That's right: I worked at Disneyland. At some point, every young person in Orange County is required to do this. It's like the military draft, getting a tan, or learning to surf.
I had a Fu Manchu-Pancho Villa moustache when I got hired, so they told me I would have to shave it off to work there.
"No facial hair allowed," the guy said.
"Does that mean I have to shave off my eyebrows, too?" I asked.
That remark was greeted with a blank stare.
Then I added, "Walt Disney had a moustache. Would he have had to shave it off if he wanted to work here?"
Blank stare again, so I added: "I mean, if they thawed him out of the cryogenic chamber?"
The first day of Disneyland employment you go through brainwashing/training. Even for me, who was hired to be a sweeper (because of the moustache, they though I was Mexican, so they made me a sweeper; if only they'd thought I was Jewish*, then I could have had a job handling money. Stupid anti-discrimination laws preventing them from asking what your ethnic background is! Or isn't.).
They tell you you are cast members, not employees. They tell you all about what a happy place it must remain for the visitors, even if the cast members are miserable.
Yes, I worked at Disneyland for just one day.
I got paid fifty bucks to sit through brainwashing. I still love visiting the place though (I have nieces and nephews, after all).
* I am mocking stereotypes here, not supporting them.
Rather than give you standard Disneyland pictures that include Mickey Mouse or that Sleeping Beauty Castle thing, I have decided to show you pictures of real-live guests enjoying themselves at "The Happiest Place on Earth." Sort of my own take on Lost Nomad's "Girl Tuesday" series, I am hoping this will boost my readership to 300 a day. Let's just say these people are having a little too much fun on the Splash Mountain ride, but what they're doing is very, very common.
Well, that and the mullets, they came in a close second.
ReplyDeleteA close third.
The oddest thing: I have gone onto Marmot's but it's the Marmot's from six days ago, like I've gone back into time.
ReplyDeleteIs someone -- maybe an overzealous jingoist -- trying to go back into time in order to prevent the fecal matter from hitting the fan on Dr. Hwang's case.
In the meantime, since our Hwang discussion has been hijacked, my site now has boobs, some of them clones of each other.
Kushibo, this is your best entry yet! I had no idea you were gifted with dry humor. A nice break from all that serious historical archives stuff. I'll be netless while spending the holidays with Mom, so I won't be making the rounds of the blogs.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the holiday season!
Unfortunately, Disney somehow now regulates the photobooths so even the employees don't have access to the booby shots. It's a shame.
ReplyDeleteFYI, if you're wondering why it's still getting comments 16 months after the fact, I was searching google for "flash mountain", in the most curious and non-pervish of ways.
clive dangerously wrote:
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, Disney somehow now regulates the photobooths so even the employees don't have access to the booby shots. It's a shame.
Oh, no! Then where on the Internet will we ever be able to find pictures of women's breasts?! ;)
FYI, if you're wondering why it's still getting comments 16 months after the fact, I was searching google for "flash mountain", in the most curious and non-pervish of ways.
And if you're wondering why I'm answering your comment 16+ months after you left it, it's because I noticed that dozens of people every week visit this site while googling "flash mountain" in the most curious and non-pervish of ways. :)