As someone who grew up as a kid of the 90s, I am sadly what I believe the teens call a “Disney adult.” I love going to the parks and watching the animated films just as much as I enjoy their more “adult” content with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and their work with Star Wars. I am someone who did, however, grow up with the kind of family who would call me out for acting like Ariel in The Little Mermaid and dreaming about giving up my voice and everything about myself for a boy.
So color me shocked when the conversation about Disney has shifted to it being too “woke” now because they’re striving to actually make content with LGBTQ+ representation. It’s too woke to have two characters kissing each other who are in love? Why? Because they’re the same sex? But it’s okay to tell young girls that if you really have a crush on a boy, you can sacrifice your voice (and family!) for him? Interesting.
Now though, it seems as if right-wing propagandist Ben Shapiro (who claims he’s always loved Disney) is challenging the company because it was “being held hostage by the woke.” The Washington Post did a deep dive into Shapiro’s podcast episode where he talks about the company and also posed an alternative option for his listeners: children’s programming from his conservative media company The Daily Wire.
At the time, he didn’t give details as to how or when this would happen but at an employee town hall, co-CEO Jeremy Boreing announced that the company will spend at least $100 million over the next few years to provide children’s content to counteract the woke Mouse.
“Americans are tired of giving their money to woke corporations who hate them,” Boreing said. “They’re tired of giving their money to woke media companies who want to indoctrinate their children with radical race and gender theory.”
To that I say: LOL
A waste of money
Taking the idea of Disney being a monopoly out of the conversation, in what world would the conservatives who would “flock” to the Daily Wire version of Disney matter? Even Disney’s biggest critics on all points of the political spectrum still consume its content because it is, for the most part, the only source we have for the things we like. Again, that’s a different conversation. But Shapiro’s lack of real-world knowledge regarding the things he claims to be passionate about and his need to display his ignorance publicly is never not hilarious.
What’s fascinating to me about this all is that these Daily Wire dudes are, clearly, showing their entire ass over what they deem appropriate for children and what they think is problematic. As a huge fan of The Little Mermaid, even as a child I questioned Ariel’s desire to give up everything about herself for Prince Eric (even if he is hot). So Ben Shapiro and his lackeys are okay with that messaging but have a problem with two people of the same sex being in love with each other without compromising their entire being to do so? Uh okay.
So what are we going to end up seeing from the Daily Wire’s poor attempt at children’s programming? A young lady who only wants to make her husband happy? Or will there be one where a white man must find the courage to stick up for himself after being rightfully fired for being racist or something to that effect? Probably!
Disney movies, for the most part, teach us lessons about compassion and bravery. They’re not conduits for the “woke” agenda and it’s just that Shapiro and company don’t like that their warped views are being pushed back against.
So much of this entire issue stems from and centers around Florida’s horrific “Don’t Say Gay” bill that Disney was backing until company backlash from employees and fans made Disney reconsider their public stance on it. Of course, their response to the backlash was to say that they’d focus on inclusive content—which many of us found laughable to begin with, but which Shapiro and other conservatives glommed onto as a rallying point.
The problem that Shapiro and the Daily Wire have is with the fact that Disney has finally condemned an archaic and horrific bill, not the actual content that Disney is putting out into the world.
Ben “Facts don’t care about your feelings” Shapiro
Shapiro is the kind of person who wants everyone to subscribe to his way of thinking and if challenged, he’ll just take his ball home and go play by himself—and then he’ll exploit that entire experience and play the victim for conservative clout. The facts are that the Don’t Say Gay bill is incredibly harmful to not only young people trying to figure out their own gender identity and sexuality but to families as well.
But Shapiro’s “family first” attitude only extends to white heterosexual families. You know what, I can’t wait to see how pale his collection of animated characters are, in all senses.
Anyway, this is laughable. Disney is always going to be here and always going to have a grip on the things we love, for better and for worse, and if Shaprio thinks he can change that, he’s more delusional than I already thought he was. And I thought he was pretty delusional.
(image: Disney)
