Last updated on April 11th, 2022 at 06:46 am
To the dismay of many of its fans, Disney has become increasingly captured by woke ideology over the past few years. For example, senior executives at Disney have been caught on tape blatantly admitting that they are trying to foist radical LGBT ideology on unsuspecting children. Disney has also bowed down to the radical transgender lobby by banning the use of the phrases “ladies and gentlemen” and “boys and girls” at its amusement parks because they “exclude” people who do not identify as either male or female, who identify as both, or who change with what sex they identify. And most recently Disney has come out strongly against a new Florida law that bans schools from indoctrinating children between the ages of 5 and 9 in radical LGBT ideology. (It is truly tragic that a law like this was even needed, but the goal of radical LGBT activists is to indoctrinate children as young as they can before reason can show children the falsehoods of the ideology.)
However, support for Disney’s radical positions is not monolithic within the company. Indeed, in a recent open letter to the company entitled “In Favor of a Politically Neutral Disney,” Disney employees openly expressed dissatisfaction with the leftward lurch of the company. The letter, written anonymously because the writers feared retaliation at Disney if their names became public, began:
“As employees of the Walt Disney Company, we believe in the dignity of all people…However, over the last few years, one group of cast members has become invisible within the company. The Walt Disney Company has come to be an increasingly uncomfortable place to work for those of us whose political and religious views are not explicitly progressive. We watch quietly as our beliefs come under attack from our own employer, and we frequently see those who share our opinions condemned as villains by our own leadership.”
In particular, the employees questioned Disney’s opposition to the new Florida law and similar legislation across the country that protects young school children from being indoctrinated in radical LGBT ideology:
“The company’s evolving response to the so-called ‘Don’t Say Gay’ legislation in Florida has left many of us wondering what place we have in a company actively promoting a political agenda so far removed from our own. TWDC leadership frequently communicates its commitment to creating an inclusive workplace where cast members feel comfortable sharing their perspectives and being their authentic selves at work. That is not our workplace experience.
Over the last few weeks, we have watched as our leadership has expressed their condemnation for laws and policies we support. We have watched as our colleagues, convinced that no one in the company could possibly disagree with them, grow increasingly aggressive in their demands. They insist that TWDC take a strong stance on not only this issue but other legislation and openly advocate for the punishment of employees who disagree with them.”
The employees then discussed the climate of fear Disney leadership has created within the company:
“An internal poll within the company went out a few months ago asking us if we felt accepted in the company. Many of us didn’t complete it because the nature of the questions made us worry that the results of the poll could be used to target us for quietly holding a position that runs against the progressive orthodoxy that Disney seems to promote. TWDC has fostered an environment of fear that any employee who does not toe the line will be exposed and dismissed.”
The letter then noted the dual standards within Disney:
“Much has been made of our internal efforts to Reimagine Tomorrow [“diversity, inclusion, and equity” campaign], but as much as diversity and inclusion are promoted, the tomorrow being reimagined doesn’t seem to have much room for religious or political conservatives within the company. Left-leaning cast members are free to promote their agenda and organize on company time using company resources. They call their fellow employees “bigots” and pressure TWDC to use corporate influence to further their left-wing legislative goals.
Meanwhile, those of us who don’t align with this vision keep our heads down and do our work without bringing our personal beliefs into the workplace. We’ve done this without complaint because we don’t want to rock the boat, but the boat is being rocked, and our leadership seems compelled to reward those who are rocking it.
Employees who want TWDC to make left-wing political statements are encouraged, while those of us who want the company to remain neutral can say so only in a whisper out of fear of professional retaliation. The company we love seems to think we don’t exist or don’t belong here. This politicization of our corporate culture is damaging morale and causing many of us to feel our days with TWDC might be numbered.”
The employees then noted the harm to its customers Disney’s radical policies was causing:
“[A]s this politicization makes its way into our content and public messaging, our more conservative customers will feel similarly unwanted. You can only preach at or vilify your audience for so long before they decide to spend their money elsewhere.”
The letter then made an impassioned plea for Disney to avoid becoming yet another area of division within the country:
“Disney shouldn’t be a vehicle for one demographic’s political activism. It’s so much bigger and more important than that. More than ever, the world needs things that we can unite around. That’s the most valuable role The Walt Disney Company could play in the world at this time. It’s a role we’ve played for nearly a century, and it would be a shame to throw all of that away in the face of left-wing political pressure. Please don’t let Disney become just another thing we divide over.”
In an open letter to Disney opposing the company’s woke policies, Disney employees let the world know that the entertainment giant is not the leftwing monolith it pretends to be. Indeed, there is quiet opposition within the company from employees who do not tow the company’s radical LGBT line. Let’s hope that executives at Disney will hear this message before it continues to alienate more employees and customers alike and totally destroys the brand created by the legendary pro-family, pro-traditional values Walt Disney.