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November 5, 2008
Hope. Change. It's a small world after all.
The Midtown Plaza, an early downtown mall in Rochester, closed up lately - but they moved the touchingly sweet 1962 Clock of Nations to the Airport.
The "It's a Small World" mindset seems appropriate on this, the first day of Change.
Further: Yes, I believe that optimism in world affairs is akin to believing in a Disney version of the world. I checked the history of the ride-from-hell only to find out that it post-dates the Rochester Clock of Nations - it went up, according to the Wikipedia entry, for the New York World's Fair of 1964 and was subsequently moved to Disneyland. Wikipedians said (which, of course, may not be what they're saying when you go there - Wikipedia is a beautiful idea, too):
In 1956, Walt Disney attended a conference, along with many other notable celebrities of the time, at the invitation of President Eisenhower. The conference was about founding a national organization to help promote world peace through international civilian travel. (This dream became a reality in 1956, when Eisenhower founded the People to People Student Ambassador Program.) Inspired by the ideas from the meeting, Disney returned to California and set to work, creating the "It's A Small World" ride at Disneyland.Peace through tourism. Sounds about right.
Posted by CrankyProfessor at November 5, 2008 9:07 AM
Comments
One can only hope, with time, that Change will begin to heal the scars that have made that "small world" so distant.
Posted by: bucko at November 5, 2008 2:51 PM