Disney and Disney+

[Cerez]

Doesn't this apply only to non-copyrighted content?

Nope, even to copyrighted content. Personal use is just that: personal use. No-one is going to keep tabs on your personal use, as that would be directly intruding upon your personal freedom and/or civil rights. You're legally entitled to privately use anything you like in any way you like, as long as it is not a socially and legally prohibited item that you need a government issued license to carry -- such as guns and drugs.

What you're legally not allowed to do is to further distribute copyrighted content in any way without the copyright holder's permission. And, again, a few close friends here don't count, as that's simply considered fair use, but, say, a public showing in a classroom does. To do any kind of public showing or larger sharing of a copyrighted content you need to obtain a license from the copyright holder in order for it to be legal.

When you purchase a copy of something copyrighted, you are usually given a single user (personal) license -- which means that you can legally (passively) use it and share it with your close friends and family. That's the default.

 

[The Nameless Pirate]

Thanks for clearing this out Bri!

 

[Cerez]

So when people say an "illegal download", what they're generally saying (if they know what they are actually talking about) is a downloaded copy of something copyrighted that was shared publically without appropriate license, illegally. The "illegal" is not in the download itself and the user who downloaded it for personal use, but with the person who publically shared the copyrighted work in question without obtaining a license from the copyright holder. They are the digital "pirate" that the copyright-based industry is legally persecuting: the public sharer.

 

[Cerez]

I should also mention here that putting something on a digital bulletin board or website, like these forums, is public sharing. That is if it's not in a private message to only a few people you're close with.

Something to keep in mind to not get the site into legal trouble.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

In other words, their policy is that you need to renew your subscription yearly if you don't want to lose your settings.

Or I do lose my settings. I really couldn't care less.

But you signed up for Disney+ shortly thereafter, right? Something to replace it for the craving, perhaps?

Other way around. I like Disney+ better than Netflix, so was switching.
I actually have both now, with a shared Netflix account with some colleagues to reduce the costs.

I would like to use both more than I actually do; my brain's just too tired these days.
Not much of a "craving" then.

My point is that the use of their platform has trained you to depend on abundant digital content in a certain way that didn't exist before you signed up for Netflix.

Or maybe I'm just a sensible person who is able to use these services while still being able to control himself.

Except that we are susceptible to external/environmental influence. This means that we need to stay vigilant about how we are spending our time daily, and what activities we are repeatedly involved in. Which takes effort -- more than most people can (or are willing to) muster after work or in general.

If we build new environments irresponsibly, we are putting our own healths at risk. And guess what these corporations are doing? Exactly that -- hiring professionals working in the gambling industry to make their digital platforms more phychologically addictive, to encourage their users to keep consuming endlessly.

It's not just up to the individual -- it is also up to all of us as a society.

If we're talking about "hiring people from the gambling industry": at least I find both Netflix and Disney+ less harmful than those silly time-wasting phone games.
The content CAN at least have something genuinely insightful to say about the world and help educate/inspire me.

Online, all you are is data (to them), everything you do and don't do is data. They treat us all based on their interpretation of that data.

They can do whatever they want.
At least I myself know I am infinitely more than "my data".

I don't believe all these newfangled services are perfect. There are certainly thoroughly bad points about all.
But while being aware of the potential bad, I can still see the good too. Because that certainly exists too.

Also, I find this heated discussion really quite unpleasant.
I feel like I'm somehow "in the wrong" and/or being judged for using these services,
despite me doing it in full charge of my faculties and not even remotely overdoing it.

I have also tried to present a relatively balanced view and feel like I am failing.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Spoilers, spoilers, spoilers!!!

 

[Cerez]

Also, I find this heated discussion really quite unpleasant.
I feel like I'm somehow "in the wrong" and/or being judged for using these services,
despite me doing it in full charge of my faculties and not even remotely overdoing it.

I have also tried to present a relatively balanced view and feel like I am failing.

Then let's put an end to it, because I am feeling exactly the same way. I'm sorry. I've provided you with enough academic information and evidence here that you can sensibly make up your own mind.

