Team Rodent : How Disney Devours the World

Amazon.com

Let's get one thing straight: Carl Hiaasen doesn't like the Walt Disney Company. Whenever the giant entertainment conglomerate stumbles, as it did with its proposed Civil War theme park in Virginia, Hiaasen cheers. When a rhinoceros mysteriously dies at Disney's new theme park, Animal Kingdom, Hiaasen secretly hopes for the worst, because, as he writes, "no scandal is so delectable as a Disney scandal."

A native of Florida, author of such thrillers as Lucky You and Strip Tease, and a journalist for the Miami Herald, Hiaasen comes by his dislike for Disney honestly. He has witnessed the relentless success of the Disney machine firsthand with the development of Disney World and other properties around Orlando. In Team Rodent: How Disney Devours the World, Hiaasen paints a witty and sarcastic portrait in this nonfiction account of a company who can control the press, manipulate local governments, and because it's Disney, get away with it. Team Rodent is a quick, entertaining read that even the most loyal Disney shareholder (except maybe Michael Eisner) will find enlightening and amusing. --Harry C. Edwards

Book Description

"Disney is so good at being good that it manifests an evil; so uniformly efficient and courteous, so dependably clean and conscientious, so unfailingly entertaining that it's unreal, and therefore is an agent of pure wickedness. . . . Disney isn't in the business of exploiting Nature so much as striving to improve upon it, constantly fine-tuning God's work."
--from TEAM RODENT

TEAM RODENT
How Disney Devours America

"Revulsion is good. Revulsion is healthy. Each of us has limits, unarticulated boundaries of taste and tolerance, and sometimes we forget where they are. Peep Land is here to remind us; a fixed compass point by which we can govern our private behavior. Because being grossed out is essential to the human experience; without a perceived depravity, we'd have nothing against which to gauge the advance or decline of culture; our art, our music, our cinema, our books. Without sleaze, the yardstick shrinks at both ends. Team Rodent doesn't believe in sleaze, however, nor in old-fashioned revulsion. Square in the middle is where it wants us all to be, dependable consumers with predictable attitudes. The message, never stated but avuncularly implied, is that America's values ought to reflect those of the Walt Disney Company, and not the other way around."

Customer Reviews:

could have been great . . . but isn't.......2007-07-20

I've never read anything else by Carl Hiaasen, but I know that he's a well-regarded novelist, and judging from the quality of (most of) his prose is this extended essay, it's a well-deserved reputation.

However, this book falls way short of the mark if you consider its aim to be exposing the Disney coprporation as a monstrous devourer of world culture. There's nothing fundamentally flawed with Hiaasen's approach -- he just didn't go far enough.

Look, I'm a Disney fan. I've got a Disney DVD collection consisting of nearly 100 titles, a soundtrack CD collection of nearly as many, and I've been to the Florida theme parks nine times. I've also got a decent collection of books about the place, which is what led me to "Team Rodent." So count me firmly in the pro-Disney column. That doesn't mean that I'm going to blindly lash out at anti-Disney material, however, especially if it's well-researched and fair-handed.

I'm not sure that Hiaasen's book is either. He obviously despises Disney and all that they represent, but he can't really seem to come up with a reason -- good, poor, or otherwise -- WHY he hates Disney. He spends the first few pages talking about Disney's store in Times Square and its proximity to smut shops, and praises the smut shops in comparison -- not for their virtues in and of themselves, which he seems to find nonexistent, but for the mere fact that they represent the dark underbelly of life that has no place in Disney's world. Hiaasen's beef seems to lie is his assertion that Disney is attempting to clean up the entire world by virtue of selling its brand of purity across the globe. But why is this a problem? Obviously, that dark underbelly of base human desire and wants -- which probably ARE essential to our very natures in some way -- can never and will never be purged. It's not like Disney is attempting to purge it (except maybe from Times Square, according to the book), so why should people despise Disney for providing a safe haven for people to avoid the seamier side of life? Hiaasen's argument, such as it is, makes little sense.

The worst section of the book relates the sad tale of a female rhinoceros purchased by Disney for its Animal Kingdom theme park. The rhino died in captivity, and the autopsy revealed that the death was caused by infection resultant from a large piece of wood having been forcibly put into the rhino and left there in a place where no foreign object belonged. It was also proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that this had happened prior to Disney's purchase of the rhino, and that it was IN NO WAY Disney's fault. Hiaasen points all of this out, and yet the tone of his writing makes it very plain that he wants us to associate this tragedy with Disney; he actually wishes that it HAD been Disney's fault. This is the worst kind of muck-raking.

