'Baghdad Disney': An explosive ride

Every so often, you hear about an idea that is so godawfully bad that you have to giggle. I'm not talking about minor stupidities like a Porsche minivan or a movie based on a video game. No, I'm talking monstrously bad, like McDonald's selling sushi, condoms marketed to Catholics, or beer made for toddlers: ideas that are so hideously terrible that they are epic.

Here's an example: Llewellyn Werner, the Chairman of C3, a Los Angeles-based holding company for private equity firms, is investing $525 million into an amusement park in downtown Baghdad. You heard me right: Baghdad Disney.

I'm not even going to go into the terrible jokes that this brings to mind, although I already have some great ideas for colorful characters that could wander through the park in big animal suits. Regardless, "The Baghdad Zoo and Entertainment Experience" will have a skateboarding area, a concert theater and a museum, and is being developed with the help of the group that built Disneyland. While I admire Werner's dedication to bringing fun and entertainment to the embattled residents of Baghdad, I can't help but wonder about the wisdom of building an American-style amusement park in an area where any reflection of American culture is a red flag. Werner, however, is convinced that the people of Iraq will embrace the lighthearted fun of his new venture.

On the other hand, maybe he's right. "Baghdad Disney" might be just the thing to bring American values to Iraq. I wonder if there are any plans in the works for a water park!

Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. After a half-hour in any amusement park, he starts to plot against American culture.