Disney vs. Denver vs. Chicago
Travel Blog • Michael Yessis • 11.27.07 | 10:53 AM ET
My return flight from Ireland landed at Dulles International Airport late Sunday afternoon, giving me a first-hand opportunity to see how the Disney-produced, U.S. government video to promote travel to the U.S., Welcome: Portraits of America, was being presented and received. I was amused, albeit probably not in the intended way.
The video played on several flat screen televisions facing the line to pass through immigration. The volume was so low, though, I could barely hear one of the video’s strongest points: the swelling, triumphant Disney soundtrack. Nice work!
But that wasn’t my biggest issue. Beside “Welcome: Portraits of America,” another television showed an American football game between the Denver Broncos and the Chicago Bears. Talk about muddying a message. If the U.S. government truly wants to relay a warm welcome to travelers arriving in the U.S., is it a strong move to play it alongside helmeted gladiators conveying the violent imagery that reinforces a lot of the stereotypes “Welcome: Portraits of America” is trying to counter?
The least they could have done is shown the New England Patriots.
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Michael Yessis is the cofounder and coeditor-in-chief of World Hum.
emily 11.27.07 | 12:59 PM ET
At least they weren’t showing Canadian teams.
TambourineMan 11.27.07 | 10:18 PM ET
Come on Mike, cut the immigration agents some slack. They’re tortured with that cheesy Disney video all day long. If they can’t watch football, they’ll act like even bigger a-holes to you.
Michael Yessis 11.28.07 | 10:46 AM ET
Ha! A Canadian football game would have been even better, Emily, considering the Disney video features footage of the Horseshoe Falls portion of Niagara Falls—the part that’s in Canada. Why not go all the way, then, with the Canadian football, too?
And I hear you TambourineMan. Unfortunately, the football game and the videos seemed visible only to arriving passengers.
emily 11.28.07 | 10:51 AM ET
‘swhat I was saying Michael - but I don’t want my lovely country maligned as being part of the neighbouring one.
Watch Live Football Online 02.13.08 | 5:33 AM ET
Another Patriots fotoball fan? Shame about the Superbowl result.
Setanta 04.08.08 | 4:53 AM ET
To be honest I thought the Patriots were by far the most consistent team of the season. Great article aswell,thanks.
Watch football 07.08.08 | 6:43 PM ET
I never want to see Dulles International Airport again, spent 24 hours stuck there in 07 because a pilot too ill, it was awful.