book exploration, the great irony of tourism & how disneyland is the opposite
We are hiding out the Meltemi at a touristy little Greek island and to be honest sometimes I enjoy a bit of tourism! What I mean is, I am enjoying taking a break from Greek culture.
The great irony of tourism:
you go to experience something new, but because of your presence, the place becomes more and more like you to accommodate your tastes (American restaurants, Asian fusion restaurants, souvenir shops with clothing for your taste) & eventually all this traveling will turn every place into the same place -- such that when an America goes to Greece, they are really just going back to America -- and eventually there will be no reason to leave your home. The world will be a big mall and spa and pool
But I am enjoying the ice cream shops run by Italians. Asian fusion food (which is a very Californian phenomenon). The nice soft sandals from the nice shops. The people and their outfits. Who they’re with. What they’re doing. I like to soak up their good moods their laughter their feeling of being on a vacation.
yesterday we hid out on the boat for most of the day (only going to shore to walk at sunset, for temperature-related reasons) and I finished reading andy africa and wow what an experience
here is andy experiencing some actual hardship but he is a poet and a dreamer and he has hope and he feels beautiful feelings and he is so appreciative. And he can experience great joys. And he is strong and able to move on from pain. And stephen buoro's writing is a work of art
(Why don't people read African literature? I was talking to a Chinese girl and she’s reading Woolf and Camus. She is not different than any American girl trying to become a reader. Why does this world have to be so homogenized?)
Ok ok I’ll stop whining
Yesterday after reading andy africa i was in a “shivasana”-like state, absorbing…when i walked on the streets of Greece i saw people who reminded me of the characters from the book. I was recalling scenes from the book like one recalls scenes from one’s own life!
And i thought “i can’t absorb any more characters or scenarios” so i started to read a nonfiction book i found from the library. I just went through all the libraries where i have a card and searched as a title word “Disneyland” and i found a collection (an organized collection) of essays about Disneyland’s impacts on culture
I started to read that before bed last night (reading is so wonderful for sleep — i have been sleeping really well every night except for the nights where i watch movies! I don’t usually watch movies though)
And already i adore it
It talks about a theme park as a social “artwork” in 4 dimensions which give you the feeling of being in a different time or space, whether real or imaginary
That’s what Disneyland is for me
Disneyland is reverse tourism.
Disneyland is an emblem of American culture and it is one of the crowning jewels of American creativity but what is it made of? It is a collage of the world, in time and space
When i go to Switzerland, i think of Disneyland
When i sail at night, i think of Disneyland (it feels like a Disneyland ride…the stars make me think of the pirates of the Caribbean ride by the restaurant with the stars; the bioluminescence is so “kitsch” it could almost be something that is fake, ergo “theme park”-made but it is real!)
When i listen to music from the 1920s, i think of Disneyland
When i go on a jungle safari in Borneo or jungle trek in Sumatra, i think of Disneyland!
And Disneyland has opened me up in this way that i create links to it which do not exist in reality
Agatha christie and other books of her era, in the same vein, including French and Belgium authors; other “old timey” detective novels in general, like Sherlock Holmes, give me a sense of Disneyland too, like I’m the protagonist in an adventure, at a different time and place
Disneyland always makes you the protagonist of a story and there is a spirit for adventure and discovery in every ride