I was standing on an overhead walkway with a bag of popcorn in my hand watching this man clean up crumbs below me in front of Cinderella's castle. I was no more than 12 at the time. He was picking up the smallest speck of waste, so I started tossing pieces of popcorn down on the ground beside him. He would immediately sweep them up. After the third or forth piece, he looked up. I smiled. He returned to his work. I tossed down another one. A minute later I felt a tap on my shoulder and a security guard politely asked me to stop. Sorry, I meekly said and walked away.
It struck me how clean Disney World was. It was immaculate. It had only been operating three or four years and still had its freshness. Tickets were sold in little booklets, so you had to be judicious with what you chose to ride. Space Mountain was under construction, which was a disappointment. I had so hoped to ride it. There were other great rides though. My friend and I soon burned through our book of tickets and wanted more. Unfortunately, that was all my mother could afford. Lots of magic memories though, which is what Disney is all about.
Hard to believe that after all these years, nearly 50 in fact, the governor of Florida would choose to challenge Disney's domain over something as silly as "Don't Say Gay." The last time conservatives went ballistic over Disney for being too "gay-friendly" didn't end so well. After eight long years, the Southern Baptist Convention was finally forced to call off its boycott, as it had not turned away very many customers. However, Governor Ron DeSantis has taken it to the next level and is challenging Disney's Florida tax status. It is really hard to fathom the level of insecurity of a governor to challenge Mickey Mouse to a duel in the sun.
Under the governor's new law, Disney will no longer have autonomy over its magic kingdom, but be subject to the two counties it spreads across in central Florida. This means the counties would now have to cover maintenance costs of the vast complex of theme parks and residential communities, as Disney is expected to pay property taxes. That's a pretty hefty tab, not to mention the road crews and maintenance staff the counties would now be expected to provide.
It's not just issues of maintenance, Disney's "woke" policies would also be subject to review. Under Governor Ron's "Stop Woke Act" (that's actually what it is called), Disney would no longer be allowed to discuss gays in its diversity training. It's like stepping back to the 90s when the Pentagon adopted its "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy to avoid discussing gays in the military. Now, Governor Ron wants to pretend there are no gays in Florida.
All this is quite frightful really. It smacks of autocracy. The only other places where you see similar repressive laws are in countries like Russia, China and North Korea. Is this whom Governor Ron wants Florida to be associated with? In all likelihood, Disney will challenge this vengeful decree and win, as it is doubtful such a pernicious legislative measure will stand up in an American court.
The essence of this anti-woke act is that gayness will rub off on impressionable young persons if you allow it to be openly discussed. Pre-teens might make a "lifestyle" choice they will regret later. So, the new law would eliminate any discussion of the matter in places that might impact the youth in the state.
Disney's policy has long been one of inclusion. Even so, its CEO vacillated, which soon earned the condemnation of the LGBTQ+ community, and was forced to come out with a formal statement against the law. This is what earned the wrath of Governor Ron. He thought he literally had Mickey by the balls, assuming the cartoon mouse has any, only to find his law earn him derision the world over.
Don't forget that Governor Ron wants to be president one day. He seems to think he has his re-election sewn up. He currently holds a polling advantage of 9 points against the top Democratic challenger. However, an issue like this can easily blow up in his face, as it did Bob Chapek's face. You are dealing with a highly popular global brand here, and people have pretty strong opinions both ways. The aim is to thread that thin line in between, not plant yourself firmly down on one side or another.
However, Governor Ron is not a man of nuance, and these days such men are rewarded in the political world for their virulent anti-wokeness. It's the equivalent of riding shirtless on the Siberian taiga, although that brand appears to be fading in light of the Ukraine War.
Whatever the case, it is a pretty bold move on DeSantis' part. The best case scenario is that the state supreme court overturns the Stop Woke Act and Governor Ron uses it as another example of wokeness in his upcoming campaign with no actual harm done to the status quo. I almost imagine this is what he is betting on.
As for Disney World, it will ride out this political storm as it has past political storms because it is simply bigger than any one particular governor, no matter how autocratic he believes himself to be. This isn't Russia. At least not yet.
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