{"id":437408,"date":"2022-04-26T03:32:37","date_gmt":"2022-04-26T00:32:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/walt-would-have-never-allowed-disneys-political-activism\/"},"modified":"2022-04-26T03:32:37","modified_gmt":"2022-04-26T00:32:37","slug":"walt-would-have-never-allowed-disneys-political-activism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/walt-would-have-never-allowed-disneys-political-activism\/","title":{"rendered":"#Walt would have never allowed Disney&#8217;s political activism"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a36e71f3eb14\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a36e71f3eb14\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/walt-would-have-never-allowed-disneys-political-activism\/#%E2%80%9CWalt_would_have_never_allowed_Disneys_political_activism%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Walt would have never allowed Disney&#8217;s political activism&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CWalt_would_have_never_allowed_Disneys_political_activism%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Walt would have never allowed Disney&#8217;s political activism&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill passed by the Republican-majority legislature that revokes a special tax exemption and other privileges for Walt Disney World in Orlando. This was in response to the company\u2019s current leadership and some of its employees, who have protested another bill signed by the governor that prohibits the teaching of gender issues in kindergarten through third grade. Activists and the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a> have mislabeled it the \u201cDon\u2019t Say Gay\u201d bill, though the word \u201cgay\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ears nowhere in the legislation.<\/p>\n<p>Walt Disney World was given tax breaks and was extended other privileges nearly 50 years ago because lawmakers then believed it would create jobs, attract tourists and produce sales-tax revenue. It has been a roaring success, bringing $5 billion annually to the state.<\/p>\n<p>Until recently, the Disney organization stayed out of the culture wars and politics, preferring to maintain the vision founder Walt Disney had for what came to be known as \u201cfamily entertainment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>What would Walt Disney, who died in 1966, think of his company today?<\/p>\n<p>In Neal Gabler\u2019s biography \u201cWalt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination,\u201d we learn that while Walt was sometimes opinionated, especially when it came to his anti-communism beliefs, he wanted to keep Disneyland, Disney World and his animated characters free of politics, preferring fantasy and storytelling.<\/p>\n<p>Gabler writes: \u201cWalt hadn\u2019t really been a conservative or a Republican or much of anything else for the better part of his adult life. . . . He had voted for Roosevelt in 1936 . . . and though he had supported Republican Wendell Willkie in 1940 . . . he declined a request from the Willkie campaign for an endorsement, writing, \u2018a long time ago I found out that I knew nothing whatsoever about the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">game<\/a> of politics and since then I\u2019ve preferred to keep silent about the entire matter rather than see my name attached to any statement that was not my own.&#8217;\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ron-desantis-9.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill revoking special tax exemption and other privileges for Walt Disney World in Orlando.\" class=\"wp-image-22033844\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ron-desantis-9.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ron-desantis-9.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/ron-desantis-9.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill revoking special tax exemption and other privileges for Walt Disney World in Orlando.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Daniel A. Varela\/Miami Herald via AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Gabler found a letter from someone who was lobbying Walt to make a film reel of flags with patriotic music. Walt responded, \u201cI don\u2019t go in for billboard patriotism.\u201d Joe Grant, who Gabler says accompanied Walt on several wartime visits to Washington, said of him, \u201cHe was very apolitical, believe me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That wasn\u2019t entirely true. Walt joined several conservatives, writes Gabler, including Ginger Rogers, George Murphy (who later became a Republican senator from California) and Robert Montgomery \u201cin forming a Hollywood Republican Committee to counteract the more liberal Progressive Citizens of America.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>I see the difference as being the anti-communists were trying to defend America and its traditions while the progressive left was attempting to undermine them. Little has changed as reflected in the dust-up between Disney leadership and DeSantis, among other examples.<\/p>\n<p>Walt also endorsed\u00a0Thomas\u00a0Dewey in the 1944 presidential campaign, writes Gabler, allowing a Dewey rally on the studio grounds. He also delivered a speech for the candidate at the Los Angeles Coliseum.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/disney-protest-1.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Disney employees protesting Florida's so-called &quot;Don't Say Gay&quot; bill in Glendale, California on March 22, 2022. \" class=\"wp-image-22033854\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/disney-protest-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/disney-protest-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/disney-protest-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Disney employees protesting Florida\u2019s so-called \u201cDon\u2019t Say Gay\u201d bill in Glendale, California on March 22, 2022. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">REUTERS\/Ringo Chiu<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Despite these instances and Walt\u2019s association with what Gabler calls \u201cred baiters,\u201d he deliberately kept politics out of his films and theme parks. As Gabler writes, \u201cIn effect, despite his Republicanism, Walt Disney belonged to everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It is a pattern the current Disney leadership has not followed and why it is now suffering what should have been predictable consequences. The Disney organization should follow the vision and example of its founder and not engage in statements and actions that can only undermine his vision and the company\u2019s success. If it doesn\u2019t reverse course, it could lead to an irreparable tarnishing of the Disney brand and what has long been considered a \u201cmagic kingdom.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><em>Cal\u00a0Thomas\u2019 latest book is \u201cAmerica\u2019s Expiration Date: The Fall of Empires and Superpowers and the Future of the United States\u201d (HarperCollins\/Zondervan).<\/em>\n                        <\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/04\/25\/walt-would-have-never-allowed-disneys-political-activism\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Walt would have never allowed Disney&#8217;s political activism&#8221; Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a bill passed by the Republican-majority legislature that revokes a special tax exemption and other privileges for Walt Disney World in Orlando. This was in response to the company\u2019s current leadership and some of its employees, who have protested another bill&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":437409,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/04\/disney-world.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[128444,1648,1569,6642,29102,44087],"class_list":["post-437408","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-4-25-22","tag-disney-world","tag-disney","tag-florida","tag-ron-desantis","tag-walt-disney"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437408","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=437408"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/437408\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/437409"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=437408"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=437408"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=437408"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}