Letter to Self

Liezl,

This has been an amazing journey. Honestly, I was not sure at the beginning if I will be able to go through the class – especially an online class. Now I know that not all online courses are extremely tough. I admit that I almost thought of dropping a couple of times, but after the first in-class essay, I had a better understanding of what the professor is trying to do – and that is to make this class as fun and involved as possible and that’s exactly how I feel. I know that I can reach out to my professor and my classmates anytime I stumble on something. I did not like the peer reviews at the beginning, all because being criticized is one of my weaknesses. It’s like going through a panel of judges and getting ready to be sent home. At the end of the course, I learned that this is about creative criticism and my peers definitely helped me get better.

Popular culture is all around us. If we take a look around and observe our surroundings, I’m sure we can name some. We live in such a fast paced world and sometimes, we just have to learn to take a step back and appreciate the different kinds of culture around us – from Apple device users to race car drivers, we are constantly influenced by different kinds of culture practices, including religion and beliefs, the way we dress, the food that we eat, and even the television shows that we watch. I was asked the question that if we ever get an alien invasion, what part of human life would remain in this world. That was probably the toughest one for me. I did not know what to choose – should it be cell phones, laptops, cars, or dolls? I chose Disneyland as my American Artifact because of how popular it is. Millions of people come from around the world to see the “happiest place on earth” come to life. Technology and Culture, probably my favorite essay, definitely made me realize how much technology affects our lives every day. Technology influences our life constantly. Remember the times when we had to actually go to a friend’s place just to see them or talk to them? Well now, we can do all that in front of a computer, and then the cellular phones came. Landlines have become almost obsolete. Most consumers just keep their lines active in order to get discounts on their internet bills. Now, almost everybody walks around with cell phones on their hands, sometimes, we even see people who look like their talking to themselves, but actually, they have Bluetooth on their ears. We do most of our banking online, pay their bills electronically, send emails instead of letters, call instead of coming to visit, and of course, reach anybody on Facebook instead to reconnecting to friends like the old times. The world of technology has evolved so much and as consumers – we have to be careful not to be left behind. Analyzing an advertisement – a printed ad – is very interesting to me. I was told that a picture paints a thousand words and it’s very true. Just a snapshot of people in a particular place can tell us so much about what the idea of the advertisement is all about. Those small clips we watch on the television can be interpreted in so many ways. The corporations spend lots of money just to be noticed by consumers. Without any marketing, product will not be sold. That’s why the media has the power and influence because they are able to help us make decisions what we should be purchasing. That’s where the book opened my eyes completely of what advertising is all about. The entire book is definitely something I would recommend to anybody. Every chapter is very different from the next one. The four major parts of the book – Autumn, Winter, Summer, and Spring – described the different situations the consumers belong. Lasn started by describing a family, trying to reconnect to each other, then goes to describe what television really does to families – from the kids to the adults. I didn’t expect to like the reading as much as I do now. It’s both informative and intense for some readers, but the truth is that the information the author describe is very true. The book is a call for a revolution – it’s our time to take back our freedom and stop being naive about what these companies are trying to do. We have to stop being puppets and steer on a different path.

When I first signed up for this class, I thought to myself, this is probably just another course to pass all my general education requirements. I never thought I would actually have fun while I’m doing it. The class is very interactive – it keeps us involved all the way through. My peers have provided me with much needed reviews with the essays that I have written. I have never been confident with my writing as much as I do after taking the course. It definitely helped me open up my mind with what other people have to say. Going forward, I’ll feel better about getting other people’s insight about my work and I know that it will help me be a better writer. I’d like to thank my professor and my classmates for such a wonderful quarter and wish everybody good luck in their future classes and I hope everybody had fun at the course – I’m sure I did!

Culture Jam Essay

Culture Jam by Kalle Lasn is not just any other book that someone would pick up from the shelves of Barnes and Noble. This book is definitely an eye opener for any reader who has an open mind. The contents are very intense and very true at the same time. The book is broken down into four chapters: Autumn, Winter, Summer, and Spring. Each of the chapters are very distinct from one another with great analysis and examples to help readers understand the Lasn’s points. One major point that Lasn is trying to prove is that Americans have gotten the habit of eating unhealthy – that is – by being so used to fast food restaurants. Another point is the fact that we watch too much television, leading to problems like obesity due to no exercise. We just glue ourselves in front of the TV, where big corporations take advantage by advertising their products.

