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Walt Disney's Influence On American Culture

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Walt Disney is an American icon that many people look towards when in the art of animation. He was born in 1901 in Chicago, but spent his childhood in Missouri. He had always been interested in the arts and in making money to provide for his family. He gained the ambitious vision which lead him to create his globally known company Walt Disney. He and his company a helped America rise in power through embracing American cultural values, politics, and social values to the world. While Walt Disney had major influence on society, he also created his own culture in American society. His influence is largely represented in the counterculture of the 1960s. Walt was about defending the cultural idea of the American Dream which included hard-work, …show more content…

The Cold War inspired fear of communism and a hatred towards the Soviets. The Cold War was a major time of impact for this stereotypical image of America. “Walt helped shape America self-image during the Cold War” (325). Donald Duck was a large character in the display of the Cold War. He used Donald Duck getting drafted to highlight the patriotism Americans should feel. Americans should be proud to fight for their country. Disney faced the challenge of trying to preserve individualism while also showing off America's small town virtues. These small town virtues were still promoting America as a major world power and needed to show dominance. He believed the small town virtues consisted of neighborliness, walkability, safe inviting streets, and a wholesome community that was welcoming to everyone. Walt saw these small town virtues as a leading effort for America. He wanted to show off that Americans could represent these things even on a national scale. Walt also started a campaign to show of the American life. He used family life to address social issues that lay in the background as well. Walts persistence into the family life had lead to a resonance of support for social issues and

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