Friday, February 24, 2012

STOP PRESS: Discrimination chews fat on Habit Heroes, No sympathy for Brain Pilot

In case you missed it, a new updated version of Habit Heroes is online at the time of this update for over six months, so here are some meandering over here
**CLARIFICATION NOTICE**
Welcome back readers, and for those who come across this page, please note that the following blog post was written on full-on hair trigger, out of a mixture of emotions, and probably taking a different turn on the 'oust Habit Heroes' movement (this time, not just citing mental conditioning and body image issues, but to reignite Wonders of Life's role in Epcot's history now at risk of being upsurped by its fallen successor.
It seems that while Habit Heroes has the technology to get everyone into getting fit and picking up health habits, it seems that not everyone is enjoying the exhibit for what it's worth.

According to a news article from the Huffington Press, it seems that these 'fallen heroes' may be psychologically hitting kids with bricks. Prognosis? Discrimination. While this was literally uncalled for (I sympathize with the Mouse and they didn't mean to hurt anyone), there are people in the wide belt (no, literally) who have had their feelings hurt thanks to how the exhibit portrayed them. Even this article from Epcyclopedia has picked it up. Even now, dieting blogs, and even health professionals are even prepared to pick up their lighters and igniting an Occupy Movement against the Habit Heroes.
Although if Habit Heroes literally goes flat for body image reasons, I guess this is time for me to send a suggestion to those who are writing letters against the exhibit. Why not go one step further and not just slam the fallen heroes, but have sympathy for one weeping behind covers? You know...
...let us spare a moment for the poor forgotten pilot who used his head till the bitter end. :'(

Perhaps the best letter I (*have written) on behalf of the Mouse would be as follows. I would urge everyone to open their hearts, just to convince the mouse to do the same. Here's the two birds hit with one stone letter:
Dear Disney/Epcot/Management...

While Habit Heroes appears to have the best of intentions to educate people, it seems it's taken a turn for the worst. While Disney advocates a world where kids of all sizes and qualities are accepted and valued, it appears that Habit Heroes didn't do well as planned.

All I am saying, while the exhibit intentions are honorable in the fight against bad health habits, our kids will be at risk of depression, despair, bullying, disordered eating, and other unhealthy practices unintentionally glamorized at the expense of good health.

For instance, with regards to body image, not everyone has control over body size and shape, let alone make the fatter and wider population take a thinner road, except for a temporary span of time. To discriminate the fatter population gives it a disservice, when all ages can aim to pick up healthier habits (eating more fruits and veggies, nurture our bodies, physical activity). Best port of advice would be to rethink the purposes, consequences and overall future of the Habit Heroes exhibit, and do away with it for now.

And if you simply think there's no hope after the loss of your exhibit, think again! Right now, since the renovations to Epcot's forgotten golden domed structure (which I dub the Wonders of Life pavilion from years past), we still have one more hope. Although honestly having not attended the pavilion, let alone Epcot throughout my entire life so far, [replace according to attendance] I recall a show, 'Cranium Command' in which our hero, Buzzy, uses his wits and experience in the brain of a 12 year old. In my opinion,this show was an excellent dramatization of the brain-body relationship.

It seems that since Wonders has been rerennovated into convention space, this show is clearly all but forgotten. But behind your backs, evidence that Buzzy is backstage inside the dome is slowly beginning to emerge. Just like in 1999 when Figment was ousted from existence, there was a clear fanbase supporting Figment, urging you to bring him back to the fold in 2002. Shouldn't you use your head and welcome Buzzy back into the Disney family - a piece of Epcot history now silenced?

And the reason why I haven't bothered to step foot into Epcot as of yet, please consider your options. Please use your head for once.

Yours sincerely,
(name)
PS: When I first discovered the controversy between body image advocates and even health professionals about the exhibit, irrelevance to its intentions, I was worried sick PSTD style, and noticing that (the news) was as recent as 3 days old, it was an unexpected twist on a possible iodine-swab and bandage solution destined to follow in the footsteps of the Wonders of Life pavilion. Thanks to the controversy, the wound is a step closer to becoming infected, and even worse, killing all hope of approving a pro-health exhibit in the long run.

Yes, management should have used their head, and yes, this blog post is a hair-triggered way of offering the anti-HH crowd what else management should do (again, I don't condone unsolicited submissions and ideas, so save your best ideas please; besides, care is taken to only showcase 'scratch (first drafter) ideas'), but doesn't EPCOT deserve something reflecting on medicine, health and the human body, something their audience would somehow want?

And thank you, Progress City USA for writing up this article on Habit Heroes and their potential reflection on Wonders of Life, and getting over the nasty surprise now, you can say I've ironically defeated (figuratively) Drama Queen. Yes, and the official Habit Heroes site is down for maintenance. Is Anonymous getting any ideas? (PPS: Ortens, you didn't have to scheme around the comments section like this! I meant the more-influential-Anon- *gulp*!)

On a different side note... 


...oops. 
Right now, the website is officially cleared up and blank, with nary an evidential trace of the previous website. Also, we have word that curtains are up around what once was the exhibit space (so the #OccupyHabitHeroes operation has appeared to be a success) - but there's no word on whether it'll be a retune of the aesthetics on the outside, a replacement of the characters, or even a full-scale replacement of the attraction (which, I must admit, my gullible heart is ending up rooting for, but I'll just follow my head and wait and see what happens)

3 comments:

  1. *scheme scheme, Anonymous is very scary like that*

    Just kidding, Ortens here and I know I already voiced a lot of opinion to this to you, but I still want to stress how.... disappointed I am. I know Disney is already full of barbie and kenny dolls, but really? This stuff sort of makes me depressed especially since the place this site is dedicated to is STILL collecting dust when they spend countless dollars that could have been invested in a revival just to be blown off by something that tried to mimic it wound up being controversial and is now back at the Disney drawing board and is about to have more money stuffed into it!

    Disney's turning into the old west. Found gold in EPCOT CENTER investing! It's a breakthrough in technology! It's PHOENOMENAL! BOOM! invest billions of dollars into it for the guests! GUESTS! Then as they lose this money due to sponsor issues, and move on to other projects, they leave everything in shambles! EPCOT's boring...EPCOT's educational...YUCK! I want to go to on real rides! I don't see any of my favorite characters!

    Disney sucks up all their funding and instead of FIXING it, they say "Derp, Nemo's good here...Lion King here...Figment? Buzzy? Bonnie? Pfft! Who are they? All I see are Mickey and a slew of Pixar characters! that'll make everything better!"

    Things become shabby and not maintenanced and it's like a ghost town! JII, UoE, and WoL are prime examples.

    I'm not saying I hate change, far from it, me and my father are brainstormers! It's just sad that instead of upkeeping and updating stuff, they downgrade their products to look like they were slapped together in days! Okay, there's my two sense, anonymous is done schemes.

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  2. What a sad photo of poor Buzzy. :( Pleas follow my blog at www.disneyradar.blogspot.com for my reasons why Wonders of Life was closed.

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  3. Why not just bring back Wonders of life! it would be perfect for this! Besides their villains and message should have been sent a different way, not making kids feel like criminals. I just don't know ware Disney parks are going, it’s littered with Pixar! it’s like JL just spat in Walt Disney’s face. But seeing Buzzy in such a bad state makes me upset inside, I only did this once with my cousin and her Boyfriend, but it meant a lot. -Lulu

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