Lasn tells us, "Abandon nature and you abandon your sense of divine. More than that, you lose track of who you are." We live in a fast-paced world, with all the most innovative technologies around us. Sometimes, we forget how fortunate we are that we don't have to hunt for our own food. The author pointed out really important things in the life we live. I have never gone camping because I'm too scared to explore things out of my comfort zone. Sometimes, we just have to slow down and appreciate what nature has to offer.

The Autumn chapter of the book definitely opens a lot of doors for discussions that some of us agree or disagree. The author covered a lot of topics that are very true nowadays. We go through our fast paced life thinking everything is just fine, but ask someone around you if they notice anything different about your appearance and you will truly be surprised to hear what they have to say. I asked some of my friends from elementary school and believe me; some of them just don’t even recognize me at all. How do I know? I sent them a friend request on Facebook since we have mutual friends and they ask me, “How do I know you?” or “Where do I know you from?” At first, I take offense thinking they probably just don’t like me or they are doing it on purpose. “In Saul Bellow’s novel Humboldt’s Gift, the narrator wonders how it is that Americans can unashamedly claim to be “suffering” when compared to the rest of the world, they are immensely blessed. His answer is that while most people tend to associate scarcity and deprivation, there’s a very different kind of suffering that’s caused by plenitude.” I’m personally very guilty of how much I let the media dictate who I want to be – who I represent – who I am today. Why? I can’t answer that very question. All I know is I work hard and I buy the things that I like – most of them, I see on TV. I buy clothes, shoes, bags, and stuff that I don’t necessarily need. It’s very easy to trick ourselves in believing that what we “want” is a “need”. Won’t you agree?

The Winter chapter talks about how we are almost a part of some cult. He draws on the idea on memes, information that leaps from brain to brain, and suggests that the memes are the primary hope for putting a stop to hyper-consumerism in the American society. "We have been recruited into roles and behavior patterns we did not consciously choose." (Lasn, 53). We let ourselves get dictated on what to eat or drink, we follow what the TV tells us to do. We still have our free will, but if we think about it, it's almost like we're letting these big corporations take over our very own lives. It's like we lost the ability to think for ourselves. Lasn tells us "Yet the American Dream is so seductive that most of us keep on dreaming" (61), which tells us that no matter how we want to blame corporations for corrupting our minds and tricking us to buy things we don't need, we know for a fact that we still buy what we want to buy, and sometimes, even justify it as needs. We work so hard, putting hundreds of hours to make money so we can turn around and spend it on whatever we want. We have turned from citizens to consumers. We constantly fill the void of the material things and we keep on seeing what we don't have instead of being grateful of every little thing that we have.

The last two chapters of Culture Jam are definitely the most intense parts of the entire reading. It started by giving us a good background of what culture jamming is all about - that is, The Situationists. To the Situationists, you are - everyone is - a creator of situations, a performance artist, and the performance, of course, is your life, lived in your own way (101). Nowadays, being different is being authentic, and you get a lot of respect by being someone original. Capitalism is everything. Capitalism is generally considered to be an economic system that is based on private ownership of the means of production and the creation of goods or services for profit. Some have also used the term as a synonym for competitive markets, wage labor, capital accumulation, voluntary exchange, and personal finance. Major corporations around the world use the best tool available to sell their products. Since watching television is the number one chronic problem in North America, businesses invest huge amounts of money to get the viewer’s attention. Lasn wrote that as culturejammers, we’re not cool, we’re not slackers, we’re not academic, not feminists, and not lefties. Whoever has the memes has the power (123). The meme wars could just be the next World War – information wars. We’re moving from macromemes to metamemes. Part of the meme wars are true cost, demarketing, doomsday meme, no corporate I, and media carta. Almost every social problem, no matter how seemingly intractable, can be solved with enough time, serenity and effort. It’s very important that we find that leverage point. It’s the system, not it’s agents that are the problem. Trying to get personal with a system is like trying to get personal with a broken toaster – your rage makes no difference (140). Have you ever yelled at you bank teller because she couldn’t help you with a fee reversal? As a bank employee, I have to take a lot of personal criticisms and offensive behaviors because of something I had nothing to do with. It really bothers me to tell a customer that there is nothing I can do – because that is the truth. However, they don’t believe what I say – sometimes, they even accuse me of stealing their money. Nothing personal, and although supervisors normally tell me not to take it personally, it’s really hard to do so.

