[via Maura Flynn] School House Rock is being updated by the folks at Disney:
Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid…Schoolhouse Rock: Earth!
I’ve yet to meet anyone in my generational sphere who doesn’t have a fondness for and owe a certain mnemonic debt to the old Schoolhouse Rock videos, which aired between Saturday morning cartoons back in the day (1973-1986, and less frequently after that). Honestly, I can’t even think of the preamble to the Constitution without singing it in my head.
Here is the must see clip of the new show entitled “Don’t be a carbon Sasquatch”. The message in the video is that kids should reject their parent’s old and dirty driving habits. Also, people should reject globalization and buy local produce! An interesting message for a global behemoth like Disney Corp to put out there. They must not have any theme parks in countries that ship their produce to the US. This must mean that Disney is placing an emphasis on buying local produce to sell at their theme parks, right?
It is arguable that this is a good example of American style corporate-statism. In this case Disney carries the water for government propaganda, and hopefully makes a profit in the process. Will anyone be surprised when the government holds Disney on high as a shining example of corporate social responsibility in action? Will anyone be surprised when Disney executives help shape the corporate greenhouse regulations of the future. Will anyone be surprised if that regulation raises the barrier to entry on future would be competitors in the numerous fields Disney competes in?