I've worked in the digital entertainment industry, on the web side of things, and I've seen exactly what's going on behind the scenes, so I cannot share your skepticism and (what I feel is insincere and overarching) optimism. I am also not having a go at you, but putting faith in you that you will gain deeper insight -- as I feel this is very important for your person and health. We are all less in control than we believe ourselves to be, and it's important that we acknowledge that, otherwise we become trapped victims in a vicious cycle -- our choices and habits are influenced, and so we need to learn to be mindful of and responsible with what we are exposing ourselves to daily. Healing begins with humility and acceptance. Autonomy grows from such awareness, and it is strongest when we keep our minds open to all insight and knowledge.

And what makes all addiction/dependency so challenging is exactly that: at first it makes us feel good, so we side with it and try to convince ourselves that we are in control, without looking at the full picture. In time, that daily feel-good becomes our new habit and our brain becomes wired to it, creating a dependency. And companies are using this and other human-social factors to practically enslave and control us. To be clear, I am not saying you are necessarily addicted -- yet! But I can see that the seeds are already planted -- the unrealistic, warm and fuzzy Disney image through marketing/propaganda, and the 'better than Netflix' sentiment, that covers up that you are essentially using the same kind of closed, despotic platform with heavy/absolute control over your consumption. The latter psychological tactic is often used to provide seeming variety and freedom of choice when there really is none behind-the-scenes, when absolute control is established. By making you consider Disney+ better than Netflix, they are drawing your attention away from the fact that both platforms are very harmful. Over time, once they've gained a large enough userbase, they will clamp down on the Disney+ platform and exercise increased control.

I will certainly never be using any of these services, and it upsets me to see people not having the insight to realise just how intentionally harmful they really are. The truth, the behind-the-scenes sick culture and immoral madness, will come to light in time, I just hope that by that time it will not be too late to make a change, that the psychological/spiritual and cultural damage to our people and society will not be irreversible.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Don't worry about my health in relation to Disney+.
If something is going to harm me, it's toxic people in my actual environment.
Or, more accurately, toxic behaviour from mostly well-intentioned people who are quite oblivious to... all sorts of stuff.

There's a good chance there are plenty people truly at risk of getting addicted to these services.
But I am not one of them. I wouldn't even have the time.
And I've got a real-life sailboat, remember?

Also, as it comes to harmful things on this planet, I dare say I've seen my fair share at sea.
Read plenty of investigation reports about others and even had some covered in training courses.
There were some very sad and disturbing situations with innocent girls in The Philippines that I witnessed first hand too.

As I think I said before, I'm painfully aware of how sick this world is.
So if ever you think I am "too positive", think again.
I never am. That is a luxury I simply do not have.

But the moment we lose our hope is the moment we've lost it all.
And that is something I am unwilling to let happen.
Not if I can avoid it.

 

[Cerez]

I understand. I feel that we need to encourage caring, responsible, loving behaviour and actively discourage things based selfish, competitive, exploitative, destructive behaviour. Our human social world has too much of the latter, and ultimately it does good to no-one.

You are absolutely right that we need to actively seek the beauty and joy in our natural lives, but we need to do so with both eyes wide open (with both good reason and insight), learning to accept our human-social reality for what it is and actively protecting ourselves (and others, including all living creatures in our environment) from imbalance and harm. We also need to take care of and treat our bodies, to fill our needs and comfort ourselves adequately, and in balance.

This is the primary reason anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses are increasingly prevalent in the human population, and moreso in developed countries: imbalanced social influence on our lives.

I am still learning it myself how to best take care of myself and establish balance in my life that is independent from our extremely imbalanced socio-cultural influence. It's a very hard thing to do, but our health and quality of life depends on it. Unlearning a particular, unhealthy way of doing things your brain has been used to (developed/grown with and/or addicted to) for many years is very difficult and stressful on the body and spirit. Finding the right balance takes insight, a gradual transition, much practice, will/spirit/determination, and time. It's a sacrifice most people are not willing and/or able to make for their health and happiness.

Human living/life is complicated enough without society throwing so much imbalanced control and influence into the mix. That's why we need to learn what is truly important if we want to stay healthy, and to actively discard those societal influences that are leading us astray.

If the negative, competitive-exploitative social trend continues as it has, this form of vigilance in self-care will become more and more important in our lives.

