2008 Woodie Awards
Baghdad theme park could fuel more anti-US beliefs
Issue date: 4/25/08 Section: OpEd Page
It was announced Wednesday, April 23 that C3, a Los Angeles based company, was developing a $500 million amusement park overseas that was designed by the firm that developed Disneyland. International cities that instantly came to mind to play host to the new park would be Paris, London, Hong Kong or Madrid. All of those cities seem like logical choices, but the amusement park will be built in Baghdad. Wait … what? Is there another Baghdad overseas that I'm thinking of? Well, no-amazingly this 50-acre park is scheduled to be built in a war-ravaged Iraqi city.
When I first read the article, I had to double check the date of the article, expecting to see April 1st. It had to be an April Fools joke and a pretty unbelievable one at that. But somehow it was not a joke-they were investing hundreds of millions of dollars in an amusement park in a city where terrorist attacks are nearly a part of everyday life. You didn't see theme parks built outside of unstable and devastated Berlin after World War II, did you?
They are planning on building the park over the Baghdad Zoo which hasn't exactly had the most success lately. Since the United States invasion, the zoo has lost 665 of its 700 animals and has been the occasional target of insurgent attacks. Sounds like a great place to take the family out and feel right at home.
I'm trying to think of a worse place to put this park and I just can't. I think we would be better off putting this park in North Korea or Iran. This park will shoot to the top of a prestigious list-the most likely terrorist target in the world. Hundred-foot-tall roller coasters, Splash Mountain and Dumbo rides built by the United States? I don't see how this could go wrong. They really might as well put neon signs around the park saying, "Please attack right here." One of my biggest questions is how are they going to keep this place safe? To stop this park from being attacked they are going to have to put more security around it than the Pentagon.
When I first read the article, I had to double check the date of the article, expecting to see April 1st. It had to be an April Fools joke and a pretty unbelievable one at that. But somehow it was not a joke-they were investing hundreds of millions of dollars in an amusement park in a city where terrorist attacks are nearly a part of everyday life. You didn't see theme parks built outside of unstable and devastated Berlin after World War II, did you?
They are planning on building the park over the Baghdad Zoo which hasn't exactly had the most success lately. Since the United States invasion, the zoo has lost 665 of its 700 animals and has been the occasional target of insurgent attacks. Sounds like a great place to take the family out and feel right at home.
I'm trying to think of a worse place to put this park and I just can't. I think we would be better off putting this park in North Korea or Iran. This park will shoot to the top of a prestigious list-the most likely terrorist target in the world. Hundred-foot-tall roller coasters, Splash Mountain and Dumbo rides built by the United States? I don't see how this could go wrong. They really might as well put neon signs around the park saying, "Please attack right here." One of my biggest questions is how are they going to keep this place safe? To stop this park from being attacked they are going to have to put more security around it than the Pentagon.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 4
Ashlee
posted 4/25/08 @ 12:10 PM EST
Well, the wait in line for coasters can't be too long...
AB
posted 4/25/08 @ 4:50 PM EST
Where are you getting your info on the Baghdad Zoo? I just read a glowing article, posted 12 HOURS AGO, from the AP about the "revitalized" Baghdad Zoo. (Continued…)
JS
posted 4/25/08 @ 9:49 PM EST
Insurgent attacks really sound right at home for a family in Iraq don't they?
R a-K
posted 4/28/08 @ 6:44 PM EST
Firstly, this is not a Disney theme park, its a Disney-like theme park, so there will be no blatant imagery of Disney icons, which by the ways, are wildly popular in the Middle East. (Continued…)
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