Disney got dragged into a fight with Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis that the company didn’t really care about. So now it has to make up to activists with silly slacktivism.
Disney Diversity and Inclusion Manager Vivian Ware — it is amazing that such a job exists or that this person has any job — boasted about how the company is erasing “ladies and gentlemen” and “boys and girls” from park greetings. Last year, the company began phasing out the phrases for the Magic Kingdom fireworks show as part of an effort to make the company more “inclusive.”
“We don’t want to just assume because someone might be in our interpretation may be presenting as female that they may not want to be called ‘princess,’” Ware said. “So let’s think differently about how do we really engage with our guests in a meaningful and inclusive way that makes it magical and memorable for everyone.”
SCOOP: Disney diversity and inclusion manager Vivian Ware says the company has eliminated all mentions of “ladies,” “gentlemen,” “boys,” and “girls” in its theme parks in order to create “that magical moment” for children who do not identify with traditional gender roles. pic.twitter.com/OWsGTUoeCA
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) March 29, 2022
Aside from the laughable notion that such a change is “meaningful,” it’s a measure that doesn’t match the rest of Disney’s operation. Fox Business reported that the company didn’t respond when asked if they would eliminate the gendered terms “princes” and “princesses,” two of the company’s biggest brands. The company also hasn’t said if its “inclusive” terminology will be extended to parks in Tokyo and Shanghai or answered why the merchandise on its website is categorized under “men,” “women,” “boys,” and “girls.”
Disney is inclusive when it comes to park greetings — just not merchandise, international parks, or its billion-dollar princess brand. Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing nothing meaningful.
Of course, this all stems from a fight Disney never wanted. CEO Bob Chapek never wanted to make a public feud out of the legislation that the activists had never even bothered to read. Disney waited until after the bill protecting young children from extremely inappropriate materials had already been passed because the activists were so angry with the company’s silence. Disney doesn’t know what it’s fighting for or what it’s supposed to be doing. It certainly doesn’t care about the children it entertains. The company is just trying to gain the approval of the small but very loud activist class that now tries to drag every business into its political fights.
Disney is just another soulless company trying to win meaningless social justice points. It is only concerned about showing screaming activists that it’s a nice woke company that toes the progressive line. Disney, the company that panders to China and even thanks Chinese government agencies involved in the country’s genocide of the Uyghurs, does not care about real human rights. But it will contradict itself to make sure everyone knows it cares about whatever the activist class is mad about today.