 

[Cerez]

This overview is social media based, but the same principles largely apply to any digital platform that is fully controlled by companies/corporations that have no sense of moral responsibility for their customers'/users' human rights, lives, and health:

 

[Cerez]

Spoilers, spoilers, spoilers!!!

Five minutes into the movie I felt my stomach turning, and had to force myself to keep watching. The rest of the movie I kept shaking my head, laughing in despair, groaning, and repeating "deus ex machina much"?! In terms of connecting this back into the old Star Wars lore, and in terms of rational logic, nothing made sense -- literally nothing! It was screaming "I don't know Star Wars but I'm making a Star Wars movie just for the money anyway". It was also screaming "I don't know how to make a good movie, how to tell a quality story".

(And, in case you're wondering, no, I didn't pay to see it, and never will buy it. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm never watching/reading another Disney-made Star Wars content in my life again. All they've made so far is enough to put me off from Disney Star Wars forever -- they've clearly proven they have no heart and have no idea how to genuinely structure and write an epic. I really miss Lucas-led Lucasfilm.)

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Just found this:
The Future of ‘Star Wars’ Is Bleak

Lots of painful truth in there.
And it's turning ME off from Star Wars as well!
Pretty impressive feat, considering I was quite a big (non-toxic) fan.

I hope once the dust settles, Rian Johnson will get his chance at another film.
From what I can tell, he did want to broaden the horizons and take some bold risks here and there.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

While TROS was a bit iffy, the finale to The Mandalorian WAS cool!
Too bad it was only 8 episodes.
But there will be a second season.

 

[Cerez]

Just found this:
The Future of ‘Star Wars’ Is Bleak

Lots of painful truth in there.
And it's turning ME off from Star Wars as well!
Pretty impressive feat, considering I was quite a big (non-toxic) fan.

You know what the saddest part is? The 7.0 IMDB rating, the box-office success, and the prevalence of the film everywhere despite the fact that it is one of the single worst high-budget films of this decade.

Twenty-five years ago a movie like this would have not only flopped at the box office, but it would have marked Disney in the eyes of the fans as completely worthless of spending money on and brought the company/franchise down -- it would have been completely shameful to publish something like this. This series is not only playing it safe, it's literally taking no creative risks whatsoever (except for Rian's admittedly childish/irresponsible and out-of-place humorous twists).

I've watched the live-action Dora the Explorer remake recently, and, despite being a quite awful film, even that had more creativity in it than this rubbish. Even the Shyamalan Avatar live action remake was better a film -- and that screams mountains! So why are those films treaded down upon while this horrible series stands with a high rating and high success and popularity? Shows how much people have been changed, and how much they are culturally and socially controlled now by corporations.

Geek/nerd culture used to thrive on accurate details, logic, consistency in films. Film-makers were dedicated to quality storytelling. Now anything passes as long as it meets the repeated Hollywood blockbuster template and gives you any kind of cheap feeling/rush.

When Star Wars was created, there was nothing like it. And George Lucas spent years, decades fleshing out (and keeping a watchful eye on) its characters, rules, story, and universe. The whole reason Star Wars got so big was because of this consistency, this unified vision. Fans knew what to expect in this world, it felt familiar -- they felt it was as good as real.

This was the first thing Disney threw away after the acquisition. They just didn't understand what Star Wars stood for in the first place. They only saw a name (and character names in it), with dollar signs attached to it.

I guarantee you, the longer Disney goes on making Star Wars content like this, the less things will make logical sense, and the less popular Star Wars will become over time, until it becomes a frail shadow of its former self. One of the most popular and longest running franchises, fictional worlds, and modern cultural heritages destroyed by insatiable greed and arrogance...

Edit:

As for myself, I will continue to cherish the old Star Wars universe, before Disney came on board to completely muck things up.

So consider me a dedicated Lucas or old-Star-Wars fan -- and that legacy ends with season 6 of The Clone Wars.

The same thing kind of applies to Star Trek as well (seeing as the new content has been following a similar formula), of which I am also a fan of.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

The "no risks" bit is accurate.
But it's not that Disney changed the culture.
My main objection is that the (toxic!) culture changed Disney.
Because originally they DID have the intention of NOT thoroughly playing it safe.

Otherwise, The Last Jedi would never have existed.
And Solo wouldn't have originally been going to the directors of The LEGO Movie, of all people.

