Obviously I don't know Janet Wasko, but I feel like we wouldn't be very good friends. From what I gathered from her "Challenging Disney Myths" piece, she is not a very positive person. She seems like the kind of woman who isn't content with just accepting the obvious good in things. Instead, she finds pleasure and satisfaction by analyzing (perhaps overanalyzing) things to find the bad that lies hidden below the surface. In this case, Wasko is looking beyond all the good that Disney has brought to the world and is instead focusing on exposing the negative side.
I'm not saying that Wasko is wrong. In fact, I think she did a great job creating affective arguments against myths that people believe about Disney. Her strongest point, I believe, was her ability to counter the widespread belief that "Disney Is a Unique and Different Company." I admit, I had never seen Disney as anything but an entertainment provider. Disney is fun. Disney makes you smile. Disney bring happiness. But Disney as a "profit-motivated corporation"? This was news to me. First of all, I had NO idea how giant the Disney label was. I didn't know that Disney owned and operated other huge labels like ABC and ESPN (I may have been living under a rock, but this was definitely a shocker). This new piece of evidence alone is enough to shatter my belief that Disney's sole purpose is to entertain. DUH, I say to myself. I had been foolish in believing that there was whole other side to Disney: the business side. This piece taught me that the Disney name is associated with a lot more than Mickey and Minnie. Disney wants to make money. Whether this be through the array of Disney products, Disney parks, or Disney-owned labels, the Disney corporation will continue to work to achieve its goal of financial success.
Like I said earlier, Janet Wasko and I are two very different people. If you were to tell me that Disney was a magical, happiness-generating company, I would take your word for it. Wasko, on the other hand, is probably a lot less oblivious than I am. However, her desire to uncover the obscured negativity led to a very rich piece of writing that I'm sure has provoked a lot of interesting debate and discussion.
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