pan and
explain why that portrayal of Native Americans is problematic, that’s better
than hiding it from them altogether.
Likewise, if you can sit with your child and explain that Arendelle is
based on a country called Norway with specific cultural elements, your child
will obviously learn more than viewing solo.
And taking them to the Norway pavilion, if that chance is available, would be a fantastic way to solidify
that discussion and encourage cultural competency.
The removal of Norway and implementation of Arendelle
removes that opportunity and link to the real thing. Or, at best, dilutes it. In its place, it leaves a caricature, an
Americanization of Norway and its culture.
This is a problematic trend in an increasingly progressive world. And my question is, does Disney want to be
responsible for that in this day and age?
It’s my understanding that World
Showcase was conceptualised and organised with considerable thought given to
exchange – but with the last word generally given to the countries involved.
Not only do I think ‘Frozenstrom’ negates this good will, I think it
potentially goes beyond your basic appropriation, edging perilously towards
cultural imperialism. That Americanised caricature you predict
would be the result of the dominant Disney getting one over the apparently
subservient Norwegians, who we’re told can’t but love the idea. After all,
they’re getting all that tourism and Adventures by Disney custom!
Good thoughts, Mike.
I’m glad you brought up the point we are all fed again and again – that this is
good! This is promoting tourism in Norway and they only have Disney to
thank! To be thorough, Disney has had
its fair share of cultural appropriation in the past. Think, the Indian Village at Disneyland which
capitalized on the “Cowboy and Indian” craze of the 1950s. Was Disney truly trying to educate families
on Native American history and culture, or were they portraying a romanticized
version families saw on their televisions each week? We look back on that critically now and as a
sign of the times, so why is it okay to do it now in the twenty-first
century? Shouldn’t we know better? Shouldn’t Disney?
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| Photo from Daveland |
The cultural imperialism coming
to Norway – where a fictionalised version of somewhere at least half-inspired
by the country will be around 60% of its representation in EPCOT – generally
pales in comparison to that exacted upon more marginalised countries and
cultures, like Miley’s twerking rip-off from black women (arguably, one of the
most marginalised identities to have). That said, it’s a useful example of how
insidious cultural entitlement can be, when the worst offenses are mostly
invisible to those blessed with white privilege.
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| Photo from the Disney Parks Blog |
Thank you for pointing that out – this isn’t the worst
possible example of cultural appropriation.
But once again, this is something people are dealing with on a daily
basis. With Halloween approaching we’ll
see cultural appropriation in the form of tasteless costumes that perpetuate
stereotypes. The Americanization of characters can arguably be found again in the upcoming Big
Hero 6, which is troublesome and frustrating.
The Frozen/Maelstrom debacle
is just another example of something Disney should know better than to do in 2014.
Thanks again to Mike from Castle to Castle for joining me on this post! I hope this angle helps some look at this issue from a different point of view, but even if not it was something I felt compelled to discuss.
