Widespread popularity of the latest television and movie streaming service, Disney+, there have been countless memes praising the new entertainment subscription.
But with that praise, I have also seen quite a fair share of critcisim about it. Not regarding the quality of the new service, but rather, the age of the people who seem to be using and talking about it the most.
I’ve noticed tweets mocking and degrading the young adults who have been excited about the shows and movies from their childhood that they’ll be able to watch and enjoy again, as if that’s something worthwhile to make fun of.
And before someone says it — I realize that it’s the internet and everyone likes to joke and make fun of, well, pretty much most things.
If I’ve learned anything from my 24 years on this earth, it’s that people will find ways to pick apart whatever they can, no matter what it is, just because they’re able to.
It’s similar to the hate I’ve seen directed towards teenagers who want to go trick-or-treating.
Why does it matter?
In all honesty, is it really worth the effort to care about people over the age of 12 who want to dress up and get some candy?
With the state of the world right now, and the relative uncertainty surrounding our collective futures, is it truly that terrible to allow teenagers to hold onto their childhoods and get some joy out of something for as long as they’re able to?
Disney+ appeals to such a large demographic of young adults because, heaven forbid, it’s a distraction and an escape from everything else that might be going on in our daily lives right now.
It’s a source of simple entertainment that offers a wide variety of movies and television shows — and for a little over eight bucks a month, that really isn’t too bad.
For all of the sardonic posts aimed at millennials who are passionate about what Hogwarts house they think they would belong to, or which fictional character they personally identify with —
let them be.
I used to be absolutely obsessed with a dozen different “fandoms” (a word that makes me cringe now when I use it, thanks to the internet) in high school, and thinking about how happy those things made me, as trivial as they might have seemed to other people, I sometimes miss them for the comfort and happiness they brought me.
Sure, like many aspects of life, you grow out of them as you get older and move on.
But people shouldn’t need to have their own kids as the only reason to revisit the movies and shows from their youth in order to experience those feelings once again.
So if Stacey wants to hit the club with her friends until 2 a.m. and eat her post Pub on King Domino’s while watching High School Musical and reruns of Even Stevens then why shouldn’t she be able to? Let the girl live.
You best believe that I’ll be caving and trying out Disney+ for myself, shamelessly bingwatching The Suite Life of Zack and Cody and singing along to Aladdin.
