The Largest Family in the World
When the average American thinks of the idea of a family, the average image would be a husband and wife with a couple kids, some relatives, and a handful of assets to call their own. However the term family itself has a more broad meaning and for the purposes of my subculture, The Disney Company, the best definition of family that fits can be described as “a group of people who are generally not blood relations but who share common attitudes, interests, or goals.” Now let’s take that idea a step further and ask why would a company like this, on all of its levels, want to conduct themselves in such a family oriented style, both amongst the fellow coworkers and with the people they are providing a daily service for. The answer would simply be, “It works for them.” It started as a family tradition and that’s the way it has stayed that way ever since and it is that very relationship that helps them accomplish the things they want to accomplish in a “keep moving forward” fashion. My overall point is that the Disney company subculture is one of the largest families in the world and they are a one of a kind business for they way they conduct themselves in their work because of this relationship and are forwarding their goals both in a business side, and an inspiring side for future generations.
Going back a few decades, the older generation will recall Walt Disney himself making great strides with the beginnings of his company making movies and his first theme park,
Jumping back to present day, just everyone knows about the Disney Company. It is a worldwide fortune five hundred company. It consists of not only theme parks around the world, but their own television programming including ownership of ABC and ESPN, feature length animated films and Broadway plays being made of them, and a whole lot more. To think of this company on its overall global scale is astonishing. To think that even in just where I conducted my observation, interviews, and research at the Walt Disney World Resort in
First, I would like to try and describe the family side of the cast members themselves and the relationships they have with each other. Here is where I get to show an “insider’s” look because I myself am a cast member. I spent a semester of my college career actually working, taking classes, and living with this subculture. When I think of my experiences, one of the first thing’s that come to my mind are how when I arrived to begin my internship, in the first few hours I was immediately accepted and was treated very differently than what I was used to. It was as if I had been a part of their family all along the way they acted. The roommates I was paired with, the coworkers I met in the first week of my training, and even people from entirely different areas that I saw once in a blue moon were always so accepting of me and it was that attitude that not only made it a pleasant work and living environment, but later on came to be looked at as a life changing experience. They didn’t have to be that way, there wasn’t anyone forcing them to be kind to me, it is just something about being a part of that group attracts a certain kind of person to work in with the Disney Company I suppose. Another way one might look at it is that how can a company or even just one person impose the ideas of the “The Happiest Place on Earth” or a place “Where Dreams Come True” on other people if they are not believing in those ideals and sharing their beliefs with the people they work with. These are people that love the ideals of family and in a way are carrying on a tradition of the ideals of Walt Disney and his family amongst themselves but on a much grander scale.
On the other hand, let’s look at it from the point of how the cast members embrace the family ideals in their work for the guests that come to the parks and resorts. The cast members are what make the company and are a major reason why people keep coming back. When it comes to the parks and resorts they are not just creating a relaxing getaway from the stresses of work and home, they are sharing their ideals of family in their own special ways. First off, as mentioned before, they are creating and maintaining a magical world where children and parents both can have a place to have fun “together.” They are the people who offer to take your picture so that one of the family member’s are not left out. They create spontaneous magical moments for families such as getting to participate in shows, meeting their favorite Disney characters, and the main underlying thing that I believe the cast members provide is a place where inspiration flows from architecture, experiences, and people. Once again, I would like to state that no one is forcing the cast members to do this, the cast members choose to conduct themselves in this manner on a daily basis for guests and among themselves because the truly believe in what they are doing. They do it because it makes a difference in people’s lives by making someone else’s day just a little bit brighter. Can you imagine a young boy or girl crying because they dropped an ice cream, or they didn’t get to go on a ride they wanted due to something outside of their control and their parents can’t do much about the situation, but you can, and when you step in your not only receiving a smile or a thank you from the parents but when that child’s day was turned around right then and there, it can be an amazing feeling. That is a big part of what being a cast member is about and it’s centered on the families.
This summer semester of learning to write better has finally come full circle with this particular writing. In writing my ideas down and exploring the idea of the Disney Company being a subculture helped me gain an even deeper appreciation for what it is that the cast members, and myself when I return after graduating, continue to do. It has been an interesting approach from the first writings I did with describing in very clear details the setting for where my subculture is and actually doing a couple interviews with a couple cast members and getting their opinions on my approach to writing about the Disney Company as a subculture. The main thing is that the process enabled me to narrow in on some things I maybe had not realized before even though I am a cast member and was surrounded by it for months. For example, to me it really takes a certain type of person to be able to create such experiences and “magic” for the guests that come to the Disney parks and resorts. This isn’t to say that one person is better than another or anything, it just shows that even with fifty thousand people in an area working together from all kinds of ethnic, regional, and family backgrounds, these people of a certain type are just drawn together and almost instantaneously a part of a very close knit family. This enables them to function as one of the world’s leading businesses and accomplish the goals that they have both large and small. Of course everything isn’t magic and yes there is a business side to the company which must be run with rules, guidelines, and stipulations. However, I feel that I have at least instilled the idea that there is just something about working for the Disney Company that is set apart from the rest and that it comes down to instilling the idea of a family while being part of what is surely the largest family in the world.
Here is another link I used in thinking about how to go about writing this paper.
