I love the movies, so does my kid, love the messages and many of the talents they cultivate.

As for the materialism? My kid wants the stuff. She wants lots of stuff that has nothing to do with Disney, too. So do I. Do I buy her, or me, all that crap? Nope. Hardly ever. (I broke down on one particularly nice Belle dress as a DisneyWorld memento...is that so wrong?)

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All these commercials rank right up there in annoyance with the AmEx one where the guy is over his limit and trying to buy and engagement ring. Yes, go into more debt for a ring, good way to start a marriage. Blah...

My parents did okay when I was growing up but couldn't buy me all the toys I wished I could have. I asked for things occasionally but was mostly told no. It was a treat to get gifts. Gifts aren't something one should expect, they are supposed to be given from love.

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A middle class American family that seems to have the disposable income of a small third world country even though mum is in full time education - Law school no less and Dad is a chef/ cook..

Who writes this rubbish??? 1 million monkeys in a room with one million typewriters??

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Instead, we went on camping trips for vacation, where I learned 1) how to shit in the woods, 2) how to paddle a canoe, and 3) that I will never take a camping vacation willingly in my life again. And we watched John Candy movies. Many, many, many John Candy movies.

Having said all this: promoting materialism isn't just a Disney thing, its a business model thing. I wanted all the shiny new toys, of course, but I rarely got them - I've wanted an American Girl doll for 20 years now, people. My grandmother bought my sister and I a Barbie every year, and I had a small collection of My Little Ponies, but all the fancy new toys were out of the budget for two public school teachers raising three children and paying a mortgage. My parents just said no. Parents just have to say no.

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I will concede, however, in an attempt to not paint myself as a perfect, non-materialistic angel, that every time a commercial came on TV I would declare "I need that!" (pronounced "I nennat!") So I think all kids are prone to marketing ploys, but they get over them when denied.

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All the books say that you'll never be able to teach your dog NOT to want whatever is in the trashcan. The best approach? Make the trashcan inaccessible to the dog. (And this is why I spent $130 on a fancy dog-proof kitchen trashcan.)

Likewise you'll probably never teach your kid to stop wanting what Disney is selling -- and Lord knows you're never going to "teach" a for-profit company to stop trying to make money. The solution? Don't take your kids to the Disney Store. Don't let them watch too much Disney Channel (and its accompanying commercials). Don't go to Disney World every damn year. Make that overpriced shit inaccessible!

/rant

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