Disney Adults

I was just giving him the receipt for the football fan reply. 🙂

hambone:

And, gives the judgy folks a space to make their opinions known*,

Wait for it...

hambone:
even if they live in mom's basement or share a mansion with 130 cats or otherwise

“Jesus Christ, the semantics required to post on this f'n site”

Gonch after all these years you haven’t figured out that the majority of this site is neurodivergent… ;)

Two things I never do. Kink shame or hobby shame.

Actually I guess that’s all just one thing I never do.

Read the thread, didn't watch the video, but here is my observation from whenever this topic comes up. Why is it always exclusive to Disney? Nobody ever talks about the people who dress up as Harry Potter characters at Universal. I will never understand wearing one of those robes all day long in July.

Truth. People love to escape and cosplay. Let them enjoy life however they want

But yes, seeing people wear those HP robes in the middle of summer makes me sweat. 😂

So glad I snagged the Ravenclaw and Hogwarts polos before they dumbed down the merchandise. Have a bunch of nice T-shirts too.

Cosplay is not for me, but I don't react to it negatively like seemingly most of the people who don't do it. I think it's kind of cool, to have enough of an imagination as an adult, to be that into anything. That's why I wanted to do Galactic Starcruiser, not to wear the clothes, but at least pretend that I was in that world for a little while. I think that would have been fun.

I think the Lego execs might spy here too. (And you're welcome, Lego folks, we're doing wonders for the SF team lately in another thread)

https://www.ispot.tv/ad/Bgl...om-holland

This is a fall campaign started just last week. Literally, exactly what we're talking about.

"Never Stop Playing"

Toys are marketed to adults now.

The "adults welcome" campaign has been going on for years.

I think the bigger thing that seems weird to me is the implication that adults are inherently non-curious or non-playful. We still watch people play pretend in movies, we play analog games with other adults, and a few of us get to play sports professionally, while the rest of us watch that. Is that really any different than riding a Harry Potter ride or playing video games or building expensive LEGO sets? And let's not forget the American phenomenon of grown men either maintaining or buying sports cars.

I guess I'm just going back to the idea that if there's truly no stigma attached, why do they have to say "Adults Welcome" in the first place.

But that wasn't the point. This just seemed relevant and timely. I actually saw the ad on TV last night and immediately thought of this thread. I know they've been marketing to adults (that's half the previous discussion).

Is that really any different than...building expensive LEGO sets? And let's not forget the American phenomenon of grown men either maintaining or buying sports cars.

Only (as we've said a few times in this thread) in the sense the long-standing societal acceptance of and expectations of those things and the people that use them. It's changing. I'm not disagreeing. But I still can't help read that and wonder if the room really doesn't see the difference between these two things (or perhaps more accurately, how they're perceived):

And yes, the correct answer is "Two men. Each enjoying a hobby." I'm not stupid. I see it.

But I also see it from the other side of the fence...more "traditionally" if you will.

Again, not the point. The Disney Adults win. The perception IS changing.

I think the bigger thing that seems weird to me is the implication that adults are inherently non-curious or non-playful. We still watch people play pretend in movies, we play analog games with other adults, and a few of us get to play sports professionally, while the rest of us watch that.

I don't think anyone is saying that and I think it misses the point...still.

It's about the activites one engages in to satisfy that curiousity and playfulness. Things traditionally seen as "for children" or "childlike" being done by adults has ALWAYS been seen as weird. I'm not saying I agree. I'm just the messenger.

(I feel like I'm telling a kid Santa isn't real.)

I'm hoping the room isn't blind to this fact.

Perceptions are changing - if not referenced by the level of offense taken in this room - then by the fact that Lego just spent that much money to tell us to "Never Stop Playing!"

Hell, whimsy is awesome - even if it comes as expanded capitalism disguised as something else.

Just sharing the commercial because it literally hit the crosshairs of this discussion - something traditionally seen as a toy for children being sold directly to adults.

Why is it that you get to choose what the "point" is?

