Utopia
Disneyland is a place that makes me feel like this is how the world outside should be: 99% of the people are friendly, there to help you out, willing to solve problems without suspicion and make everyone feel welcome. With a few exceptions, probably staff having bad days as we all do, you walk around in Disney areas feeling happy and well received. Now, admittedly, I’m of the privileged class so maybe my experience isn’t universal but I’m pretty sure the staff is supposed to treat everyone well. Its motto isn’t the “happiest place on earth except if we don’t like the color of your skin or if we think you’re a welfare cheat.”
It seems to me that how Disney staff are trained to help their customers should just be the standard way people treat each other. We are all just trying to find happiness aren’t we? So if I can help you find your happiness and you help me find mine wouldn’t we all be better off? It doesn’t seem like it should take anything away from you if we both succeed. In fact, a world where everyone has the chance to succeed would be a wildly rich and productive world. If we don’t have to help those with nothing, house homeless, pay for ER visits for those with no insurance, wouldn’t we be better off? So doesn’t it make sense to consistently work to reducing the number of people struggling by helping them succeed?
There was a concept I was taught in my education degree program called scaffolding. Scaffolding in the real world is the structure inside a construction project around which a building is built. If you provide scaffolding for your students they can achieve bigger and better things than if they have to start at bare earth. What is wrong with giving a fellow man a leg up? Well, you say, people cheat. In every ideal solution there are loopholes. Someone will get away with something for nothing. Someone will lay back and let others work. This is the unfortunate nature of humans, some are exploiters. But do the rest of the truly needy have to suffer for the sins of a few?
In Disney I’m sure there are people who use each other’s passes to get in, or use each other’s discounts, or find some way to cheat the system. Does that mean Disney staff act like everyone is trying to do wrong? Do they act suspicious and question everyone and block off access to fun things? No. Because that doesn’t bring joy. Cracking down brings everyone down. So, as many businesses do, they write off a few losses in order to maintain the greater good. They treat everyone like they are the good ones. Because most of us are. Most of us are just there to show our kids a fun time, to stand in the fewest lines and ride the most rides and hug Mickey Mouse.
So can’t we take a page from this book and treat people like they are basically good until they prove us wrong? Then maybe we can limit the options for those who are truly cheating the system. But let’s not punish all of the good people because someone “might” take advantage. That just spreads pain, suspicion, and poverty. Lets make our nation the “happiest nation on earth.” Hold out your hand and lets lift each other up.
