Slash and Burn ...

Discussion in 'Walt Disney World News, Rumors and General Disc' started by See Post, Dec 14, 2008.

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    Originally Posted By davewasbaloo

    The world is going to pot. My kids were overly spoilt this christmas, but so many toys that used to be of quality (transformers, hot wheels, barbie, star wars - have all had some breakages despite normal play). The Disney stuff was the most flimsy despite being expensive. The world wants cheap, and therefore we mainly just get crap. It happens with toys, clothes and now WDW. Now I need to find some way to cope with this because it seems to be the way of the world and makes me very grumpy.

    And I cannot see it getting better. I used to think quality would sell, but when I see the BS posted on the RX thread, it makes me realise we are in huge decline as a society.
     
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    Originally Posted By bobbelee9

    OK, y'all are really bringing me down. What can WE (each of us) do as individuals to improve our own financial situations and futures? And therefore the world's?
    I was the only one at work yesterday (Church/School) so I counted the Christmas collection. Within a few dollars it was the same as last year, which had been average. So no big cutback there. Our average weekly collections have been $200-300 a week more than last year. Usually it's been the older people who supported our church, but lately we've been getting younger families joining and they are giving. That is not what I would expect.
    After 9/11 people ran back to church, for awhile. Is the fear of their financial future what's bringing them in now?
     
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    Originally Posted By MPierce

    >> And speaking of egg nog ... I bought some egg nog yogurt the other day and am having second thoughts about actually attempting to eat it.

    Ever have any? (sounds like redneck food)
    <<

    A real RedNeck doesn't even know what yogurt is, much less eat it. It sounds like something a sissy-boy would eat while thumbing through an IKEA magazine!

    >> ... I've been moonlighting of late on another more 'magical' WDW fan site and it definitely skiews to a younger demo than the good, old LP, and it's so insidious to hear these 15-25 year-olds blather on about WDW never being better ... it shows you how successful this dumbing down of the core product has been. <<

    You've become a Walt Disney World forum whore. :)
     
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    Originally Posted By MPierce

    >> After 9/11 people ran back to church, for awhile. Is the fear of their financial future what's bringing them in now? <<

    Definetly, people who believe in a God find being around other people of religious beliefs very comforting. That's just natural for humans to want to be around others with similar beliefs, and opinions. By the way, this is not an invatation to have an open debate on religion. So please keep your comments civil.
     
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    Originally Posted By Spirit of 74

    <<I'm pretty sure Mission Space opened in 2003.>>

    I'm 100% sure you are correct. It opened in spring of '03.

    It was approved in either '98 or '99 and work commenced shortly after.
     
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    Originally Posted By fkurucz

    <<The world wants cheap, and therefore we mainly just get crap.>>

    It is discouraging and it makes me not want to buy anything. Take game consoles. PS3s and XBoxes are a crapshoot. Earlier this year my son bought a new XBox with his savings. On the first one we brought home the power adapter cable did not fit into the console. # 2 did work but the wireless adaptor did not. The second adaptor did work. Later he bought an Xbox brand wireless controller. You guessed right, the first one didn't work. The first thing that worked the first time was a hard drive he bought.

    And its not just toys. I have seen enterprise IT subsystems that cost as much as $1,000,000 have $1000 components that overheat, bringing the whole system down.

    <<And I cannot see it getting better. I used to think quality would sell, but when I see the BS posted on the RX thread, it makes me realise we are in huge decline as a society. >>

    I think that a lot of people have what I call the "hoarding gene". They just like to acquire and accumulate lots of junk. And its a lot easier to hoard cheap junk than expensive stuff. The really bad ones have homes that look like warehouses. In many cases the junk is never even unpacked or used.
     
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    Originally Posted By Spirit of 74

    <<I have seen this first hand where I work. In the past we were one of those "premium" brands as well, and in the last 10 years the pressure to deliver stratospheric profits has taken its toll on our products. Our previous CEO even went so far as to say that our stuff was too good, and that we should focus on "good enough". The problem with mediocre products is that people won't pay a premium price for them just because they have our logo on them.>>

    That's the whole insidiousness of what has developed at WDW ... you had a grow to build out (let's see if we can snag every Orlando visitor to stay HERE IN THE MAGIC!) 'tude, mixed with a new business model (do I take another shot at the MBAs, consultants and outsiders or are ya'll OK with the last?) whereby almost everything but oxygen is viewed as 'fat' and got cut at the same time you had people doing 5-year plans on Power Point ... but not for new attractions or the like, but for more DVC development and semi-annual increases in tickets as well as food and beverage prices.

