So I was scanning youtube for videos about religion, and somehow I stumbled upon the following video below. Now, although I think it may be stretching it just a bit, the vid makes some interesting links between mainstream Christianity, the Disney Franchise, and the Meme Theory. Meme, by the way, was a termed coined in 1976 by Richard Dawkins (author of The Selfish Gene) which states that meme is "a cultural item that is transmitted by repetition in a manner analogous to the biological transmission of genes."
Essentially, this vid is making the point that Disney (which includes the theme parks, merchandise, movies, etc.) shares similarities with the Christian religion by way of the meme theory. We are bombarded with Disney everywhere and it is just as much a cultural phenomenon as Christianity. Here's a link to Wikipedia about meme: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meme_theory
And now, my own thoughts. Hmm....well, first I just want to say that I was drawn to this video because I spent 5 months living in Orlando when I took a year off of high school. I actually went to Disney World almost everyday (yes, I had a season pass), but I wasn't just going to Disney for the rides and Mickey Mouse. They have this great thing called the "Food and Wine Festival" that brings chefs and food connoisseurs from around the world to talk about their trade. I went to seminars, tastings, and cooking classes every day from 8am to 2pm, and then I had the rest of the day free to run around the parks with my twin. I got to experience Disney in a different way...first and foremost, it was a theme park, but I also saw it as a business and workplace for employees. Thinking about it as a meme, though, is something I've never considered. I cautiously agree with the cultural impact of Disney (how could I not after meeting hard-core groups who were making their yearly pilgrimage to the parks?), but I think there's more to it than that. Comparing Disney to Christianity may be fun and somewhat revealing of our culture, but it's not the same thing. Plus, meme theory isn't blindly accepted as fact by the scientific community, so I have doubts there as well.
I'm not denying the connections between Disney culture and Christian culture, but I'm still not convinced that this vid is addressing the right issue. Disney is first and foremost a franchise, and its cult following is a secondary reaction. Religion, on the other hand, is a set of beliefs that has led to secondary effects (such as merchandise...remember WWJD bracelets?). So meme theory has its points, but no solid proof.
By the way, my favorite Disney movie is The Lion King :)
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This is an interesting concept--I had never heard of the meme theory before. Like you, I'm not entirely sold on it but there are some interesting points it brings up. As far as the connection to Disney, again I think there are some interesting connections but in general I feel that this idea could be applied to anything big in pop culture (granted Disney has been around a long time). Similar to the way several people were bringing up things that may or may not be religions in class (i.e. Packers, Science, etc.), this example seems like another cool idea but if you dig a little it breaks down a little bit.
ReplyDeleteThis is a lot like what we've talked about in class with whether sports teams or hobbies could be counted as religion by their most devout followers. I agree that it's a stretch to call Disney a religion. But your statement about encountering groups making yearly pilgrimages to Disney World sounds amusingly similar to Muslims journeying to Mecca.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what was said before. Disney does have it's connections and similarities to religion and Mickey Mouse could be a compelling Christ figure (with a lil Disney magic).
ReplyDeleteThat video is awesome. I definitely see the similarities between Christian culture and Disney culture. Now does this relate to what i said about religion in media? What affect would it have on people's view of Christianity if they saw the connection? Great post!
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