The Disneyland Ordeal of David Bly

At a Disney Park, I don't mind the line cutters, the shouters, the rude Trogs as much as I do the cynical, wearily tolerant folks who wish they were someplace else and who regard Disney with disdain. Like this guy...

- by Bob McLain, April 19, 2011

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One of the things for which I never lose the urge is seeking out self-important, oh-so-cool 'journalists' who attempt to depict the Disney Parks as dismal destinations dispensing flawed, low-brown entertainment.

Meet David Bly.

David is the editor of the Desert Valley Times, an on-line newspaper.

A colleague of his, not named but described as a 'national columnist', had described Disneyland as a "disturbingly clean, happy place, nothing at all like the real world". It gave David the shudders.

But he sucked it up and took his two grandsons, anyway.

He put a positive spin on it:

"There are lessons to be learned at Disneyland, philosophical questions to be raised and answered, sociological conclusions to be drawn, some of which may even have some validity."

David's staff must have to put up with him raising and answering those questions, drawing those conclusions, ad nauseum, but fortunately he omits them from his article. Instead, he imparts this gem:

"It seems kind of stupid to take a vacation from 12-hour work days to spend 12-hour days traipsing around Disneyland."

Nail on the head, eh? Who'd want to do that? Not David:

"Life holds thrills enough for me, and my dreams and happiness are not to be found in a theme park."

David Bly doesn't need Disneyland. (Neither does Disneyland need David Bly!)

But I need David Bly, for better or for worse, because he and his book-smart brethren make me realize just how wonderful it is every so often to escape to a 'disturbingly clean, happy place, nothing at all like the real world'.

Where I can traipse.