This final chapter of Kalle Lasn’s Culture Jam is about encouraging us – consumers – to fight back and take over our own country. We need to reclaim our very own freedom that we very much disregard by giving the corporations the power to dictate us and tell us how to run our lives. It is this empowerment that brings about change. This is a wake up call for all Americans to initiate a revolution. Some parts of this book are very harsh for some people but if we think about it, the information provided though out the whole reading is somewhat true – and as we know, truth hurts. So we need to get up and make a decision. Are we going to pay attention to what Lasn is telling us or are we just going to sit around and wait for the world to change?

Ultimately, it seems that someone can approach Culture Jam in two different ways: one could view it with skepticism - having observed failed efforts at social change on a grand scale in the past few years, or one could see it as an inspirations to spread the memes of revolution that Kalle Lasn is trying to encourage here. though the tone of the book might turn readers off, it has the insights that we cannot afford to overlook.

Reflection on Ad Analysis

This essay is a little bit tough to write because I know that I have to choose the ad wisely, and I have to be able to describe what I see for my peers to review and understand what I'm trying to describe about the ad. I learned after reading the reviews that my thesis/idea have improved. I'm able to describe my point and prove it by citing examples and explaining my ideas.

Ad Analysis

Advertising is the most powerful tool when selling a product. Product researchers tap into the unspoken need of the people and that leads consumers to buy things they don’t necessarily need. Since we all have our unconscious needs and impulses, marketing companies target us in order to get more money for their products. Jib Fowles’ “Advertising’s Fifteen Basic Appeals” describes what the big companies tend to target to make sure that their product sells; some of these appeals include the need to achieve, the need for attention, the need to feel safe, and of course, our physiological needs including food and drink. According to this article, we watch over 500 ads but only 75 access our minds and out of those 75, usually 12 can produce a reaction. Advertisers know our drives and longings as Jib Fowles says: “And that is the immediate goal of advertising: to tug at our psychological shirt sleeves and slow us down long enough for a word or two about whatever is being sold.” Corporations pay over 50 billion dollars every year in advertising costs. I chose the Very Sexy Makeup by Victoria’s Secret as my ad analysis because it attracts a lot of people when they flip through the magazine. Six models are in this particular ad. They all have the same appearance, barely wearing anything, no accessories, just make up. They all have strong looks, no smiles on their faces. The picture seems to be taken from a studio and not wearing any colored clothing helped a lot notice their faces instead. Since the words printed in the ad says “Very Sexy Makeup”, it only makes sense to use good-looking, well-fit models to justify the message, which has just the right amount of words to capture attention. The ad is in Victoria’s Secret magazine and you can find similar posters – if not the same ones – inside their retail stores. The ad used dark color as the background to emphasize the faces of the models. Victoria’s Secret Models are used for the ad instead of some random ladies because consumers are familiar with their faces and being one of the models, people are already expecting you to be good looking and has a toned body. The advertiser used this particular setting because it gives the models the attention they are trying to get. They are not wearing colorful clothes either since the advertisers intended for consumers to focus on their faces alone. The product is called Very Sexy Makeup, suggesting that if you wear this product, you will feel good about yourself. The promises are not necessarily real but it might just be something that a customer need. Since Victoria’s Secret has its own magazine that they mail out to customers almost every month, it makes sense to promote their latest product in it. They also advertise throughout the store to attract more customers to buy more products. Victoria's Secret is an American retailer of women's wear, lingerie and beauty products. It is the largest segment of publicly traded Limited Brands with sales of over $5 billion and an operating income of $1 billion in 2006. Victoria's Secret is known for its annual fashion show, the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, and for its catalogs, both of which feature top fashion models. The company gained notoriety in the early 1990s after it began to use supermodels in its advertising and fashion shows. Throughout the past decade, it has turned down celebrity models and endorsements. Among other recognitions, the Victoria's Secret Angels were chosen to be part of People Magazine's annual "100 Most Beautiful People in the World" issue in 2007. The key strength of Victoria's Secret is brand recognition and brand loyalty. Its massive advertising campaigns have been largely successful due to the brand equity of the product. Victoria's Secret products make their customers feel sexy and good about themselves. Generally they prefer to use pink because of their new collection. PINK is a lineup of loungewear, sleepwear, and intimate apparel geared mainly towards university and high school students. They use pink because in that ages most of the girls like pink color. The images of this website are effective because of the beautiful, magnificent models. When you open the site you desire to buy something. I think this is the only good part of this site. The editors can make this web site better by using different colors to make the site more attractive by implying that the brand is sexy. Victoria’s Secret has truly evolved from lingerie, to swim wear, and now, their famous fashion show. Advertising agencies go through a lot of scrutiny before they make it on the magazines. Not all people are attracted to certain ideas that are why they have to choose their models, pictures, and messages to make it more appealing and more accepted in the society. Most ads use celebrities and famous models to catch more attention. Victoria’s Secret featured models like Heidi Klum and Tyra Banks, both women representing what it means to be a model, with perfect skin and great shape. Nowadays, being a model requires a certain age, height, and weight. It’s a full time job. Some of their models that get married and have kids have to get back in shape in a short period of time in order to be competitive and stay in the business. The advertisements help us choose what brands to wear, food to eat, and even medicine to take. It influences us in different ways, not just by printed ads, but also television commercials and radio announcements. Ads basically give us the idea of what to buy and whether we like it or not, the ads are here to stay.

