Things We Saw Today: Stop Trying to Shame “Childless Millennials” for Going to Disney Parks. Just Let People Have Fun.

It’s been almost a year since a rant against childless Disney park patrons went viral but apparently, we’re not done with that conversation yet.

Back in October, a Facebook post was making the rounds about the horrors of “CHILDLESS COUPLES WITHOUT AT DISNEY WORLD!!!!” The author of the post was infuriated by “IMMATURE millennials” who “THROW AWAY THEIR MONEY ON USELESS CRAP!!!!!” The direct target of this mother’s ire was a (and I’m going to drop quoting the capitalization here because that much caps lock is exhausting) “c**t in some very slutty shorts” minding their own business, trying to buy a Mickey pretzel. Apparently, this young person is the sole reason why the line was too long for this mother to want to stand it, why she wouldn’t buy her son a Mickey pretzel, and why that young boy was then reduced to tears.

Any reasonable person translates this to: A woman took her young son to a place that is designed around standing in lines, saw a 20-or-30-something person wearing something she didn’t approve of, having the audacity to have made life choices that didn’t involve children, and decided to blame that person for her anger. And yet, here we are, about 9 months later (a full gestation, if we’re the kind of person who can only think in terms of children), still seeing people trying to defend this sort of pointless rage.

The New York Post published an article this weekend titled, “Sorry, childless millennials going to Disney World is weird.”

Counterpoint: No it’s not, and everyone should stop trying to tell other people how to have fun.

There’s a lot of nonsense in this op-ed–starting with, again, just the general need to police other people’s fun–but the absolute worst part is the declaration that by going to places like Disney parks, millennials are doomed to “stupidity and culture ignorance.”

By going to Disney, this dude writes, “You’re skipping great films such as Booksmart and The Farewell to relive second grade. And your annual (or more, God help us) trip to Disney World costs as much — and more in some cases — than a trip to Europe, South America or Canada, where you would meet people different from yourself. People for whom the only color of the wind is see-through. Fanny-pack-less people.”

Taking the second point first, millennials (a generation that spans a 15 year age difference, so it’s hard to see full life trends in its younger end) are having children at lower rates, which means that many of us are able to visit both Disneyland and Europe in the span of a year or two.

But even those who are underpaid and overworked (another common experience in this generation) can manage to find time to enjoy both a Disney reboot and an indie movie. Also, not only are millennials watching movies like Booksmart and The Farewell, but guess what! Both of those movies were written and directed by millennial women. We’re not just having fun–we’re making fun!

Also, fanny packs are cool again. So there.

If you’re going to take the time to dictate what people should and shouldn’t enjoy, at least take the time to do a little research.

• A new Gallup poll shows that 40% of Americans believe that their god created humans a mere 10,000 years ago. Cool. Cool cool cool. (via Gizmodo)
• The Baltimore Sun has a powerful response to Donald Trump’s racist attacks on the city: Namely, that it’s “better to have a few rats than to be one.” Hard agree. (via Baltimore Sun)
• This is very cool!
  

   

  View this post on Instagram

   

  This is Elizabeth Warren’s selfie strategy. As she runs for U.S. president, Warren has managed to stand out in the Democratic field not only by issuing more detailed policy plans than any of her major rivals, but also through distinctive choices about how she spends her time. She has sworn off private fund-raisers, and surprises donors by calling them out of the blue. The selfie line is another practice that has helped her gain attention. The concept is simple: @elizabethwarren will stick around and take a picture with anyone who wants one. Her campaign estimates that since entering the race, she has taken pictures with 38,000 people. Her approach seems to be making a difference — many of the photos are winding up on social media, helping spread the word and expand her reach. Read more about Warren’s picture-taking plan at the link in our bio. Video by @tamirhasacellphone. #🤳

  A post shared by The New York Times (@nytimes) on Jul 25, 2019 at 11:33am PDT

• As is this!
  

  Real amputee Jedi?! YES! #cosplay LOVING my lightsaber attachment for my bionic arm while trying to safely keep my fingers crossed for an audition for @starwars one day. #BionicActress Spent my whole life wanting to be Luke AND Leia 😍 @HamillHimself #RepresentationMatters pic.twitter.com/eB0mZ3Xuyr

  — 🤖 Angel Giuffria ¯\_(ツ)_, (@aannggeellll) July 23, 2019

• Russi Taylor, who voiced a range of beloved characters from Minnie Mouse to The Simpsons’ Martin Prince, has passed away at 75. (via AV Club)
• On the differences between violence against men vs. women in Quentin Tarantino’s movies. (via THR)
• The mom blogger who “invented” gender reveal parties has updated her thoughts on the phenomenon. (via BuzzFeed)

What did you all see out there today?

(image: Angela Papuga/Getty Images)

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