Read This Before You Give Your Money to Disney

I grew up watching Disney movies. 

Growing up, I think my favorites were Mary Poppins, The Lady, and the Tramp and Bambi. 

I’m not sure if these were my favorite movies because I saw them at a movie theater with my mom. These Disney movies did create very special memories for me which I still cherish today. 

When I had kids of my own we made several trips to Walt Disney World. We also watched and enjoyed many of the Disney movies ourselves as a family. 

When my kids were babies I would buy them their favorite Disney toys and apparel.

As my kids got older and as they had kids of their own, we would count down the days to the next Toy Story movie. Then gather as a family and spend $100 dollars to see it on opening day. 

Needless to say, I’ve given Disney a lot of money over the years. 

I absolutely loved everything about Disney. I wanted my kids to love everything about Disney. Sadly, one day, after I discovered some disturbing facts, my love for Disney started to fade and I started to question if I should stop giving Disney my money. 

The more I continued to research Disney the more disturbed I became. 

I found that some of the decisions that Disney made over the years were very disturbing and not just disturbing but quite shocking. 

I was not surprised that many, if not most, Disney enthusiasts were not aware of some of the past decisions that Disney made. 

As a previous Disney enthusiast, I wanted to share what I learned because I know for many, where we spend our money is important. 

Read This Before You Give Your Money to Disney

I am not a believer in “cancel culture”. 

I actually think it is stupid and the term and action are overused and most often used incorrectly. 

I am, however, a believer in deciding what companies/establishments I want to give my money to. 

With that said, here are a few reasons why I have decided, to do my best, not to give Disney anymore of my money. 

• In 2014 Disney laid off around 250 tech employees. Next, they hired immigrants from India as the tech employees replacements. The new employees were going to work under an H-1B visa. This is a temporary visa that allowed Disney to pay them much less than the American workers. As part of the severance package, some employees were required to train the employees that were on the H-1B visa. Call this a restructuring of the Disney global IT operations or call it greed to the American worker. 
• “Reimagine Tomorrow” is a new training program for its employees. With the title “Reimagine Tomorrow” one might think that the training has something to do with building a better Disney employee. No, it is actually a training program that tells white people that we are basically not worthy and should be ashamed to be white. It is also a training program that is made to indoctrinate minds to think and believe that America is a racist country. I won’t go into the details because the documents have been leaked. I will attach a few articles you can source. I believe that companies should train their employees on how to be better employees or better ways to resolve upset customers. They should not be indoctrinated to be made to believe that being ‘white’ is bad and that we should feel guilty for it. 
• Soon after the COVID-19 shutdowns, there was an article posted and many tweets that were tweeted about bonuses that were given to company bosses. I am not sure if it was ever 100% confirmed but I am confident that there was some truth to it. With so many Disney employees that lost their jobs or that were furloughed during this time, bonuses should have never happened, no matter the amount. 
• In 2018 Mulan began to be filmed in the Xinjiang province of northwest China, home to the Uighur people. At the same time, the Chinese Communist Party continued to expand internment camps for ethnic Uighurs. These are camps that had already incarcerated up to one million members of the predominantly Muslim minority group. These camps were well known in 2018. If you are not familiar with what is happening to the Uighur people, I encourage you to research. In Mulan’s closing credits, the film gave “special thanks” to eight government bodies in Xinjiang for their assistance in making the movie. This included several from Turpan — a city harboring at least four internment facilities as of 2019. Disney is indoctrinating their employees with “Reimagine Tomorrow” but at the same time, applauding a country that incarcerates those that they do not believe in and thinks differently from them. 
• Sweatshops. I do not think that I need to give any more explanation.
• Before COVID-19 many Disney employees spoke out regarding the hourly wages that they were paid. Some employees struggled with being able to afford basic expenses, insurance, were homeless, and ate only once a day.  Of course, these employees could try and find a better-paying job but we know that is not always easy. Oftentimes, employees only know the job they have, their current job might be their only option or they may not have the education or training for a new job. Regardless of why the employees stay, Disney is a billion-dollar company. They expect their employees to be magical, constantly smile and work their hardest. With that said, why is Disney not paying each employee a living wage?
• How did Disney react when China shrunk the picture of John Boyega, who plays Finn in the movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens? They filmed Mulan in the Xinjiang province of northwest China.
• The firing of Gina Carano over social media posts that Disney did not agree with but that were not harmful to anyone was disgusting. She was not given a chance to explain herself and was labeled as many things but Pedro Pascal was not fired for posting political differences as well. It’s the hypocrisy that drove me away from spending my money at Disney. You can find an interview with Gina Carano on Youtube where she gives her side. 

I have spent thousands upon thousands of dollars, which many people have, at Disney. 

When I would walk into the parks I could feel the magic that surrounded my family. It was amazing. 

Each time a new Disney movie was released my girls and I sat together excitedly and watched. 

Over the years Disney has created a lot of great memories with my family but sadly, it will not create any future memories with my family. 

Disney has disappointed me. Disney has saddened me. Disney has disgusted me.

Disney can do better but sadly, it won’t because it has allowed the power of greed to take over. 

“There is a very fine line between loving life and being greedy for it.” – Maya Angelou

How COVID-19 Has Ruined Disney