If I had to pick one place in the world to call my favorite, it would probably be the EPCOT theme park in Walt Disney World.
EPCOT is a testament to the values of multiculturalism and technological innovation, with its World Showcase and Future World halves. The former features mini-recreations of 11 nations, including authentic shops, architecture and dining locations, as well as theme park rides based on each nation’s culture.
Over the course of my life, I have sadly watched both the theme park and the outside world begin to eschew these values.
Many of EPCOT’s attractions were replaced with new ones themed to popular Disney properties, with rides based on “Frozen” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” replacing those themed to Norwegian culture and renewable energy, respectively. The former was an exploration of Viking mythology, the specifics of which were not well known to riders. The latter educated them about the shift away from fossil fuels toward green energy. Now, these rides represent popular movie franchises with little deeper lessons.
At the same time, the World Showcase has begun to feel dated, lacking many centers of modern culture like South Korea, India and the entire Middle East. These areas of the park already had the issue of not depicting their cultures beyond popular American conceptions and this is made worse by leaving out increasingly prominent nations that Americans are less familiar with.
Much like EPCOT, growing commercialization has caused us to give up on our ideals of technological growth and diversity. The current presidential administration is characterized by a rejection of both technology and diversity, ignoring life-saving innovations in green energy and medicine while demonizing immigrants from cultures less familiar to Americans. This change has led to an increasingly pessimistic view of the world and the future to take hold in our generation.
Why did this happen? I remember being fascinated by technology as a kid, hoping to one day have my own electric car or put solar panels on my roof. But I also wonder today if the corporations promoting the future truly believed in it.
EPCOT once had Future World attractions sponsored by ExxonMobil and General Motors, corporations that rely on destructive fossil fuel technology (1, 2). We see this trend continue today, where companies operate under the veneer of futurism to sell harmful technology. Look no further than the countless ads for AI we are subjected to, selling technology as “the future” while it threatens the environment and countless livelihoods. American culture and its belief in capitalism promise that these corporations will be the ones to bring about the technologically superior future. Since today’s companies seem more preoccupied with eliminating people’s jobs, it’s no wonder many have stopped believing in the future at all.
The same pessimism became common toward the once-popular tradition of multiculturalism. Many of us remember learning about other cultures as a part of our elementary school classes, with our teachers hoping that we would all regard each other as equals. As a kid, I thought that was the way the world was heading, but now we live in a culture of fear and skepticism toward those from other countries. What happened? Perhaps the grown-up world gave us those lessons because many within it didn’t believe they were possible.
EPCOT gives us another answer through its World Showcase, largely a collection of shops and restaurants for us to spend money in. Achieving that goal is much simpler when the consumers are familiar and comfortable with the nations being represented. Notably absent are the aforementioned countries whose populations are stereotyped, like India and Iran. In this way, the park is a mirror of the outside world, sharing its priority of profit over genuine cultural exchange.
Our generation’s optimistic view that the future would be defined by world-changing technology and greater cultural understanding was not strong enough to withstand the problems of the 2020s. Our country worshipped innovators like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs, whose products made our lives better. Later, CEOs like Sam Altman of OpenAI found that it was more profitable to steal art and destroy livelihoods. We could be sold computers and iPhones, but not the green energy production needed to stop climate change, a problem that has only worsened with the construction of energy-intensive AI data centers.
Our country has enjoyed being sold foreign foods and television shows, but turned its back on the ongoing migrant crisis. This is not to say that earlier tech products and cultural exchanges were not incredible, but it is clear now that these values cannot withstand crises when they are turned into products. I used to say that one of my favorite parts of the United States was the variety of cultural restaurants and shops one could visit in any large town or city, but can we truly call them evidence of tolerance if their owners are constantly demonized?
It’s easy to see why consumerism was such a core element of our pro-technology and multicultural values. The products that stemmed from them benefited our lives and made us happy.
However, we live in a world today where technology and immigration have become hot-button political issues rather than beacons of optimism. The extent to which the United States truly ever believed in these values is debatable, but that does not change the fact that they are more important than ever. Technology CEOs are not going to save the world, but innovations in green energy and medicine can still save lives. Our immigration system is broken, but countless migrants still try to come to the United States to live a better life.
To rediscover the importance of these values, our country must take a people-first approach.
We must celebrate the technological thinkers who work to tackle today’s problems, not the startup founders who want to get rich. We must connect with those around us from other cultural backgrounds, instead of only experiencing different cultures through Netflix shows. By decoupling our values from products, we shift our view from looking for personal benefits from technology and multiculturalism to truly understanding how they make the world better for everyone.
Kevin O’Connell is a sophomore majoring in political science.
Views expressed in the opinions pages represent the opinions of the columnists. The only piece that represents the view of the Pipe Dream Editorial Board is the staff editorial.