Reflection on Technology and Culture

As I wrote my essay, I realized so many things around us that makes our world a better place to live in. The discovery of different kinds of technology made such a difference in our everyday life. We are now able to communicate in a much efficient way, do research, keep in touch with friends and loved ones, and even watch TV by the use of internet. Online shopping is also an increasing trend nowadays. A lot of people use online gaming to kill time, while others develop an addiction by playing way too much. Some people even die because they forget to get back to their regular routines which helps keep our bodies healthy. Obesity in this country has gone up tremendously. People don't walk anymore. They use their vehicles to go places, no matter how close or how far the distance is. We sometimes refuse to go visit someone because we can just talk to them over the phone or through the computer. Our world has evolved in a lot of ways we ever thought possible.

Technology and Culture

The world of technology is both a blessing and a curse. It definitely made our lives a lot better by the innovation and discoveries that made this world a much better place. However, there are some pros and cons that came with this wonderful advancement. From high-speed trains to cellphones, we have evolved in something called the digital nation. Typewriters are almost obsolete now. Desktops, laptops, and tablets have replaced it. Home phones have been replaced by cellphones. Real world has transformed into fantasy world. Online gaming is something that a lot of people share. Games have developed into an experience where you sit in front of a computer; choose your character and battle with other people. Online gaming is highly addictive but the more scary part is the fact that people start getting confused who is real and who is not. Some people who are not necessarily happy with their life like the idea that they can be somewhere and be whoever they want to be. Some gamers would sit for hours, sometimes, for days, forgetting to eat or drink or shower, forgetting that we need to keep our body hydrated at all times. It’s not that they don’t want to eat; it’s more like they don’t want to miss anything. I’ve heard on the news about a twenty-four year old guy who was found dead at his living room, in front of his Xbox console. His autopsy revealed that he had suffered from pulmonary embolism. He was too focused on the game that he was barely moving and after a matter of hours, a clot has developed and killed him. That’s one of the reasons why when we catch a flight, the airline crews encourage us to walk around the cabin and do some stretching. Social networking is all over the place. Websites like Facebook and MySpace are dominating. It’s now easier to find someone online than ever before. I remembered the days when instant messaging was launched. We created our profiles and meet people all over the world. A lot of people use chat rooms to talk to friends and family. At the same time, we hear on the news about someone getting killed or raped because they decided to meet with this mysterious person who turned out to be the total opposite of who they said they were. If we think about it, we might say that it’s a no-brainer. How can we trust someone we never met before? Studies have shown that people who are constantly online, thinking that they are making friends, end up being a more isolated and depressed person. Although it has been said that they tend to develop mental illness, it is rather hard to prove. Who has not seen an iPod or even own one? When this tiny piece of music player came out, it became the best invention of all times. No more big and bulky stereos, no more cassette tapes, no need for CD players. IPod is so small that you can take it anywhere and load any kind of music. Then came the iPhone. Take a look around and count how many iPhone users are around, not just here in the United States but all around the world. But it’s not over yet. Now, we see the iPad. If you think that MacBook Air is still too big or too heavy to carry, then you should look into this amazing tablet. Apple Company is a huge example, if not the best one; of what it is like to constantly develop software and gadgets to help us live a better, more convenient life. Imagine walking into a bookstore. Almost all bookstores now have cafeterias inside. Observe what people actually do at this area. Are they still busy reading a brand new book? Most of the time, they are all facing their laptops, typing endlessly and reading their emails and checking their phones. People rarely use landlines anymore. Almost everybody have their cellphones that they carry all over the place. And guess what happens when we forget out phones? We turn right back around to go and get it. On nights when we’re supposed to sleep comfortably in out beds, we still sneak out our laptops and check emails one last time as if we would miss something extremely important and not have a chance to respond. Watching the Digital Nation video truly opened my eyes and I realized how dependent we are with technology. It is amazing how far we’ve come from the days where we have to ride a horse carriage to get to the next town. Now high-speed rails are being developed all over the world. The world of technology is evolving into something better every day. Sooner or later, we might be able to catch a train and be in another country a few hours later. This world that we live in so full of innovations that we don’t have to use the phone or see each other in order to communicate. We just sit in front of the computer, which most of them have built in cameras, and be able to talk. Even meetings don’t have to be face to face anymore. There is software like Webinar, where people would conduct meetings and look at presentations. Staff members can share ideas from everywhere around the world. If asked how many hours do we spend in front of the computer, what would your response be? I spend almost all day in front of the screen at work, and by the time I go home, I’m still on my laptop. I have developed carpal tunnel and near-sightedness over the years but it doesn’t seem to have that big of an effect because whether we admit it or not, life would be so inconvenient without having a computer. We are so used to having computers that life would be incomplete without it.

