Everything American seems under duress. Our Constitution is dismissed as racist, our
democratic processes are corrupted, our rights have been crushed by a virus,
people have lost faith in government institutions, and every self-entitled busybody is
telling us how to live, think, and speak.
My wife and I needed a break.
We met my son’s and daughter’s families for vacation in
Orlando. We had a great time, especially
at our rented house. Three families eating, celebrating birthdays, playing in the game room, watching movies, and splashing
around in the pool. The extended weekend
was the highlight of our life since Covid19. We lived the “old normal” for four days and it
was a wonderful reminder of living free. That is, until we ventured into Orlando’s
famed parks.
The parks were expensive, crowded, and autocratic. Disney World took honors as the worst. Walking up to the entrance, we were greeted by
people wearing masks and face shields holding disinfectant and temperature
wands. It felt like we were entering a
pandemic center not the happiest place on earth. Inside, signs and loudspeaker ordered you to
never drop your mask on penalty of expulsion, and so-called Cast Members
became downright snarly. The hot and
humid lines felt cruel, not happy.
This was the polar opposite of my childhood experience at
Disneyland.
Walt Disney had a vision for America, and Disneyland was not
an amusement park; it was the fulfillment of that vision. It was clean, it worked flawlessly, and it was
egalitarian. Above
all, it was a place that celebrated family. Walt delivered wonder and happiness.
It was all about the experience … and nothing
was allowed to interfere in with that experience. When Walt was alive admittance was calibrated
to preclude outlandish wait times, a mix of food vendors could accommodate any
budget, and the park added a dazzling new feature every year. Walt even had service trucks troll the parking
lots ready to provide gas or a jump start to cars that refused to start. He explained that he didn’t want a family’s
last memory of his park to be a disappointment.
Today? All the
Orlando Parks claim to be operating at one-third to half capacity. If true, then at full capacity, they must use
Japanese transit pushers to get the last patrons through the gate. Interminable lines are also caused by Disney
World’s strict caste system. Families with unlimited resources hire private
guides that sidestep the riffraff. Those
in the middle buy FastPass tickets which allowed them to stand in shorter lines.
The rabble? They spend a huge sum to stand in hour-plus
lines in exhausting heat, struggling to breathe.
Everyone, including children over two, must wear a mask over
their mouth and nose. On the rides, in
line, and outdoors. Evidently, the Magic
Kingdom Disney ignores science.
We were even ordered to keep our down
syndrome grandson home because he refused to religiously wear a mask. The Magic Kingdom now celebrates family by
ignoring the Equal
Opportunity for Individuals With Disabilities Act. And don’t even think about waving your
vaccination card. The Magic Kingdom
ignores your doctor provided certification. The Magic Kingdom makes its own rules.
The rules are strict, and you’re reminded endlessly. Mask police are omnipresent and harsh
taskmasters. Never let it drop below
your nose, and no mask break without buying food or drink and remaining socially
distanced and absolutely still. Ride
operators scold you if you try to pull a clean breath in the dark. The mask police even patrol outside the park,
so no breathing freely on your way to the car. This is all after your temperature has been
proved normal in a state that claims to be fully open. It’s almost as if they want you to remain
frightened and off-balanced.
This is not Walt’s vision for America. It’s the bizarre vision of others. Bunched us up in queues with no open space,
omnipresent officials enforcing rules, loudspeakers barking orders, and some
animals more equal than others. All of
this has been sold as safety measures for our loved ones and others. Sacrifice for the common good. Good people doing a good deed.
Isn’t it ironic that to exert authoritarian control, our
betters artfully appeal to our innate goodness.
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