A famous satirical outlet recently mocked the idea that Disney was “brainwashing kids” and “turning them gay.”
One of the most predominant critiques of Disney from some fans has been that Disney has been “sexualizing” kids and “grooming” them. This has primarily come from the increased feature of LGBTQ+ individuals and LGBTQ+ content. This particular sub-section of Disney content has left many viewers unhappy with the Mouse House, accusing them of becoming more woke, pushing a woke agenda, and pandering to woke audiences.
This issue particularly came to a head when former Disney CEO Bob Chapek spoke out about the “Don’t Say Gay” bill that was introduced by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. After Mr. Chapek spoke out on behalf of Disney, the criticism of Disney became even more pronounced.
Related: OpEd: If Disney’s So Pro-LGBTQ+, Why Don’t They Commit ‘Strange World’ to Theaters?
Satirical Outlet The Onion Mocks Critique of Disney Brainwashing Children
Noting its nature as a satirical “news” outlet, The Onion is one of the most beloved publications today. They humorously refer to themselves as “the world’s leading news publication, offering highly acclaimed, universally revered coverage of breaking national, international, and local news events.”
Recently, The Onion released an article that was poking fun at the criticism some conservative Disney fans have shared of Disney “turning kids gay.” This criticism also comes despite the LGBTQ community sharing that they believe Disney could do better with its queer representation in films.
In a slideshow series, The Onion shared stock photos of various children with different explanations for how Disney brainwashed them and influenced their sexual orientation. They wrote,
The Onion asked children how Disney had preyed on them, brainwashed them, and forced them to identify as LGBTQIA+ through the studio’s woke, sexualized movies, and this is what they said.
Some hilarious examples that cover gender identity, sexuality and more include:
Thirteen-year-old Harrison France, who shared, “It was pretty much instant for me the moment a nonspeaking background character in a Pixar movie was vaguely coded as bisexual.”
The made-up nine-year-old Ian Telleride explained, “Sure, Onward turned me gay, but then Cinderella made me straight, Ratatouille turned me into a rat, and Up turned me into a grumpy old guy, so now I don’t know what I am!”
The article was intended to be in good fun, like all of The Onion’s content, and certainly provides one approach to thinking about the possibility of a mega-corporation trying to brainwash children.
