Dealing With Disney Haters

All my life, people have found my Disney obsession odd. I think they thought it was cute when I was little but expected me to "grow up". In the words of Peter Pan, "I'll never grow up, never grow up, never grow up! Not me!"

There are people who are polite about my Disney obsession but there are also those who make fun of me and try to bring me down. Once, I was at a party at a friend's apartment and some drunk guy heard me talking about Disney and he said to me "Eff Mickey Mouse". I had to leave before I punched him in the face. What a rude thing to say! I also had a horrible boss who asked me if I knew that Walt was an anti-Semite.  Queue the Liz Lemon over-the-top eye roll sequence. I cannot believe that people still think that horrible old rumor is true. Then there was the time I went to get my eyebrows waxed for my Disney wedding and the aesthetician said she used to live in Orlando and she never wanted to see another mouse. No tip for her! Then, when we began planning our Disney wedding, there were people who went on and on about how Universal is better and they don't like Disney World. I don't hate Universal, I've been there before and it's neat. But it is not better than Disney in my mind and anyone that would say that to me is doing so to get a rise out of me. I don't appreciate that. I can name any number of other situations I have been in but these four in particular stand out in my head.

What upsets me about these people is that I actually used to let them get me down. From 2003 - 2007 I became detached from Disney. I felt like it was weird for me to be in my 20's and still obsessing over something that is geared for children. What I came to find out is that Disney is really not just for children. It wasn't until I became a part of the Disney Online Community that I realized a Disney obsession is a healthy obsession. I have met some of the best friends I've ever had because of my Disney obsession. The one thing we all have in common is that we are extremely kind, happy people. We are a group of people who want to inspire and help others to raise them up instead of tearing them down.

People who try to bring others down are extremely dysfunctional. Teasing in any form is something that I do not tolerate. Bullying is an extreme form of teasing. A bully will tease you constantly in order to get a reaction. They actually feel better about themselves when they tear others down. Recently, I was watching an episode of Too Fat For Fifteen on bullying and the expert suggested that you respond to a bully by saying "That was rude. I don't need this, I'm outta here." I really liked this advice because I was always told to ignore it but then I would bottle it up and eventually explode. Dealing with it in an assertive, not aggressive, manner is a better way to deal with it IMHO.

Just keep in mind that there is a time and place for your Mickey Mouse crocs, Disney Nerds gear, Disney Dooney, and any other Disney paraphernalia you may have. I fully understand that when I visit the grocery store in Baltimore with my Mickey Mouse tee, crocs, and purse, I'm going to get some weird looks. That's a big factor why I'm moving to Orlando!!

Have you dealt with Disney haters? How did you deal with it? Join the conversation by leaving a comment!