The Venom of Disney Fans

I think this poor women has gone through enough, and also has first-hand experience on what it is like when you write about Disney in the mass media. You'd better be accurate on your facts or they'll come at you like a ton of bricks.

It all started innocently enough in a Winnepeg Free Press newspaper about a journalist describing her trip to the Walt Disney World. She made several factual errors that most Disney fans can spot from 100 miles away! :)

Now, I don't know how much publicity that she got from this, but this news report was pointed out on WDWMagic. As with any other public fan forum website, the responses ranges from "Oh, who cares" to "this person is an imbecile" (I'm paraphrasing). I also do not know how many actually wrote an e-mail to this reporter, or what tone that e-mail took.

In any case, it obviously was enough that she had to write another follow-up to admit her mistakes but also to describe the nature of the responses that she got. Now I certainly do not know how many of the e-mail she got were as vicious as the ones she described. I would guess that many of them simply were pointing out her obvious mistakes, and that as a journalist, she should have at least double check some of these things. Of course, she does NOT deserve those nasty comments directed at her, especially her duties as a mother. That is just way out of line, and it can't possibly come from someone who claim him/herself to be a true Disney fan.

There's nothing different or out of the ordinary as far as human behavior is concerned. That is why we have 'extremists', people who simply can't put things into perspective or such low self-esteem that the only way they can feel good is to spew derogatory remarks at others. Some Disney fans are certainly not immune to such behaviors.

It is also a clear demonstration of the very dangerous waters when one writes about Disney in the media. Hordes of Disney fanatics have facts at their fingertips such that one slip and you're chopped liver. I certainly had made lots of errors in my comments, but luckily, this is just a personal blog and none of you were force to, or have to pay, to read it. So you get what you paid for! :)

Zz.