Something Is Rotten In The Disney Kingdom

The first blog I read this morning has a story about how Disney in America is cutting workers' benefits. I went searching for protesters in Tinkerbell costumes and also found Parisian Disney protesters (animator layoffs while keeping a fake animation studio), Mexican Disney protesters (racism in hiring, putting a European in role of Zapata), Hong Kong protesters(for using sweatshop labor) and British protesters, (for selling musical underpants for little girls that say "Dive In" on them.) They are also relaxing their rules about employees bringing guns.

I have been to Disney Land in Anaheim - once. My son was twelve and I thought he'd like it (he preferred Universal Studios) and my convention (Speech & Hearing) was held there. Disney builds theme parks all over the world. They aim for the "clean cut" image and make tons of money with spinoffs for their films. This Guardian article questioned some of their intentions and allies and I will leave you to draw your own conclusions. Suffice to say, there are probably plenty of Disney boycotters on both sides of both ponds.

Walt Disney was a Republican and a conservative. Throughout his career, he opposed Communist/lefty influence within the motion picture industry. Disney was a major donor to the Republican National Committee. It's still remarkably easy to find listings on the internet for big fundraisers held right on the property and affiliated big donors.

(excerpted from "a href=CNN's article on the latest protest)

Cinderella, Snow White, Tinkerbell and other fictional fixtures of modern-day childhood were handcuffed, frisked and loaded into police vans Thursday at the culmination of a labor protest that brought a touch of reality to the Happiest Place on Earth.

(snip)

Those who were arrested sat in a circle on a busy intersection outside the park holding hands until they were placed in plastic handcuffs and led to two police vans while hundreds of hotel workers cheered and chanted.

(snip)

Bewildered tourists in Disney T-shirts and caps, some pushing strollers, filed past the commotion and gawked at the costumed picketers getting hauled away. The protest shut down a major thoroughfare outside Disneyland and California Adventure for nearly an hour.

"It's changing my opinion of Disneyland," said tourist Amanda Kosato, who was visiting from north of Melbourne, Australia. "Taking away entitlements stinks."

The dispute involves about 2,300 maids, bell hops, cooks and dishwashers at three Disney-owned hotels: the Paradise Pier, the Grand Californian and the Disneyland Hotel. The workers' contract expired in February and their union says Disney's latest proposal makes health care unaffordable for hundreds of employees and creates an unfair two-tier wage system. The union also says Disney wants to create a new category of part-time employees who would receive greatly reduced benefits.

"The other hotels around the area all have health care that is provided by the boss and have been able to get wage increases," said Ada Briceno, president of Unite Here Local 681, which represents the workers.
"At the other hotels in the same classification, for the same work, the workers get paid $2 to $3 an hour more."

(snip)
The company also wants to increase the number of hours full-time employees must work before qualifying for the health plan, she said.

Yes, I have a few good memories of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys, Fantasia and Snow White and I may wax nostalic if I watch them on YouTube, but anything else calls for a permanent and general boycott on my part. Nowdays, if you take a kid to one of these movies, they want the video, the electronic game, the sneakers, the lunchbox, the costume, the cereal, the lunchbox - the entire lifestyle - and that is exactly what they get. Disney is the one who spawns the Britneys and the Mileys of the world and freaks out when they reach puberty and rebel from their wholesome marketed image. There are plenty of creative options with much more positive politics. It would be great to collect a listing all in one place.