Disney is caught in the Woke controversy.

We don't discuss politics here, but, given the recent controversy that Disney has been embroiled in, I wonder if there is a business opportunity for a production house to make family movies, in the tradition of Walt Disney. I like my science fiction to be PG rated, like Star Trek and Star Wars in the past, but any such movies made will have to be G rated, as I understand it.
 
can someone TLDR this disney thing for me? im out of the loop.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed what opponents call the "don't say gay" bill, summarized here:
https://www.npr.org/2022/03/28/1089221657/dont-say-gay-florida-desantis

Gay rights advocates asked Disney to stop making political contributions to DeSantis and make it clear that they don't support the bill, or face a boycott as well as protests by employees.

Disney acquiesced, at least as far as the statement opposing the legislation is concerned.
 
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Moderation is dead - may it rest in peace.

Reflection is - in my opinion - exactly what generates these responses, on both sides of the aisle.

I reflect. And I get angry. And I decide where I spend my money.
Which is, at the end of the day, exactly what the LGBTQIA community asked of Disney: that they not give their money (in the form of political contributions) to politicians who work against that community.

Money talks - on both sides of the aisle.

And I'd always prefer that we all use money and our voices (rather than violence) to express our opinions, however strongly we hold them.
From my perspective, the issue that's developing is that people are trying as hard as they can to bridge talk into types of violence. What you are describing it what we always did, support people we liked and withdraw support from people or organizations that we didn't. That's not good enough for today's modern extremist. We need to see anyone who disagrees with us in the slightest bit fired and unable to support their family or pay for health insurance. One sentence that someone feels offended by is good enough to launch a hyperbolic attack, complete with threats and ultimatums.

I agree with pretty much all of the comments here, and personally I think I've discovered a new political side, sanity. I don't agree with any of the extreme behavior from either side, and just wish for a return to more moderate and civil behavior. Regardless of who's wrong and right about issue x, we shouldn't feel obligated to start foaming at the mouth every time someone disagrees with us. I feel like that's what this has become.

Don't like democrats? it's because they are satanic pedophiles that hate freedom, and we've got to run into a pizza hut with a machine gun and cancel lunch for school kids because they are all probably communist spies. Don't like republicans? it's because every one of them is trying to bring back slavery, they all hate gay people and want to burn down the government and take your grandma off of life support so they can have lower taxes. - Here's the thing, almost none of the people on either side are like that, it's just the worst, loudest 2% of people at opposite extremes that seem to become the public face of each side. I have a lot of friends of both types, and while I don't agree with everything they say, I find that many people are quite decent at heart, and are simply trying to execute a vision for a better world according to what they've been taught. I really just wish that people could turn down the anger and hyperbole, and bring up the levels of reason and civility. You know what good people have always done? When they see a misguided person, they try to teach, inform, shepherd. We've replaced that with threats and tribalism and hate. Telling everyone to pick a side and fight is probably not moving society towards a better place. I choose to see people with bad opinions as fellow victims of societal brainwashing campaigns, rather than as "evil" My dad doesn't hate people, he's just had a steady diet of Rupert Murdock brand groupthink for 40 years. Left to his own devices, I have no doubt he would share a hamburger with a hungry person, or give chemo medicine to a sick friend that couldn't afford it.

Perhaps left wing extremists should learn to show tolerance to others, instead of just angrily demanding it for themselves, and perhaps right wing extremists should learn to turn the other cheek and treat all people with kindness, like it says in the book they carry around. I mainly stopped listening to both because they don't even believe their own ideologies, so why should I?

This is why I don't talk about politics in film posts, because you can't really talk about politics without..... talking about politics.

Here's a historically accurate video about what happens when ideologists become militant about their own hyperbole.

 
I think part of the problem is that the people seeking power - on both sides - are always desperately trying to get attention both in the traditional media & social media. To some extent, this is for the legitimate reason of trying to ensure that people (read: voters) know their opinions and what they stand for. It's VERY tough to draw attention to a moderate position because it just isn't exciting.

I have long thought that one thing that MIGHT help this a little (not a cure all by any means) is to sharply reduce the size of Congressional districts AND simultaneously put a hard cap on the amount of money that can be spent by anyone (by the candidate, supporters, PACs, corporations, literally anyone) in an election.

If money is restricted and districts are far smaller, the cost of running for Congress becomes less of an issue.
We could choose our representatives more like the way we choose members of the local town council: meet them, listen to them, ask them questions. Vote for them or don't vote for them - but be able to meet and greet and interrogate.

