Credit: casajump on FlickrLately, we have seen Disney under fire for being too “woke”. Although the company may put up a front of inclusivity and diversity, it seems that those principles, and protecting their colored staff from racist behavior in the parks is not a priority; in fact, it is allowed.
Lately, we have seen Disney make a huge push in the direction of inclusivity and diversity. The initiative is strung across from their Disney Parks to the Walt Disney Company’s content, from movies to series on Disney+ and theatrical releases.
Previously, Disney launched the Reimagine Tomorrow initiative, stating that “We haven’t always got it right.” This came after the Cast Member dress code changed when it came to the “Disney Look,” allowing Cast Members to express themselves more while at work. On top of that, we have already heard of the progress coming along on the new Princess and the Frog attraction, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, that is replacing Splash Mountain’s racist undertone scenes due to the Song of the South IP, as well as changing the storyline on both Walt Disney World Resort’s and Disneyland Resort’s Jungle Cruise attraction to ensure cultural appropriation disappears.
Following this, we saw Disney begin to change their casting, placing different ethnicities into characters that were previously created as Caucasian. The first casting choice to make headlines was when Disney announced they had finally found who would play the iconic mermaid, Ariel, for the upcoming live-action remake The Little Mermaid. The Disney Princess and mermaid, Ariel, will be played by actress Halle Bailey, known for her work in ABC’s Grown-ish and as one half of the famous R&B singing duo Chloe and Halle.
Disney has indeed taken many steps towards ensuring inclusion is prevalent within the company. The Disney Parks celebrated Pride Month this year larger than ever with murals, merchandise, and more covering Walt Disney World Resort. Disneyland Resort held Pride Nite, and After Hours event. We have even seen many accusing Disney of being “too woke” after finding out the future live-action Snow White film, starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, will not have a Prince Charming, or the iconic seven dwarfs.
Even with the heavy backlash that the recent Snow White film has caused due to the massive change in storyline, Disney has continued to always press forward in being as inclusive as possible, even if it is to a fault.
When it comes to their theme parks, Disney’s colored employees are not receiving the same level of backing and support when they are met with racist and terrifying Guests. As we previously reported, “A Disney Cast Member was caught on video spewing hateful words and profanity toward Guests inside Magic Kingdom. The guests were also heard giving the CM a hard time. The entire ordeal was caught on film and posted to social media.”
The viral TikTok does show the Cast Member getting angry towards the Guest, but it is also clear that there was something that prompted that behavior.
Princess Peach (@hecallsmepp) has been discussing the incident on Twitter, giving Disney fans insight on what actually happened and now, the tragic outcome of the situation.
She said, “For context: I took out the Cm’s name, but it’s obvious that no Cm would act like this unless they were pushed to it. For a guest to do this, record them and post it thinking the internet would defend their actions is disgusting. Start respecting cast members and what they do.” The Disney fan continued, “Start actually protecting your cast members from the horrible behavior of your guests that we have all seen online since the return from the pandemic. Enforce the consequences of the actions when your guests break your rules. It’s unacceptable.”
In the thread of the Tweet, we can see that it is reported that the Cast Member was called the N-word, however it is not confirmed.
Princess Peach concluded to alert those following the situation that the Cast Member was let go due to this: “Unfortunately, I learned that this Cm was let go and had 24 hours to leave CP housing. According to her, she was harassed and called racial slurs by this family. I’m very disappointed in Disney with this decision, especially for a company that preaches inclusion.”
Of course, Disney does not want to see their Cast Members speaking back to Guests, but in a case like this, where racial slurs are being thrown at young employees, Disney has the choice to speak out and defend their inclusivity program by shaming the Guest’s behavior, instead of the Cast Member. Again, this situation is not yet confirmed but has been reported to have taken place prior to the filming that was shared.
We recently reported on one Cast Member speaking out on the racist behavior they saw from another Cast Member while at work. The Cast Member said “I don’t want that black girl touching my items”, to another, and no one said or corrected the behavior.
From this, we can clearly see that the Cast Member who was writing this was stunned at the behavior, and did not accept it by any means, which is the mindset of the majority of Cast Members at Walt Disney World. That being said, it is unfortunate to hear that the situation was brushed under the rug, and not dealt with to correct what had happened.
At the moment, Disney has not spoken out on the incident, and there is no distinct proof of what exactly happened prior to the filming.
What do you think Disney should have done in this situation?
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