It was not until decades later, as a newspaper reporter, that I learned of Mr. Disney\u2019s destination on that distant afternoon; the tiny secret apartment he maintained above the firehouse featuring a large picture window from which, park historians later said, he often gazed.<\/p>\n
There were other intersecting moments between my life and Disneyland\u2019s. I was 15 in 1964 when a classmate named Mark Maples<\/a> stood up on the Matterhorn Bobsleds and got whacked by an overhang. I was standing in line for the ride when it happened and had seen him just hours before. His was the world\u2019s first death ever recorded at a Disney theme park.<\/p>\n Later, I covered other mishaps for the Los Angeles Times<\/em>; two visitors seriously injured<\/a> when a metal cleat popped off the clipper ship Columbia and a 22-year-old killed<\/a> in a crash that closed the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.<\/p>\n I also covered Disneyland\u2019s gala 50th<\/sup> anniversary<\/a> celebration in 2005, at which park officials awarded me a unique set of commemorative golden mouse ears. In perhaps an omen of what was to come, last year\u2019s Typhoon Odette in the Philippines whisked those beloved ears into oblivion. And, indeed, a series of events since then considerably dampened my enthusiasm for all things Disney.<\/p>\n It began when Disney CEO Bob Chapek, bowing to pressure from some employees<\/a>, declared the company\u2019s opposition to Florida\u2019s recently enacted Parental Rights in Education bill. The new law, falsely labeled \u201cDon\u2019t Say Gay\u201d by opponents, prohibits classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation for school children through grade three and, for older students, limits it to materials considered \u201cage appropriate.\u201d<\/p>\n Then, making matters worse, a leaked video showed an executive producer bragging about advancing a \u201cnot-at-all-secret gay agenda\u201d<\/a> at Disney by inserting \u201cqueerness\u201d into children\u2019s programming.<\/p>\n And, finally, adding insult to injury and expanding the battlefield to include other disputed cultural issues, leaked documents revealed a \u201cwhite privilege checklist\u201d<\/a> Disney requires of employees to \u201cpivot away from white dominant culture.\u201d<\/p>\n The reaction was swift, especially regarding the Florida legislation. A group of conservative Disney employees circulated an open letter<\/a> asking the company to remain politically neutral. Fans and workers staged protests outside the Walt Disney Co.\u2019s Burbank, California, headquarters and a group known as Moms for Liberty<\/a> called for a company-wide boycott.<\/p>\n Politicians, meanwhile, jumped into the fray led by Florida lawmakers who passed a bill this week to end a special tax district that has allowed Florida\u2019s Walt Disney World to govern itself with relative impunity for decades. Others have gone as far as calling for the repeal of Disney\u2019s original Mickey Mouse copyright, set to expire next year.<\/p>\n For the record, I stand firmly with those offended by Disney\u2019s recent leap into America\u2019s culture wars. Like most parents I know, I want my children to enjoy Disney products and experiences free of social or political manipulation.<\/p>\n And yet, and yet\u2026seeing Goofy and Minnie Mouse dancing on Main Street turned my anger into joy, the kind that sprouts tears. Perhaps there\u2019s a better word for what I felt that day, grief<\/em>. I pray that the Disney of my childhood and old age finds its way back into the good graces of those in whom it has inspired such lasting awe.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Click here<\/a> to receive “Expat Eye” weekly by email.<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n ___________________________________<\/p>\n David Haldane\u2019s award-winning memoir, \u201cNazis & Nudists,\u201d<\/a> includes a chapter recounting his early memories of Disneyland. A seasoned author, journalist and radio broadcaster, Haldane divides his time between homes in Joshua Tree, California, and Northern Mindanao, Philippines, where this column appears weekly in the Mindanao Gold Star Daily<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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