Going Soft

Part of having a Disney oriented blog involves being a fan of the product, and therefore, reading other sites for pure enjoyment. 

That said, is it just me or does it seem as if too many sites are going soft on the company? In the past, if a product was bad, it was spoken of as such. Now it seems even the most mediocre of things is praised endlessly. Everything from a fairly pleasing but not excellent Ariel's Undersea Adventure to a decent but much overrated song from a hit movie ("Let It Go") has bloggers all atwitter as they twitter. What happened to objective reporting?

Paid trips to Disney theme parks and cruises or Adventures by Disney and stuffing guests with expensive goodie bags has dulled (paid off) those who were at one time critical of what the Company produced. Or met the need of those writers willing to get freebies in exchange for good press. These are the same folks who will argue the New Fantasyland in Florida holds up well against what Universal Creative did with Harry Potter at Islands of Adventure and soon their Studio park, Tangled bathrooms and all.

No one who ever reads Insights and Sounds could accuse me of being a Mommy blogger or a paid agent for the Walt Disney Company. (I do look at the blog reader numbers, and I am highly critical of the company's output, praising only what is truly excellent.)  Maybe I am delusional, but in my mind I speak a hard truth when necessary and am also liberal with praise when earned. 

The sad part of it all is that "news" sites (and television news broadcasts by and large) have become entertainment or pieces of promotional fluff. The negative effect has several aspects. This new standard speaks down to the audience, making potential guests skeptical about investing their hard earned money. When everything is praised, nothing is special. When the company pulls in numbers due to social media success for an inferior product, there's no incentive to create truly spectacular works of art in any medium. The fans ultimately lose as well.

The same can be said of any industry or anything of value. It may be a small world after all, but it's becoming a very jaded one for those with a discerning spirit.