In my last article, I wanted to drive home the importance of fighting back against recent actions that the Disney corporation has taken. The leak of internal videos discussing “not-so-secret agendas” by Christopher Rufo set my blood to boiling, and I wanted to outline some steps that could be taken to push back against Disneys political efforts. What a difference a couple of weeks makes.
I’ve started writing this follow up article several times in the last week, but as news and commentary jumped all over the story of the Florida passing legislation to repeal the Reedy Creek Improvement District, things were moving so fast I had to rethink how I was going to position this piece. While considering that, I thought about some dialogue generated by my last article – I did receive some pushback on the war language that was used, and I realized that in my haste and anger banging out the last one, I had glossed over or outright missed some points I had originally intended to make. Now that I’ve had a little time to cool off, I wanted to address those issues and lay out a continuing strategy to try to moderate Disney.
Why we Fight
Some of the pushback that I received in using war language and quoting Sun Tzu was that what we’re talking about is a cartoon and entertainment company, and isn’t this language a little overheated? Prior to the release of the Chris Rufo videos, I likely would have agreed. Fandoms can get a little obsessive over minutiae, and it’s no secret that we can get wound up pretty easily. It’s very easy to say “Chill out – it’s just a movie.”
The predicate I should have laid in my previous article was that we’re not just talking about movies and TV shows anymore, and that’s why I was so angry. Disney has taken the position that a corporation’s interest supercedes the interest of the parent in the moral education of their children. Does that sound like I’m overstating the case? How else could you characterize a company holding the position that the “educational” materials they want to push should be kept secret from their parents, or that the parents have no right to inspect nor object to them – especially when the legislation that Disney is taking the public position of opposing was overwhelming supported by the electorate of that state? We fight culture wars so that we don’t have to fight actual wars.
Engaging in a culture war means actually having a dialogue – arguing, presenting evidence, and allowing consumers to make up their own minds about what they support. If you’re playing “hide the ball” with the information being debated, no such debate can occur. Make no mistake, this isn’t about entertainment anymore. When Disney wades into this issue, they take the position that their moral instruction is superior to parents; the will of voters of a state and the laws that they choose the pass.
The Nature of War
All wars are ultimately fought over resources – either their acquisition or denial. This can be in the form of material (such as land, food, water, fuel, precious materials, etc) OR something more ephemeral (such as lines of communication, converts, or mindspace.) I’ve spent a lot of time trying to understand why up until now, Disney has been willing to alienate a segment of their fanbase. This seems antithetical to the purpose of a corporation, which is to make money. Surely being apolitical would be the safer course – appealing to a broader spectrum and thus generating more dollars?
Up until now, Disney and other “woke” corporations have managed to insulate themselves from financial hits, mostly through diversification. You may not want to support Disney+, but do you still travel to the parks? Do you still subscribe to Hulu, or ESPN? Do you watch ABC news? I think Disney and other corporations have been willing to take some short-term losses for the perceived goal of total information control. If media companies can assume this control in the public square, they control a vital resource – mindspace. If these media companies control the infrastructure that allows competition to spring up (nee Parler) they can squelch any threats over trumped up charges. This power can warp public perceptions in fairly serious ways – in effect, bending reality for those who aren’t able to research for themselves or find dissenting views.
How We Fight
This is why what is happening now is so important – Twitter, Netflix, Warner, and Disney are ALL getting serious wake-up calls this week. The pendulum seems to be swinging quite violently and rapidly in the opposite direction. True liberalism means more speech, not suppressed speech, and people are tired of having their speech stifled, and their kids messed with. While the Florida legislation repealing Reedy Creek passed in record time last week, it does not take effect until July of next year. This is the ultimate Sword of Damocles for Disney. It is practically a dare – “Are you sure you want to keep poking the bear?”
Both halves of the nuclear code have been entered, and the button is primed for launch. It is NOT the time to back down in this fight – when the enemy is on their heels, you press the advantage. Regardless of how/whether Disney moderates, I believe the button MUST be pressed. Disney has failed to fulfill their obligations that led to the passage of the Reedy Creek Improvement initiative after 55 years of enjoying an unprecedented sweetheart deal. See Valliant Renegades and WDW Pros excellent coverage of this issue here: Watch the Video)
In their arrogance, they believed that Florida would never repeal these special benefits. They believed themselves to be powerful enough to dictate policy to a state, and to meddle with parental rights. It is time for them to be slapped down. To that end – there are other major vulnerabilities that the mouse must contend with. The political winds are very likely to shift come November. Disney will once again attempt to extend their copyright to Mickey Mouse. It would be fair for legislators to ask, why should they do so? Disney has been shown to bite the hand that feeds them. Imagine if Mickey enters the public domain, and other studios begin producing Mickey Mouse cartoons or merchandise that is superior and cheaper than what Disney can produce?
This is how we must continue the fight – continue to press your legislators. Hold Disney and other companies accountable through the legislators they rely on, and the board members of companies that have a fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders. Attack them from every angle that they cannot defend against – if we call them names, they can ignore us. If their shareholders revolt, they cannot. With the major stock drops and housecleaning that are occurring at Disney, Netflix, Warner, et al, these companys are going to be looking sideways at each other and seeing who buckles first. Sony likely has a head start on all of the above.
The companies must moderate or have those who do eat their lunch.