    That's the vision coming down from the likes to Rasulo and Staggs and WDW's exec 'leadership' team.

    We all recall that famous Al Lutz quote from Paul Pressler a decade ago that 'if it's good enough for Six Flags, it's good enough for Disney.'

    Disney has been living off its reputation (and in FLA that rep is so old it is musty and moldy) and marketing schemes that fool guests into thinking there's new magic for them at WDW.

    It's just abject greed and it's really not all that different from what has happened on Wall Street with our banks, investment houses and Bernie Madeoff (how anyone who scammed $50 billion could ever be given bail is astounding to me) or the off-shoring of our jobs (and 95% of our industrial base) ... it's funny because it is happening everywhere ... I'm planning a trip to Vegas in January and right now Travel Channel has these shows on filmed in 2007 and early '08 when they are pushing the gluttony and $15,000 a night suites ... and I can book a room at the new 5-star Palazzo for $75 a night (if you book through them it is higher but includes a food credit). Seems they like Disney thought they could just build and build and build (and in Vegas they really are high end, not what passes for it in tourist bumpkin land Orlando).

    The gravy train didn't simply end, it drove right over the cliff (no MPierce, I won't point out that Mr. Bush was driving and that Congress was in the covered wagon having improper relations with every special interest in sight because we all know that!) ...


    Whew ... ya know I thought I'd feel better getting that out, but I don't.

    Time for some Chinese takeout!
     
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    Originally Posted By Spirit of 74

    <<And I cannot see it getting better. I used to think quality would sell, but when I see the BS posted on the RX thread, it makes me realise we are in huge decline as a society. >>

    We are ... because even the people who notice it ... even the ones who care and are deeply troubled by it ... well, 95% have given up on things getting better and the other five percent are futily slamming their heads into brick walls on a daily basis.

    It is scary out there. Too bad I decided to be a moral person because a life of crime is looking better all the time ;-)
     
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    Originally Posted By Spirit of 74

    <<What can WE (each of us) do as individuals to improve our own financial situations and futures?>>

    Well ... if you buys four of my apples, I'll loan you back the 10 cents!

    <<And therefore the world's?>>

    I've long figured out that the world isn't really interested in people who care. It costs money to care and you can't factor that into what passes for capitalism (but is a lot closer to socialism and communism in practice here) these days.

    <<I was the only one at work yesterday (Church/School) so I counted the Christmas collection. Within a few dollars it was the same as last year, which had been average. So no big cutback there. Our average weekly collections have been $200-300 a week more than last year. Usually it's been the older people who supported our church, but lately we've been getting younger families joining and they are giving. That is not what I would expect.
    After 9/11 people ran back to church, for awhile. Is the fear of their financial future what's bringing them in now?>>

    Some people, this Spirit wouldn't be one of them, when they feel hopeless go to church looking for answers. My opinion is they're just as likely to find them at WDW ... or the beach ... or under the bed ... or at a bar.

    It's all a comfort deal.
     
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    Originally Posted By Spirit of 74

    <<A real RedNeck doesn't even know what yogurt is, much less eat it. It sounds like something a sissy-boy would eat while thumbing through an IKEA magazine!>>

    I should have figured.

    BTW, IKEA has to be one of the most overrated things in retail this side of WalMart.

    A lot of cheap crap that is colorful and artsy (if you don't have real artistic tastes).

    They do, however, have great hot dogs and frozen ... well, yogurt!


    <<You've become a Walt Disney World forum whore. :)>>

    Nah. I've basically given up on Micechat. That place is dead. And MAGIC ... well, when people are looking at Imagineers' teen 'pals' for real information, I dunno how long I'll be driving traffic over there.

    Disney is much like religion in many ways ... so many people want to believe ... and many will believe anything you tell them.

