The Walt Disney Company’s (TWDC) increasingly political attitude threatens to ostracize large chunks of its audience and creates uncomfortable situations for some employees, wrote an anonymous group of staff in an open letter published last week.
Disney’s embrace of progressive ideals has made the company “an increasingly uncomfortable place to work” for those whose “political and religious views are not explicitly progressive,” reads the letter. “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.”
The letter’s authors take particular issue with “Reimagine Tomorrow,” a new Disney campaign that seeks to spotlight “underrepresented voices” but ignores religious and politically conservative views.
Liberal employees have free rein to promote their personal agendas on company time and have been known to use the word “bigot” to describe coworkers who disagree with the campaign, the authors say. “Our work contributes to a fountain of wonder that inspires joy, awe, and delight in guests and audiences of all ages,” but “over the last few years, one group of cast members has become invisible within the company.”
Many among this ostracized group refused to take part in a recent poll in fear they would be identified and fired.
“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 anonymous letter is in part a response to the recent protests against HB 1557, a parental rights education bill that prevents Florida teachers from talking about sex or gender identity until students have completed the third grade. Opponents are calling it the “Don’t Say Gay” bill even though the legislation does not ban the word “gay.”
Disney CEO Bob Chapek issued a statement condemning HB 1557, announced a pause on political donations in the state of Florida, and agreed to reinstate a same-sex kiss scene that had been removed from the upcoming movie “Lightyear.”
His response wasn’t harsh enough for TWDC’s progressive employees, however, who staged a walkout Wednesday and demanded Chapek suspend all investments in Florida and expand Disney’s LBGTQ+ content.
The whole situation has left TWDC’s conservative employees feeling like they don’t belong.
“Over the last few weeks, we have watched as our leadership has expressed their condemnation for laws and policies we support,” continues the letter. “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.”
TWDC employees who want to see the company remain neutral are too afraid to speak up, they added. “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 letter ends by framing Disney and its content as a way to bring people together, not create divisions.
“Working for TWDC is a dream come true,” they wrote. “The unique brand of family entertainment that Disney is known for is an objective good in this dark world. It brings people together and provides cultural touchpoints that even the worst enemies can unite over…Disney is far more important and impactful to the world by avoiding politics than it will ever be by embracing a political agenda.”
TWDC has also been criticized for sponsoring anti-white, anti-male hiring policies and for implementing training programs based on erroneous beliefs regarding systemic racism and transphobia.
Sources:
Conservative Disney employees urge company to stay ‘politically neutral’