Times Square, Disneyphobia, Hegemickey, the Ricky Principle, and the Downside of the Entertainment Economy

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Abstract
This paper reviews some recent contributions to the study of commercialism in popular culture in general and to our understanding of the role played by the Disney Corporation in particular. From the viewpoint of marketing theory, the paper examines the critique based on the hegemonic influence of Disney and the impact of the entertainment economy in dumbing down the cultural artifacts offered for public consumption. Ranging from Times Square in New York through a rapidly accumulating Disneyphobic literature to the epiphenomena of a newly discovered ‘Ricky Principle’ and back again, the paper gives some comfort to those concerned with contemplating the pervasive Hege Mickey that confronts the millennial consumer. In short, ‘It’s Fun-Dumb-Mental’.