    So ... the subs are coming back ... and Horizons is coming to MK's T-Land ... and AC isn't really dead, it's just moving! Oh ... and Disney is building a fifth gate and those spots on the Swan and Dolphin really are where the monorail is going too!
     
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    Originally Posted By bobbelee9

    <<I'm 100% sure you are correct. It opened in spring of '03.

    It was approved in either '98 or '99 and work commenced shortly after>>>

    But did they slow down on the job because of 9/11?

    <<<Nah. I've basically given up on Micechat. That place is dead. And MAGIC ... well, when people are looking at Imagineers' teen 'pals' for real information, I dunno how long I'll be driving traffic over there.>>>

    Stay away from them, those people will frustrate you more than us LPers.
     
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    Originally Posted By davewasbaloo

    >>>It is discouraging and it makes me not want to buy anything. <<<

    Exactly, that is how I feel these days. I do not mind spending if it is quality, but less and less firms are offering quality. Disney used to.
     
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    Originally Posted By MPierce

    >> The gravy train didn't simply end, it drove right over the cliff (no MPierce, I won't point out that Mr. Bush was driving and that Congress was in the covered wagon having improper relations with every special interest in sight because we all know that!) ... <<

    I've never disagreed with you on that, and I told you privately how I feel.

    >> BTW, IKEA has to be one of the most overrated things in retail this side of WalMart. <<

    Ive never been in an IKEA, and I seriously doubt if I ever will.

    >> Nah. I've basically given up on Micechat. That place is dead. And MAGIC ... well, when people are looking at Imagineers' teen 'pals' for real information, I dunno how long I'll be driving traffic over there. <<

    They have some knowledgeable people over there, and I guess you notice how none of them have attacked you over anything. I can hardly wait until the next battle starts over at the magic.

    >> So ... the subs are coming back ... and Horizons is coming to MK's T-Land ... and AC isn't really dead, it's just moving! Oh ... and Disney is building a fifth gate and those spots on the Swan and Dolphin really are where the monorail is going too! <<

    May I quote you on that?
     
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    Originally Posted By MPierce

    >> Exactly, that is how I feel these days. I do not mind spending if it is quality, but less and less firms are offering quality. Disney used to. <<

    The quality is still out there, it's just that you have to look very hard to find it.
    That's what is so disheartening about the slash, and burn tactics being deployed at WDW. Quality, and attention to detail is what has always set Disney apart.
     
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    Originally Posted By SuperDry

    <<< Bernie Madeoff (how anyone who scammed $50 billion could ever be given bail is astounding to me) >>>

    The granting of bail is a constitutionally-guaranteed right. The withholding of bail is justified based on either the person being a flight risk or a continuing danger to the community, not necessarily just because they're accused of something serious.
     
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    Originally Posted By bobbelee9

    <<<I've never disagreed with you on that, and I told you privately how I feel.>>>
    Ack, you've talked to Spirit privately, you've met him, tell me more.
     
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    Originally Posted By CarolinaDisneyDad

    Ok, so what's the solution. Stop going to Disney? They will only blame the decline on the economy. How do we make a difference? I don't want to watch Disney become just another tourist trap. Does Disney have a real plan? Are they just going to keep cutting till they can see that it is hurting their business because when that happens it will be too late. How come all I have is questions and no answers? It seems like the more I learn the less I know. Then I come on LP and ramble on like an idiot. Gimme some of that eggnog!
     
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    Originally Posted By fkurucz

    <<The withholding of bail is justified based on either the person being a flight risk>>

    Assuming that he has plenty of cash stashed overseas I would certainly think that he is a flight risk. It wouldn't be too hard to manufacture a new identity and simply vanish, especially when there is a real possibility of spending the rest of his life in prison.
     
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    Originally Posted By fkurucz

    <<Ok, so what's the solution. Stop going to Disney?>>

    If you are not getting real value for your money, the answer can only be yes.
     
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    Originally Posted By Mr X

    ***And I cannot see it getting better. I used to think quality would sell, but when I see the BS posted on the RX thread, it makes me realise we are in huge decline as a society.***

    <--heads over to RX thread to see what all the fuss is about........
     

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