If I were to lean into my armchair anthropologist mode, the biggest thing is that humans have way more free time to play than they ever have. A lot of the mundane things people once had to do, like cook, laundry, hauling water in from the well, whatever, we don't have to do. I mean, I don't even have to vacuum or clean the litter box. Robots do that now. So perhaps I would argue that "play" was never something that we weren't capable of, we just had more important things to do that were basic to survival.

We were talking about this concept back in my Intro to Rec classes in 1990. Back then there was a lot of traction on the idea that we would be on a 4-day work week by now...and the demand for recreation was going to grow. Well, most of us aren't on the 4-day work week yet but we do collectively have more free time now than we did back then, for all of Jeff's reasons and more.

There were also early signs back then that gaming, in particular would grow in popularity. This was long before most people heard of Fantasy Football and certainly before we were all walking around with nearly unlimited games in our pocket.

I used to sit in restaurant lobbies or coffee lines. I don't remember the last time I ordered a coffee at the counter (outside of the Turnpike plazas, which still can't get it right) and takeout is 75% of the restaurant business these days. Hey kids, we used to have these things called malls and departments stores I would have to go to in order to try on clothes. Now, I can have them shipped to my door overnight and, if they don't fit, send them all back.

And, I have yet to mention AI and the innumerable time saving measures that are yet to come. (I did not write this post with AI).

Jeff:

Why is it that you get to choose what the "point" is?

Because he is Lord Gonchar

wahoo skipper:

Back then there was a lot of traction on the idea that we would be on a 4-day work week by now

I think a lot of people effectively have 4-day work weeks, but because their bosses want them to be on call constantly, or at least 8 hrs x 5 days, they're either filling their time at the office doing mindless tasks, or at home doing dishes while they're "working" (or, you know, poasting on the internet).

Obviously, applies to a certain set of white-collar folks. Not so much factory workers (who often have 10x4 shifts), nurses, retail staff, and the like.

Jeff:

Why is it that you get to choose what the "point" is?

Because you keep changing/ignoring my argument.

...and, in the course of trying to direct it along the lines of my reasons for sharing it (although it HAS sort of evolved - like most do here), I have explained several times (including this moment you're right in the middle of now) that it's not the action, it's the wider perception of the expression of the action. A social construct. The way the world at large sees an adult playing with a child's toy.

Why do you get to change what I was saying? You keep trying to make imagination and play the bad things. No one has said that. Ever. Anywhere.

Hell, I even agree with the next post about people having more time in general to explore more things they'd like to. But like it's not about play, it's also not about the extra time. I don't think anyone, anywhere sees using extra time to pursue enjoyable things - like play and imagination - as a bad thing.

The way those ideas are explored and expressed are what determines "weird" - in almost all cases, really.

No one cares that someone is being imaginative and playful, they care that adults are doing "kids things".

It's exactly why working with your old Ford in the garage as an adult has been seen as an acceptable form of imagination and play and working with snap-together building blocks on the dining room table as an adult (traditionally) hasn't.

That's why I get to say what the point is. Because if I don't, it gets bastardized to make me look "wrong" or something.

With that said, I enjoy pro wrestling and own the entire original Choose Your Own Adventure series of children's books. I'm in a glass house. Trust me, I'm not throwing stones. I have no problem with play or imagination or free time as an adult. But I understand that certain activites are gonna get the side-eye from people in general - any deviation from the norm will...and does...and has.

None of it matters anyway. I'm probably the biggest "don't conform" guy around here. It was all born of curiosity. I'm not going to suggest anyone stop doing **** they enjoy.

In fairness, in my original post I asked:

"Thoughts?"

I got 'em.

Now I'm off to go play piano for a little bit...

Lord Gonchar:

It's exactly why working with your old Ford in the garage as an adult has been seen as an acceptable form of imagination and play

Because it doesn't have seat belts?

Tommytheduck:

Because it doesn't have seat belts?

See? Deviation from the norm to a large enough degree opens you to acceptable ridicule. (and because this room is ****ing weird, please don't fixate on this and claim I'm comparing not wearing a seat belt to playing with toys and all the holes in that comparison...)

But that's not why I'm here. I'm here because the algorithm continues to do it's job...I guess. This isn't even old. It was posted yesterday: