This week there is some discussion here and there about one guy's disgruntlement about changes to the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland. Or is it Disney World? Do I care? No. The guy's problem is that they took out Trader Sam, one of the characters in the Jungle Cruise that is completely gross, caricatured and racist. He's a head hunter, and along the ride, the Skipper tells equally dumb cannibal jokes, in various quantities, depending on which Skipper is operating your boat. That's what this guy wants to preserve.
I think I've been on this ride 2 or 3 times, and each time my reaction to it was a little different. It was first presented to me by friends as really old and retro. I think that I just thought it was corny, but also wondered how you could still portray people as "natives" that way. This is all done with animatronics, but it's not that far removed from the idea of actual human zoos and carnival sideshows with the carnival ringmaster describing the acts. And that's what I realized on rides 2 and 3.
The guy who complained about the changes at the parks is concerned about his own loss of immersive experience, which he *thinks* will occur in the future when there are changes to the ride he's come to know and love. Changes remind him of reality. Also reminding him of reality: facial hair and tattoos on cast members and changes to Song of the South-related elements in Splash Mountain. Boo hoo, man from Las Vegas! This is, apparently, all about you. Good news, though. New generations of people will grow up going to Disneyland and not have to see Trader Sam. They will have an entirely different memory of the Jungle Cruise, and Trader Sam will become one of a host of Disney secrets of the past that you who got to see it can lord over people who didn't. But when they ask you what was so great about it you'll probably struggle to find an answer.
By the way, a little research shows that there have been a number of changes to the design of the Jungle Cruise over the years. In fact, I was a fly on the wall for a long discussion between two generations of Skippers about how various lines should be delivered. The 70s guy was pretty well known for his superior Skipperdom in the day. The 90s guys were pretty bold with the snark and were not digging 70s man's vibe At All. The Jungle Cruise you know today is not the one you grew up with, and those additional and more subtle changes took place during your time as an aficionado of the Cruise. I bet you probably didn't even notice.
None of us is promised a life unmarred by change. And some change is really good. Accepting change is more likely to bring happiness than fighting against it. You know what's some good change? The end of slavery, the Voting Rights Act, Title IX, taking Andrew Jackson off the ten dollar bill, and not having to see people caricatured, othered and laughed at at the Happiest Place On Earth. Way to go, Parks! Now if only the government would give me my damned Tubmans...