Reflection on Subculture

We are sorrounded by so many different cultures and subcultures. After carefully choosing my subculture, I have observed several things that truly opened my eyes. Drinking coffee is not just a habit. It's more like a lifestyle that almost everyone that we know practice. It's a behavior that a lot of us share. Coffee shops are not how it was decades ago. It has now evolved to a place where students come to study, people read newspapers, sometimes, even meet old friends or make new ones.  Truly amazing, if we think about the times where we wake up and make a fresh pot of coffee. Now everywhere we go, we can get it, sometimes, it's even included with our meal. I chose coffee drinkers to write about because I can relate to their behavior. This is a common practice shared by millions of people around the world.

Subculture

Coffee in the morning seems to work like magic. I chose coffee drinkers as my subculture because almost everybody drinks coffee every morning. It's such a popular behavior that we practice each day. For most people, drinking coffee is the only thing that keeps them going. Without it, life would be so dysfunctional. I personally am a regular coffee drinker. I get really bad migraine if I don't get it in the morning - apparently, a lot of people do too. I started observing my coworkers, then moved on to grocery shoppers, then to actual Starbucks customers. After going to the same location everyday for the past few days, I realized that most of their customers are the same ones who come to get their coffee. A lot of their employees already know their customer's names and their drinks that as they step up to the counter, the cashier says "Hello ______, are you getting the "usual"?. Very impressive if we think about it. Hundreds, if not thousands of people, come to the coffee shop to get their caffeine fix. The history of coffee goes at least as far back as the thirteenth century. The story of Kaldi, the 9th-century Ethiopian goat herder who discovered coffee, did not appear in writing until 1671 AD and is probably apocryphal. From Ethiopia, coffee was said to have spread to Egypt and Yemen. The earliest credible evidence of either coffee drinking or knowledge of the coffee tree appears in the middle of the fifteenth century, in the Sufi monasteries of Yemen. By the 16th century, it had reached the rest of the Middle East, Persia, Turkey, and northern Africa. Coffee then spread to Italy, and to the rest of Europe, to Indonesia, and to the Americas. Nowadays, people from all over the world drink coffee and shops like Starbucks and Peets coffee are seen almost every corner. “Sleep is a symptom of caffeine deprivation.” Just like a lot of remedies, there are good and bad effects of drinking coffee. First of all, it is highly addictive. That’s one of the reasons behind people coming every single day, sometimes, even getting double or triple shots. If they don’t get our coffee, it’s almost like they turn into different kind of people. Their behaviors change, they become grumpy, nothing seems to work unless they get their cup of coffee. Studies show that people who drink coffee are less likely to have type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, and dementia have fewer cases of certain cancers, heart rhythm problems, and strokes. Regular coffee, of course, also contains caffeine. Caffeine can raise blood pressure, as well as blood levels of the fight-or-flight chemical epinephrine. It also increases heartburn for some people. As I do my observation, I try to analyze why they keep coming back to the same place, drinking the same coffee, spending money on their coffee when they can just buy a whole pack and make it themselves at home. Is it because the coffee is just amazing, is it because they don’t have time, is it because the employees are just nice and friendly, or could it be because it’s almost like a lifestyle? A subculture is defined as a group of people with a culture, which differentiates them from the larger culture to which they belong. If we take a look around, there are so many groups of people who may be practicing behaviors that we find very interesting. California is a very diverse state and for most of us who live here, we are somewhat used to the idea of different kinds of cultures around us. Coffee drinkers is just one of them. This subculture is observed all over the world. Coffee shops have transitioned to a place where people go to not just for coffee but also where they take advantage of free Internet, eat breakfast, study, hang out and catch up with friends, and even meet new friends. Drinking coffee is something that a lot of people share and that’s what makes this subculture stay around all these years, generation to generation.

