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Disney Accused of “Mandatory, Institutionalized Racism and Sexism”

disney accused racism sexism
Images Credit: Stock, Canva; Disney

X owner and CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk, accused Disney of “mandatory, institutionalized racism and sexism” in a recent post.

The Walt Disney Company has been under a lot of scrutiny over the years—be it from critics who feel that the company has lost its magic, and those who feel like the company is “pandering” to woke audiences, or audiences who feel like the Mouse House isn’t doing enough to address the lack of proper inclusion and diversity.

the walt disney company

The Walt Disney Company / Credit: Disney

Related: Will Elon Musk Buy Disney? “Buy ‘em and Turn Them Into Twitter”

Elon Musk Accuses Disney of “Mandatory, Institutionalized Racism and Sexism”

On February 6, 2024, Tesla CEO Elon Musk took to his social media platform, X, to share a document he’d received from an anonymous source that outlined certain “inclusion standards” Disney employees were expected to adhere to in their work.

The document had four categories of standards: on-screen representation, creative leadership, “below the line,” industry access & career development. The document also adds that “context is critical” when evaluating if someone is “underrepresented.” It makes clear that employees are by no means allowed to ask about legally protected demographic information.

Elon Musk

Elon Musk / Credit: Daniel Oberhaus, Flickr

Of course, while some might read this as Disney taking positive steps to correct previously discriminatory systems, others disagree.

One person who disagrees is Elon Musk, who shared the document with the caption, “An anonymous source just sent me this from Disney. It is mandatory, institutionalized racism and sexism!”

You can check out the document for yourself below.

Related: Gina Carano Suing Disney and LucasFilm, Funded By Elon Musk/X

Many who commented on Musk’s post asked him to “buy Disney and fix it,” in the way some perceive that he’s “fixed” the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

Others also highlighted the downward trend of Disney’s stock, explaining that their “wokeness” was the reason for this drop.

One former fan even went so far as to comment, “Let Disney die. It’s time to let them go.”

Former Disney CEO Bob Iger and new Disney CEO Bob Chapek

Disney CEO Bob Iger and former Disney CEO Bob Chapek at Disney’s Hollywood Studios Theme Park in Walt Disney World Resort, Central Florida / Credit: Disney

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It’s certainly a new way of approaching the criticism Disney faces, considering much of the criticism of racism and sexism has been leveled at the company about its films and characters that have racist stereotypes. (An example that many argue this is the case for is Song of the South, which Disney has practically disowned.)

It’s also not the first time Elon Musk has spoken out against Disney. Recently, he told Disney CEO Bob Iger and Disney to “go f— yourself” and is even helping former Mandalorian actress Gina Carano sue the company.

It remains to be seen how this interaction will progress.

About Priyanka Kumar

Priyanka is a writer, artist, avid reader, and travel enthusiast based in Chicago. In her free time, she is probably walking by the lake, catching up on the latest releases on TV, or spending inordinate amounts of time rewatching Moana, Encanto, and her Disney Channel life-long favorites Zack and Cody wreak havoc on the Tipton.

One comment

  1. Is Elon upset because they wouldn’t hire him to be Cinderella?

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