Back in the ’90s, I was broke. And by “broke” I don’t mean, “Oh man, I’m broke and can’t go to the Hootie and the Blowfish concert this weekend.” I mean the “Oh man, I had to put a taquito on layaway at 7-11” kind of broke. The kind of broke where my big thrill for the week was walking to the local supermarket to buy a discount Pepsi out of the banged-up machine in the parking lot kind of broke.
I was fresh out of a bad marriage and my job paid squat. I had moved into a one-bedroom bungalow built in 1930-something that was more of a spider condominium than an actual house. Nothing sharpens your attention quite like waking up in the middle of the night to find a Brown Recluse spider taking a breather in your chest hairs. I mean, this house was so old (How old was it?), it was so old that all of the outlets were up by the ceiling because when it came time to put in electricity, someone apparently decided just to run the wires through the old lines that may have fed the gas lamps. I was shaving before work one morning and the medicine chest and mirror suddenly gave up the ghost and fell off the wall. Damn near took my foot off.
This was around 1999, and I was driving a 1982 Chevy S-10 that had been retired from ranch duty. The body was probably 70% Bondo, which I discovered one day when I accidentally put a knee through a side panel. The engine was mostly new, though. I can attest to that since I was at the boneyard looking for a replacement carburetor, water pump or starter every other week. I kept a screwdriver in the cab to stick in the butterfly valve to get the thing to turn over.
I invented a new dish while I was broke. I called it “Mexican Surprise.” I once found a package of hard shells and a can of refried beans that had somehow escaped my attention. “Mexican Surprise” referred to the fact that I was genuinely surprised that I had any food left in the house.
So I’ve had money and I’ve been broke. I’m here to tell you, brothers and sisters: money is better. But the thing about being broke is that you learn to prioritize things if you want to stay alive. In fact, the basics like food, water, and shelter make up the foundation of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. So, if it came down to going to the bar for a cold one or buying groceries, I was off to the discount food store where the cans and boxes were nicked, dinged or crushed. But to my point: it is amazing what you don’t need to have a life.
Candace Owens recently called for a boycott of Disney. And by all means, you should give it to the Mouse good and hard. Owens’s main reason of course is the recent statements from the Mouse of which I am sure you are all too aware, and the Disney policies which we all knew about but some secretly hoped might go away when Chapek regained his senses. I know, fat chance.
But the Mouse is a veritable black hole when it comes to money, including your money.
Did you know:
Unlimited access to Disney Plus is around $80/year. That’s almost a tank of gas.
The average trip to Disney World for the 2022 season will run approximately $4,500 to $5,500 for a family of four. For Disneyland, you are looking at anywhere from $4,300 to over $9,000, depending on how large you want to vacay.
CNBC reported that for the fourth quarter of 2021, Disney’s earnings hit $18.53 billion. And in case you haven’t figured that out, the Mouse didn’t raise that kind of scratch through GoFundMe.
By contrast, according to indeed.com, the average salaries at Disney parks for 2021 were as follows:
Popular Roles
- Mechanic – $28.78 per hour
- Reservation Agent – $12.65 per hour
- Shipping and Receiving Clerk – $16.49 per hour
Food Preparation & Service
- Host/Hostess – $12.76 per hour
- Director of Food and Beverage – $14.91 per hour
- Steward – $13.18 per hour
Customer Service
- Guest Service Agent – $17.77 per hour
- Attendant – $12.86 per hour
- Installation & Maintenance
- Electrician – $27.01 per hour
- Electronics Technician – $28.13 per hour
- Facilities Technician – $21.94 per hour
- Gardener – $18.64 per hour
- HVAC Technician – $58,498 per year
- Lot Attendant – $12.12 per hour
- Maintenance Engineer – $19.74 per hour
- Maintenance Mechanic – $14.97 per hour
- Mechanic – $28.78 per hour
- Operator – $13.83 per hour
Loading and Stocking
- Handler –$23.22 per hour
- Inventory Associate – $14.87 per hour
- Packer – $25.92 per hour
- Receiver – $24,373 per year
- Shipping and Receiving Clerk – $16.49 per hour
- Warehouse Lead – $57,795 per year
- Warehouse Worker – $17.00 per hour
Arts & Entertainment
- Actor – $13.66 per hour
- Artist – $28.07 per hour
- Casting Manager – $90,561 per year
- Character Performer – $14.23 per hour
- Designer – $86,885 per year
- Entertainer – $13.97 per hour
- Performer – $13.67 per hour
- Presenter – $15.20 per hour
- Project Designer – $47,185 per year
Some low-level Disney employees have reported living in their cars. Orlando is expensive, and I doubt that the salaries listed above are enough to even think about making ends meet in Anaheim. Although employees might be able to rent a refrigerator box. Talk about financing a taquito.
When Walt Disney conceived of the idea for Disneyland, the average American amusement park was a seedy affair, run by ne’er do wells who were bent on separating visitors from their money. Walt was inspired by a park he visited in Denmark that was clean, family-friendly, and would not break the bank. The Disney of the 21st century has aspired to the exact opposite.
For what you are getting for the price, you have better things to do with your money.
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