What I saw, the original intentions weren't too shabby.
But "the suits" must've gotten cold feet and started worrying about their return on investment.
And that led to playing it safe.
And that led to listening to toxic fans.
And that led to disappointed NON-toxic fans.

But again, we could try to maintain some positivity too.
And the positives are that The Mandalorian is really quite enjoyable.
And that John Williams wrote another three scores, as well as an excellent theme for Solo and Galaxy's Edge.
And that the music to Solo by John Powell is particularly good too.
And that the space battle in Rogue One is one of the best I've seen.

So it's not a total loss.
And I sincerely hope that Disney will learn from its failures.
And that the "fan"dom (fan-dumb?) will start to realise their own part in this.

And that eventually "we" as a species will continue to learn to "grow up".
Which, for the record, does NOT mean "alienating ourselves from all things child-like", nor "ignoring any and all emotions, especially strong ones, especially strong negative ones, but absolutely also strong positive ones" as a lot of people these days erroneously seem to believe.

In the end, the future becomes what we choose to focus on.
Given the bleakness of the present, it's easy to lose ourselves in that.
But is that really what we want to reinforce?

 

[Cerez]

I only have one thing to comment about what you've said: the "toxic" fandom that you are referring to here is only "toxic" because Disney deliberately provoked them by destroying everything they had ever loved. It's a strong reaction to strong hurt inflicted. I wouldn't blame the victim -- it's not right.

And that Disney was playing it safe from the very beginning, from the first film. The Hollywood cliches, the abuse of well-known heroes/characters, the lack of story and character development, the over-exaggerated Force abilities, inconsistent with the old Star Wars universe, were all already present in the first movie. In fact, they started playing it safe when they canned the established canon and Expanded Universe in favour of their own new Star Wars world, replacing the old world.

To say that fans should not be critical is to say we should be absolutely compliant. I definitely do not agree with that philosophy -- as that is what has led us to this bleak point. I like it when people rise up, I like it when we scream at the movie-makers, when we refuse continuing to pay for a series. It's what keeps them serious about their craft and produce quality content. The only thing we would need to change is our appreciation for artworks as creative challenges, and the risks associated with taking such bold challenges -- so that our perspectives are a little more open to creative expression and allow the fimmakers to experiment. A little more love for the craft as well as the fictional world and characters.

Listening to the fandom is crucial with long-running stories/franchises. But it doesn't necessarily mean following everything we ask for to a tee. It means staying faithful to what means so much to us, and entertaining and inspiring us further. It is the job of the movie-maker to creatively push the boundaries while staying true to the characters, themes, and other qualities that made the work so well loved in the first place, and to engage their audience, leaving them genuinely inspired.

 

[Cerez]

The toxic culture you are looking for as cause for the poor quality of the movies is actually not in the fandom at all but in the corporate creative management of Disney and other Hollywood publishers/studios. Taking less creative risks has become associated with higher profits. Hollywood studios have established their own psychologically manipulative, fixed formulas on how a movie should be structured, what sells. Never mind that movie-making has always been a risky profession, and that those creative risks are exactly what makes it worthwhile, what add quality to movies as art.

Hollywood studios have over time in effect trained people to expect movies in a certain way. So they control our behaviour, our responses. And Disney has been using this to create propaganda against old Star Wars fans, actually -- deliberately provoking them and establishing negative socio-cultural perspectives against criticism of their new Star Wars films. Once again to make sure they play it absolutely safe in terms of profits. All of this has been highly controlling and manipulative, a planned business strategy.

So if I understand what you're trying to say correctly, what you're in effect telling me is the Disney perspective/propaganda, not the (full) truth of what happened.

(Obviously I disagree with the 'sharing is stealing' and 'Disney knows what people want' points, the latter being a lack of perspective into how Disney's market domination, aggressive marketing, and socio-cultural influence and control works.)

 

[Cerez]

An inside perspective into the arrogant and toxic, corporate executive culture at Disney, as it pertains to making art:

 

[Cerez]

On Disney's Star Wars, from an old fan's perspective:

(Trigger warning: passionate yelling)

 

[Cerez]

Also a funny and insightful critical review on the poor state of Hollywood blockbuster movies today (featuring the Star Wars films):

(Trigger warning: swearing, graphic language)