Yeah yeah - not happening any time soon (like this century). But I DO think it might help.
 
That AND? I remember some song that just got played over and over and over again and hearing it so often just turned me off... LOL.

I've never eaten at McDonald's either. LOL.

I think part of the problem is that the people seeking power - on both sides - are always desperately trying to get attention both in the traditional media & social media. To some extent, this is for the legitimate reason of trying to ensure that people (read: voters) know their opinions and what they stand for. It's VERY tough to draw attention to a moderate position because it just isn't exciting.

I have long thought that one thing that MIGHT help this a little (not a cure all by any means) is to sharply reduce the size of Congressional districts AND simultaneously put a hard cap on the amount of money that can be spent by anyone (by the candidate, supporters, PACs, corporations, literally anyone) in an election.

If money is restricted and districts are far smaller, the cost of running for Congress becomes less of an issue.
We could choose our representatives more like the way we choose members of the local town council: meet them, listen to them, ask them questions. Vote for them or don't vote for them - but be able to meet and greet and interrogate.

Yeah yeah - not happening any time soon (like this century). But I DO think it might help.
I agree completely. I also feel that campaign finance reform is an actionable starting point to creating a world where people who inherit wealth don't have such a disproportionate advantage in acquiring powerful offices. If you look back, so many of our presidents come from legacy wealth families. It really doesn't make sense that just being born across the finish line means that a person is superior. How is that so objectively different than the primitive days of kings and their princes? There's 300 million people here and one of the presidents was literally the son of another president. You can't tell me that we picked them on merit alone, that probability math doesn't make sense.

I'll go a step further and add something no one talks about, competency testing for politicians. Hear me out. If you want to become a jet pilot and fly an F-18 hornet, you need to take a lengthy series of tests, flight testing, mental health testing, etc. In order to clear someone to control a single armed aircraft, we go to great lengths to make sure that a person is skilled, responsible, trustworthy, and sane. However, you can just walk in and control the entire air force without so much as a psyche exam. I'm not talking about testing about political issues, I'm just saying I'd like to see someone put in charge of the national economy be able to pass a 7th grade AP algebra exam first. Is that so unreasonable?

And to Unknown, Mcdonalds is great. You can get a cardboard flavored cheeseburger for a dollar!
 
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I agree completely. I also feel that campaign finance reform is an actionable starting point to creating a world where people who inherit wealth don't have such a disproportionate advantage in acquiring powerful offices. If you look back, so many of our presidents come from legacy wealth families. It really doesn't make sense that just being born across the finish line means that a person is superior. How is that so objectively different than the primitive days of kings and their princes? There's 300 million people here and one of the presidents was literally the son of another president. You can't tell me that we picked them on merit alone, that probability math doesn't make sense.

I'll go a step further and add something no one talks about, competency testing for politicians. Hear me out. If you want to become a jet pilot and fly an F-18 hornet, you need to take a lengthy series of tests, flight testing, mental health testing, etc. In order to clear someone to control a single armed aircraft, we go to great lengths to make sure that a person is skilled, responsible, trustworthy, and sane. However, you can just walk in and control the entire air force without so much as a psyche exam. I'm not talking about testing about political issues, I'm just saying I'd like to see someone put in charge of the national economy be able to pass a 7th grade AP algebra exam first. Is that so unreasonable?

And to Unknown, Mcdonalds is great. You can get a cardboard flavored cheeseburger for a dollar!
LOL. I'd rather drive all the way to Tucson and eat a Double-Double... And? I've done it many times.
 
It's VERY tough to draw attention to a moderate position because it just isn't exciting.

Moderation is a wiser policy than zealotry. - Christopher Paolini

Moderation is the center wherein all philosophies, both human and divine, meet. - Benjamin Disraeli

The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler of fools. - Ecclesiastes 9:17


I also feel that campaign finance reform is an actionable starting point

If only there were a way to separate money from politics.


Most of us know the trope "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." I prefer "Power attracts the corruptible, and absolute power attracts the absolutely corruptible." It's gotten to the point where I don't trust anyone who wants to run for office; if they want the job, they shouldn't have it.
 
I wonder if the current witch hunting season is just a passing fad, like the hippie movement of the 1960's.

The one thing that has stood the test of time is tribalism. Regardless of what disguise it came in, century after century groups have consolidated behind some popular set of opinions and started attacking anyone who didn't agree. If you reduce it to algebra and think of ideologies as simple representations of ingroup outgroup dynamics, a very stable set of patterns emerges.
 
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