How to be a Hero (Disney version)

Yesterday I saw a commercial for the first time. We see parents and their children going about their daily business: pushing strollers, shopping, spending time around the house, doing homework together. Only the parents are dressed in brightly-colored spandex and wearing capes. In the background, we hear instrumental music that is probably vaguely familiar to most 30-somethings: after a few seconds of listening, and after processing the parents' costumes, I realized it was the theme to the 1980's TV show "The Greatest American Hero."

How nice, I thought. A PSA encouraging parents to be heroes to their kids by interacting with them, paying attention to them, making time for them, becoming a part of their lives. Yeah, right.

No.

I don't remember verbatim what the voiceover said when it started, but it was something like "Be a hero to your kids. Take them to Disneyworld."

And now we see the spandex-clad-and-caped parents standing with their kids at the fireworks show at a surprisingly uncrowded Disneyworld (minus any rowdy drunks - must not have been a weekend.) The voiceover goes on to tell us that a family of four (two parents and two children) can spend something like six days and five nights - or was it five days and six nights? - at Disneyworld for the low, low price of $1500. (I think. I only saw the commercial once.)

Arrrgh. Disney really is the Evil Empire, isn't it?

Actually, Disneyworld is fun for adults and kids - well, kids over 4 years old, at least. Otherwise it's overwhelming and exhausting. And don't go on the weekend - see the link above. Still, if you want to be a hero to your kids, there are probably a lot better ways to do it than to fly them down to wander through an overpriced three-dimensional commercial.