That's not to say that the book is all of that type, however. There are good passages about raunchy lyrics on a Disney-released CD, and a couple of scary parts about Disney security. It's obvious that the Disney company has made some serious mistakes in its history, and all of those stories deserve to be told.

But make no mistake. This book, though entertaining and easy to read, is overpriced, underresearched, and deficient in its reasoning. It is a screed, nothing more. That it is a screed with at least some basis in truth, and one written by an obviously talented writer, makes it of moderate interest . . . but that's ALL it is.

The definitive anti-Disney tome has yet to be written, as far as I know. When it is finally produced, I will welcome it with great interest.

Upset by Disney urbanizing the State.......2007-04-17

A novelist and Florida columnist laments the overwhelming presence of the Walt Disney Company, especially in his state.

Hiaasen blames Disney for the ugly sprawl that is Orlando while pointing out that Disney World itself is not subject to urban planning regulations. On this count he is accurate. When Disney moved in, all land they purchased seemed to be exempt from many regulations. But as much as he laments on the evils of the Mouse, the largest damage is done by all the smaller companies that build up around Disney to take advantage of the millions of tourist flocking to the Magic Kingdom.

But he fails to mentions all the jobs they provide. Though many employees say they do not like their rules and regulations. All successful companies must have them, especially when your business is the entertainment and safety of children. And lets be clear, all children love the Disney experience.

Hiaasen asserts that Disney building their store was the genesis that cleaned up Time Square in New York. While in truth, they only agreed to open their store if Giuliani promised and followed through to clean up that part of town. And the Mayor was able to accomplish the required goals, at least on the surface.

It is worth reading, but it is not up to his normal standards. It would have been better if the author used his investigative skills to gather some facts. This small book it is a very short and easy read. There is strong language.

Not at all what I expected.......2007-03-22

To begin with, it was a lot shorter read than I had hoped. For the price of the book, it seemed more like a phamphlet than a book.

Secondly, it certainly wasn't very Hiaasen-like. As an admirer of his fiction, it seemed that he abandoned his writing style for this book. It appeared to be more of a personal rant than an enlightening look at Team Rodent.

Just the thing to read while you wait for the parade!.......2007-01-11

The basic premise of this little treatise is solid. The Walt Disney Company is too big for its britches, too controlling, to paranoid and just not as good for society as they'd like you to think. Okay, so a few more details to back all of that up would be nice. But too many details would probably make this book far less readable and not nearly as enjoyable.

To be fair, Carl Hiassen lays a lot of the damage wreaked on his beloved state of Florida on the neighbors that Disney attracts. Of course, as Hiassen points out, the mouse guys insulate themselves with a healthy buffer of manicured "wilderness" between them and their lower class hangers-on like the outlet malls, themed dinner theaters and miniature golf courses. But he rightfully takes Team Rodent to task for their anal desire to control the information and image that filters out of their controlled environment in exchange for gazillions of dollars from tourist and entertainment seeker wallets.

Even though this book is almost 9 years old, Hiassen's wit and style make it an enjoyable (albeit a very quick 83 page read). If anything, time has simply validated a lot of the points that he makes. Something tells me that you won't find it at many bookstores in "the World" as they like to call it, so order it before you head to Orlando. And just for fun, make a show of reading it on one of the benches at EPCOT.

Fundimentally flawed, but a fun think piece........2006-07-22

In Team Rodent, Carl Hiaasen delivers an honestly entertaining picture of his own reservations at what he sees as the Disney Corporation's attempts at becoming a culturally omnipotent force. This piece is more of a political pamphlet in format: it's too long to be considered a simple essay, but it's certainly short enough to be read in a single sitting.

As I suggest in the title of my review, Hiaasen's biggest issue with this piece is the fundimental flaws that underlie this work. Hiaasen's thesis isn't really much of a thesis at all: Disney sucks, and they're gradually taking over the world. Whether or not Disney sucks is certainly a matter of taste. The largest part of Disney's product and service line is devoted towards entertainment for children and families, which is naturally not the preferred choice of entertainment for intelligent, literate adults, myself included. No one is obliged to love Mickey Mouse. If a parent who dislikes Mickey finds themselves buying products bearing Mickey and Co., it's certainly regrettable but they're hardly the only parents who have found themselves suckered into supporting obnoxious and bewildering children's entertainment.

