Why I Think Disney Is A Cult

I remember enjoying Disneyland and Disney movies greatly when I was a child, but recently my trips have left me a little disillusioned. I'll admit, this might be because...

1. I now have to pay for my own tickets, which sucks....
2. When you've been on 5 million roller coasters at places where the only thing the coasters have going for them is speed and how many loops they have, rides like Thunder Mountain lose their thrill.
3. I'm now old enough that I don't enjoy being banged about on roller coasters that were built ages ago.
   
4. For being the happiest place on earth, I see a lot of unhappy people at Disneyland.
   

I remember back when Disneyland was just a bunch of fun rides, back when there were fish on strings in the Yellow Submarine ride and no one had ever thought about turning Pirates of the Caribbean into a movie. It seemed like Disney was more interested in providing genuine fun - not continuously promoting other Disney products.

This shows up in more areas than just around Disneyland. The Disney classics (like Snow White, The Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, etc.) have been mass marketed so much that I'm actually afraid to see any of the sequels, TV shows, or toys based on them just because they'll corrupt the childhood memories I have of when a movie was just a movie, not a ploy to steal all your money.

So here's my comparison to a cult:

What are they selling?
"Magic" - If you've ever seen Fantasmic or the fireworks show you know what I'm talking about.

What do they want from you?
It's all about money baby.

Where's the harm?
Well if you don't mind that they're corrupting children with the never-ending permutations of Disney products just begging to be bought and stealing all your money... then there is none.

I know a lot of people that are obsessed with Disneyland and will hear none of this, but every time I go and every time I see the newest version of some Disney title I used to enjoy, I cry a little bit inside. At Disneyland in particular I see a lot of people trying to buy into the "magic" and the "happiness" of it all, but when there is nearly a riot trying to get on the tram back to the parking lot, you see what's really underneath it all.

Taylor Swift

I hate Taylor Swift's music. Nothing against the girl in person, but I really can't stand her songs. I could deal with it when all we heard on the radio was "Love Story" even though the lyrics imply no knowledge of the actual play Romeo and Juliet.

"Romeo save me they're trying to tell me how to feel
This love is difficult, but it's real
Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess
It's a love story baby just say yes"

She does realize that Romeo and Juliet end up dead at the end, right? Still, I could have dealt with that song had it not been for "You Belong With Me." It's basically a song about a girl wanting to steal a guy away from another girl because she thinks they are a better match together. How selfish is this? And why is the entire nation obsessed with this song? Are we all secretly dreaming about breaking up our friends' relationships so we can have them for ourselves? I'm sure many people have someone out there that they secretly adore and feel like they belong with (I see one on FML almost every day) but do we really want to go to the lengths of breaking up other relationships to have someone?

I know, it's just a song and I shouldn't read too much into it, but lyrics are important. I have friends like the couple in the song and I have friends like the narrator of the song, and I root for the couple, which makes me against the narrator, which is why I hate Taylor Swift. Relationships are hard and no one outside the people in them can ever really know what is going on, even very close friends. And I would think people, especially my friends in relationships, would get this. But of course, they're big Taylor fans. Explanation, please!

American Apparel

American Apparel has some of the worst clothing ever. Who in the world wears this stuff?

Case in point: Ad seen on textsfromlastnight.com. I can't believe they are actually advertising this look. Not only have I never seen someone wear something this horrible, I can't imagine anyone would want to, ever. "Fall Classics?" Please! If you're out there and you like this, please let me know, because I don't get it. It practically embodies the stereotype of the fashion-challenged nerd. Halloween costume maybe?

Don't get me wrong, some of their stuff is great, like the basic t-shirts seen on shirt.woot that I buy more often than I should, and I have nothing against the idea behind American Apparel, but the kid that wears that outfit in public is going to be mocked. MOCKED I say. And no one likes that.

American Apparel's advertising for women is another thing altogether. I mean are we selling sex or clothes here? Sex sells, I know, but these ads definitely aren't convincing me. Anyone else feel the same?

Case in point: Ad taken straight from American Apparel. I've seen this camera angle before. Where was it? Oh right, porn. Great.

So, what do you think? Would anyone actually buy these things?
Explanation, please!