Christopher Rufo, City Journal contributing editor, stands behind his reporting on Disney’s “reimagine tomorrow” program. He argues that the company he reported on ‘vindicated’ his reporting.
An anonymous group of conservative employees at The Walt Disney Company have written a letter warning the company against taking political stances that could alienate certain workers and claim that Disney has become an “increasingly uncomfortable place to work” for those not agreeing with “explicitly progressive” policies.
They praised Disney’s employees, noting that their work “contributes to a fountain that inspires joy and awe in guests and audiences alike.” However, they cautioned that “over time, one group of castmembers has become invisible within company.”
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“The Walt Disney Company has become an increasingly uncomfortable place for employees whose religious and political views are not explicitly progressive,” said the employee. Submitted. “We watch in silence as our beliefs are attacked by our employer. We also see our leaders frequently condemn those who disagree with us as villains.”
The employees praised Disney’s “Reimagine Tomorrow” Campaign to promote “underrepresented voices” and noted that “the tomorrow being reimagined doesn’t seem to have much room for religious or political conservatives within the company. Left-leaning cast members have the freedom to promote their agendas 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.”
Bob Chapek of Disney speaks at the Opening Ceremony of Invictus Games Orlando 2016 ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida on May 8, 2016.(Photo by Chris Jackson/Getty Images For Invictus / Getty Images
An internal poll asked employees to share their experiences and “asked them if they 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,” the employees wrote. “TWDC has created a fear environment that employees who don’t follow the rules will be exposed and fired.”
The open letter, which was published Monday, was released amid protests in the context of which pro-LGBTQ workers demanded that Disney take a stronger stance against Florida H.B. 1557, a bill to protect parental rights in education that Democrats have branded a “Don’t Say Gay” bill (despite not having the bill). It is not necessary to banThe word “gay”.
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The company initially didn’t take a public position on this bill. However, CEO Bob Chapek subsequently spoke out against the bill at a shareholders meeting. He announced that Florida would not allow political donations and pledged that Disney would make millions more for LGBTQ causes. Chapek also promised to meet Ron DeSantis, Florida Governor, to express his and Disney’s opposition to the legislation.
Disney employees staged an occupation Tuesday to protest Chapek’s delay in condemning this bill. They DemandedThe company must indefinitely stop making campaign donations to Florida politicians who voted for the bill. It should also cease all investment in Florida up to the repeal of the bill.
General view of Rededication Moment at Magic Kingdom and “Disney Enchantment” debut during “The World’s Most Magical Celebration Walt Disney World Resort 50th Anniversary at Magic Kingdom” on September 30, 2021, Orlando, Florida.(Gerardo Mora/Getty Images/Getty Images
The letter included a reference to the broader campaign of pressure by conservative employees.
“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,” they wrote.
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“Over the past few weeks, we have seen as our leadership has expressed condemnation for laws or policies we support,” the conservative employees said. “We have witnessed our colleagues, convinced no one in the company could disagree with them, become increasingly aggressive in demanding their demands. They demand that TWDC adopt a strong position on this issue and other legislation. They also openly advocate for the punishing of employees who disagree with them.
They stated that employees who want TWDC making left-wing political statements should be encouraged. Those of us who want TWDC to remain neutral can only say so in a whisper, out of fear for professional retaliation.” “The company we love seems to think we don’t exist or don’t belong here. This politicization in our corporate culture is causing many of us to feel that our days with TWDC may be over.
Employees warned that this politicalization could make our conservative customers feel unwelcome.
Bob Chapek, Chief executive officer of The Walt Disney Company, during the opening ceremony at Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure, Anaheim, CA on Wednesday, June 2, 2021.(Photo by Jeff Gritchen/MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images/Getty Images
The conservatives insist that they are not going to attack Disney. They wrote, “Working for The Walt Disney Company was a dream come true.” “The unique brand Disney of family entertainment is an objective good in this darkening world. It brings people together and provides cultural touchpoints for them to come together.
Conservative employees praised Chapek for his original response to the Florida law. Chapek had written, “As we’ve seen time and again corporate statements do very little change outcomes or minds,” “Instead, they are often used by one side or another to further divide and inflame.”
The employees wrote that Disney is more important and influential to the world if it avoids politics than it will be by adopting a political agenda. “Disney shouldn’t be a vehicle for one demographic’s political activism.” They argued that “the whole world needs things we can all unite around” and urged Disney’s leadership to not “let Disney become another thing we divide.”
“Disney is taking sides on political issues in unexplicably radical ways,” Scott ShepardFOX Business was informed by Jeremy, the director of National Center for Public Policy Research’s Free Enterprise Project. “Polls show that even a majority in Florida Democrats support this antigroomer law. It would simply ban public school teachers, who are paid with every taxpayer’s money, from discussing sex to children aged 5 to 9. These children, who also want to talk dinosaurs or Frozen, should still be talking at school about silent E and subtraction in these years.
Shepard said, “Coming out in this manner as hard-left supporters makes Disney a hostile environment for sensible, middle-of the road employees to go to work.”
He warned that Disney’s continued sponsorship of anti-white and anti-male programming makes it a target of costly and significant litigation. “As shareholders, our reaction is to be horrified and to see that the current executive leadership must be replaced with a slate that recognizes that there is no place for discrimination in the Mouse House.
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The Free Enterprise Project The previous slammedDisney’s “Reimagine Tomorrow,” employee trainings on “antiracism” claimed that the United States has a long history of systemic racism, transphobia, and that White employees must “work with feelings of guilt, shame and defensiveness to understand their true self and what needs to heal.” Disney claimed that the training materials were not in context.
FOX Business asked for comment from Walt Disney Company, but they did not respond.
This report was co-authored by Adam Sabes, Breck Dumas, and FOX Business.