Whether Disney is taking over the world is yet again a matter of perspective. Disney certainly acts like the megacorporation that it is, but it's hardly the only megacorporation out there. This doesn't necessarily exempt Disney from well-intentioned criticism, and Hiaasen does present some fairly potent items: Disney's maintenance of an autonomous hegemony over its occupied land in Central Florida, the notorious dictatorial micromanagement of now-former Disney Chairman Michael Eisner, Disney's shoddy business practices and shady legal dealing surrounding its 1980s Country Walk housing development, and Disney's ethically sketchy policies of bribery for positive news coverage, among others.

Yet, some of Hiaasen's criticisms seem misdirected, if not elusive. Hiaasen spends the early part of the book bemoaning the notorious Disneyfication of Times Square, and seems to place the blame squarely on Disney for this. Yet, he ignores the facilitation of the Disney takeover through Rudolph Giuliani's policies, which it could be argued are vastly more malignant than the simple presence of a Disney Store on the Great White Way.

Hiaasen also points to the example of the Insane Clown Posse's short-lived recording career with a Disney-owned record label. Hiaasen does little here but muddle his point--he certainly dislikes Disney's Bowdlerization of culture for blatant kiddie-centric consumerism, but he sees nothing hypocritical in ridiculing Disney for both releasing and recalling the Insane Clown Posse. Hiaasen neither advances nor supports any clear, cogent points other than his distaste for rap music and his drive to engage in gleeful schadenfreude against Disney whether it's journalistically sensible or not.

In yet another part of the book, Hiaasen criticizes the opening of a Disney cruise line which docks at a private island which had previously been used as a stopover for drug smugglers (which it should be noted, obviously had no connection to Disney's later purchase of the island). Hiaasen criticizes Disney for providing a tourism option so far removed from the actual cultural environment of the Carribean, but it seems unlikely that Disney would be making unrealistic promises of an authentic Carribean cultural experience. Even Jamaica, an island noted for its poverty and unrest, has sanitized resorts just as far from authentic as the Disney experience, operated by companies with no relationship with Disney.

Hiaasen makes it clear that he finds the environment around Disney World to be ugly, describing the tourist-oriented sprawl of central Florida. Yet, just as ugly would be a Florida deprived of the jobs which Disney supports--Sure, Disney is a big, soulless company, but they are a massive force in the Florida economy, likely providing the livelihood for any number of families.

It should be noted that, despite these flaws, the book does not suffer from lack of readability. Hiaasen is engaging with his material, despite the problematic nature of his core ideas. His descriptions of his experiences at a Disney-sponsered press event featuring a journalist who faced KGB detention in the Soviet Union. Hiaasen's work would have made a much better long magazine article than a book, but it's still very enjoyable.

If you're fond of relatively skilled op-ed writing, Hiaasen's work here is certainly worth prerusal. This is not a piece of investigative journalism per-se, and there are many better examples of extensive critical writings on Disney corporate culture. Hiaasen's book is at least worthwhile as a quick and easily digestible version of the arguments.

Average customer rating:

Thank you Cheerios!
excellent book for parents to read to their kids
Yummy fun read
Go Bunnies Go!
Muncha! Muncha Muncha! Fabio

Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!
Candace Fleming
Manufacturer: Atheneum/Anne Schwartz Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Picture Books | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0689831528

Amazon.com

After years of dreaming of planting a garden, Mr. McGreely finally takes hoe and watering can in hand and makes his dream come true. Unfortunately for him (but luckily for readers), this is not the happily-ever-after part of the story. Late one night, three hungry bunnies appear: "Tippy-tippy-tippy, Pat! Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!" The next morning finds our farmer gnashing his teeth over the gnawed sprouts. So he builds a small wire fence. That night... "Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!" So Mr. McGreely builds a tall wooden wall. You get the idea. Young readers will hang on every word until they find out, once and for all, who will win the battle of the broccoli.

Packed with repetitive and onomatopoeic phrases, Candace Fleming's tale of man against nature will keep kids giggling--it may even inspire them to chomp on a few carrots themselves! G. Brian Karas's lively illustrations in gouache and pencil are full of visual wit, as the audacious "twitch-whiskers" patiently watch Mr. McGreely at his seemingly futile endeavors. (Ages 3 to 7) --Emilie Coulter

Book Description

Tippy, tippy, tippy, Pat!

That's the sound three hungry bunnies make when the sun goes down and the moon comes up and Mr. McGreely's garden smells yum, yum, yummy. While he's dreaming of his mouth-watering carrots, the bunnies are diving over fences and swimming trenches to get the veggies first!

