Amusements Made to Save Man

This chapter re-introduces the idea of roller coasters as moral machines and morality mechanisms, as they were designed to rid mankind of immoral entertainment, and traces their ability to spread American culture via themed entertainment from World's Fairs to Disneyland and beyond. It features an analysis of two Chinese themed rides, one of which has been developed with American cultural constructs and one of which begins to develop a new form of Chinese historical theme park. Through these examples, it suggests the potential for themed amusements to spread not just American morality and culture, but to provide sites of cultural exchange.