Reflection on American Artifact

After thinking about what to choose as my American artifact, there are so many things that came up to my mind and I admit, it really took me a while to figure out what I will write about. This country is full of amazing discoveries and man made things that are truly impressive. I learned that there are some things I’ve forgotten about myself – how to appreciate the smallest things in life – things that most of the time, matters most. We live in a fast paced society and sometimes, we just have to slow down and look around us.

American Artifact

There are so many things that this wonderful country has to offer. It took me a really long time to decide what item to choose that best describes American culture - from cars, to phones, to clothes. As an immigrant, these are the things that constantly amaze me. There are so many gifted people out there with so much talent to create things that other people intend to get ideas from. For this essay, I chose Disneyland. I believe that everybody, no matter where you’re from, or what age group you represent, should come visit this wonderful place. I always dreamt of being on a plane and watching the clouds, maybe someday, I’ll walk on the moon, and that one day in my life when I can have money to come to the United States and visit this majestic place that I always see on the television. Coming from a place of poverty and so much corruption, this dream seemed to be just a wish. When I turned 16, I found out that my parents were working on taking us to the US. I was so excited. Finally, my dreams are starting to come true. I came to the US in 2005 and guess where I wanted to go first – Disneyland. The eight hour drive did not seem to bother me at all. I thought to myself, this is almost like I’m in a different world. Everything seemed awesome. Everyone was friendly. I loved it. Their history started in 1954, when Walt Disney used his Disneyland series to unveil what would become Disneyland, an idea conceived out of a desire for a place where parents and children could both have fun at the same time. On July 18, 1955, Walt Disney opened Disneyland to the general public. On July 17, 1955, Disneyland was previewed with a live television broadcast hosted by Art Linkletter and Ronald Reagan. After a shaky start, Disneyland continued to grow and attract visitors from across the country and around the world. A major expansion in 1959 included the addition of America's first monorail system. It is truly amazing how our minds work, how we come up with ideas that make this world a better place - from rides, to stuffed toys, to movies. Recently, I watched a clip online about a guy who had a dream of working for a big company to design projects for them. After he got rejected over and over again, his focus changed to creating something that’s one of a kind and he ended up designing rides for an amusement park and was very successful. He became one of the engineers for Disney. This man, who was said “no” to repeatedly, turned around and had a vision to make something that millions of people enjoy going to. Every time I visit Los Angeles, I make sure to check out at least downtown Disney and I look back and realize how fortunate I am to be here, enjoying this very famous land mark. "The postmodern family, out there in the woods trying to bond, can't adapt to real time, real trees and real conversation, because real life has become an alien landscape." In the time that we live in, almost everything is web-based. We talk to people from thousands of miles away through a small screen. We can see what they are doing. Sometimes, we forget to slow down and appreciate the people and things that surround us. Sometimes, we choose to live in a world of fantasy because it makes everything easier to bear. Disneyland is a place where families reconnect with each other. This is a place where everyone seems so happy. I guess that’s the reason why it got the title “the happiest place on earth”.