Hammer, hammer, hammer, Saw!

That's the sound Mr. McGreely makes when the sun comes up and the moon goes down and he sees what those twitch-whiskers have done....Nibbled leaves! Empty stalks! Mr. McGreely will build something bigger and better, sure to keep even pesky puff-tails away.

Children will cheer for the bunnies -- or for Mr. McGreely -- as they delight in Candace Fleming's clever sound effects and G. Brian Karas's vibrant, funny illustrations.

Customer Reviews:

Thank you Cheerios!.......2007-02-01

Like another reviewer, I bought this hardback only after getting a copy out of the Cheerios box. My son really enjoys this book and so do I! I like the illustrations and the creative bunnies! I recently read this to my preschool class and they all enjoyed it as well.
Tippy tippy tippy pat. Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!

excellent book for parents to read to their kids.......2007-01-26

We bought this book after our free copy from the Cheerios box got torn. My 20 month old son absolutely loves this book. He got the book for Christmas, and as soon as he opened it, he put aside all of his other presents so we could read it. My 4 year old also enjoys it, and I actually have fun reading it as well.

Yummy fun read.......2007-01-16

This book was given to my grandchildren by my mother for Christmas. From the little girls' mother I am told that "Muncha Muncha" is not only fun to read, it's fun to listen to. Her daughters like the repetition and fun sounds.

Go Bunnies Go!.......2006-06-08

My 3 year old son loves this book. The story is easy to follow and has that repetitive style that small children love. The battle between the sneeky bunnies and Mr McGreely is great, and builds to a very amusing ending. I have read this story every night now for the past 3 months and I am sure that I will be reading it for at least another 3 - Muncha, Muncha, Muncha!

Muncha! Muncha Muncha! Fabio.......2006-03-01

This book is a little cool. Because of the riting and picture. for little kids will be cool.

Nicky and the Rainy Day (A Cheshire Studio Book)

Average customer rating:

Nicky and the Rainy Day (A Cheshire Studio Book)
Valeri Gorbachev
Manufacturer: North-South
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Picture Books | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Issues | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

ASIN: 0735816441

Book Description

It was a rainy day. Stuck inside, Nicky was bored. But leave it to Nicky to come up with some imaginary journeys-even to outer space! When the rain stops, Nicky discovers that there are wonders to be found right in his own backyard. This third adventure featuring Nicky will bring a burst of sunshine to brighten the rainiest day.

Beavers and Other Rodents (Portrait of the Animal World)

Average customer rating:

Beavers and Other Rodents (Portrait of the Animal World)
Paul Sterry
Manufacturer: New Line Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Collections, Catalogues & Exhibitions | Photography | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Reference | Outdoors & Nature | Subjects | Books

Do Lemmings Commit Suicide?: Beautiful Hypotheses and Ugly Facts

Average customer rating:

Science, shown as fits and starts and roundabouts...
A Grand old man of Ecology looks back
Excellent Book

Do Lemmings Commit Suicide?: Beautiful Hypotheses and Ugly Facts
Dennis Chitty
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

General | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

History of Science | History & Philosophy | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Nature & Ecology | Science | Subjects | Books

Book Description

Unlike nearly all science books which tell of successful ventures and satisfactory conclusions, this book reveals the harsher but more common side of scientific research. Written by one of this century's most distinguished small mammal ecologists, it is both a personal history of and an apology for a life in science spent working on problems for which no final dramatic closure was reached. Included along the way are important anecdotes and history about Charles Elton and his pioneering work at the Bureau of Animal Population at Oxford University, from which much of modern population has grown, and insights on the philosophy and practice of science. This eye-opening account of a scientific career should be read by everyone in life sciences or the history and philosophy of science.

Customer Reviews:

Science, shown as fits and starts and roundabouts..........2004-01-10

Chitty's candid assessment, while not without its biases, shows the reader how science works, not linearly or dispassionately as many assume, but with different camps expending not inconsiderable passion. It also shows the amount of effort a scientist working in this field must expend (and how little control he/she has over the process being measured).

Ideally, the most valid hypothesis matures into the category of scientific theory while its nestlings die. This seems not to have happened in this area--at least according to the author. In the 1950's, Dennis Chitty seems to have abandoned more supportable (and subsequently, supported) theories. Now, years later he is still looking for the grail of genetic change despite the lack of scientific support this idea seems to have. If genetic change were the mechanism behing population cycles, breeding experiments should have been able to identify the genotypes, and the genes responsible.

Nevertheless, I strongly recommend this book given the view it shows of the field of rodent population ecology. I think D.E. Davis' statement in this book says it best. Looking for the causes of cycles obscures what we really need to understand, regulation.

A Grand old man of Ecology looks back.......2002-12-24

This book, part autobiography, part critical assessment of the last fifty years in field ecology, represents a fascinating "summing up" of a lifetime career in pursuit of explanations for the abundance of animals in the wild. Chitty is remarkably candid about his own successes and failures, and one sees with clarity the attitude of a good scientist: no hypothesis, however elegant, is immune from "ugly little facts" that refute it. Along with Chitty's own work we get delightful cameo appearances (both flattering and otherwise) of many of the "greats" of mid-century ecology and evolutionary theory. Chitty makes it quite clear who he resepects and who he has difficulties with, and his commentary serves to humanize the "doing" of ecology. My only question is, how long will it take for the common sense shown in this book to penetrate contemporary text-books, many of which persist in errors that Chitty ably shows have been discarded by real practicioners often decades ago.

Excellent Book.......2000-12-02

Interesting, with great photos and info about some of natures greatest mysteries... I love the title as well =)

Average customer rating:

Adorable
Musical and Gentle

Now It Is Winter
Eileen Spinelli
Manufacturer: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0802852440

Customer Reviews:

Adorable.......2006-01-28

My Kindergarten son brought this home from the school library and I think it is just an adorable book. The illustrations are so cute and the story is charming too. Will spring ever come? is the reoccuring theme. Will spring ever come with black berries and cream? Now it is winter with oatmeal and brown sugar. So many cute little references can't help but leave readers feeling cozy all ready for the comfy bed time tuck in at the end of the book. Curl up with your child reading this on a chlly night and you'll feel warm inside.

Musical and Gentle.......2006-01-27

A quiet story full of musical words that reveal the joys a child can experience in winter. Throughout the book, the message flows to celebrate the present and to have patience for the future. The illustrations are whimsical.

Average customer rating:

Honey Rabbit

Honey Rabbit (Sturdy Shape Book)
Margo Hopkins
Manufacturer: Golden Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book

Picture Books | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Baby-3 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Picture Books | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0307122689
Release Date: 1995-12-06

Customer Reviews:

Honey Rabbit.......2000-04-12

A delightful story describing spring through a gentle, caring conversation between Honey Rabbit and his daddy. The colorfully detailed illustrations of forest animals in their natural habitats provide a simple yet factual explanation to answer the question: What is spring?

ANIMALS OF THE WORLD: RODENTS INSECTIVORES AND MARSUPIALS

Average customer rating:

ANIMALS OF THE WORLD: RODENTS INSECTIVORES AND MARSUPIALS
MACDONALD
Manufacturer: LEISURE CIRCLE
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000S2QMRK

Atlas of the Geographic Distribution of the Arvicoline Rodents of the World: Rodentia, Muridae: Arvicoline (Pensoft Series Faunistica)

Average customer rating:

Atlas of the Geographic Distribution of the Arvicoline Rodents of the World: Rodentia, Muridae: Arvicoline (Pensoft Series Faunistica)
Georgy I. Shenbrot , and Boris R. Krasnov
Manufacturer: Pensoft Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Science | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 9546422436

Book Description

Any living organism is distributed someplace. Lots of information on species records are scattered in publications and museum catalogues, but only a few taxa have merited enough attention for a compilation of the available data on their geographic distribution. This book is aimed to fill in this gap for the species of the rodent subfamily Arvicolinae. It represents an atlas of the global distribution of all 139 arvicoline species. Distribution maps are compiled from records from the literature and museum catalogues.

A map for each species is presented as both record points and a polygon of a predicted distribution. The record points were geo-referenced while the polygons of predicted distributions were constructed using the GARP algorithm. The book provides a list of distributional data for the subspecies as well as taxonomic notes and references. The volume is addressed to specialists in mammalogy, taxonomists, biogeographers and conservationists. It will be of use to any zoological library. CONTENTS: Introductory remarks. Methodological remarks. An annotated checklist of Arvicolinae of the world. Species Maps. Index of Latin names.

Average customer rating:
Beavers and Other Rodents (World Book's Animals of the World)
Meish Goldish
Manufacturer: World Book
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Mammals | Animals | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books
General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
jp-unknown1 | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 0716612259

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books