Earlier this month, Forbes published an opinion piece criticizing the Walt Disney Company for firing Gina Carano and being too cozy with China’s Communist regime. In the following YouTube video by Midnight’s Edge, we can examine the hidden message in the article. By hearing from a financial news outlet rather than the entertainment and Hollywood trades media, Disney has greater incentive to change its ways.
Much of Disney’s public relations trouble is the legacy of its previous CEO Bob Iger. I have shared people’s suspicions about his political aspirations in a previous post (“The Tables Turn On Cancel Culture: Backlash Against Disney And Other Nonsense”.) There is also the issue of Lucasfilm’s president Kathleen Kennedy, who has deviated drastically from George Lucas’ vision for Star Wars. Disney’s current boss, Bob Chapek, has the task of winning back Disney’s audience and getting the company out of debt.
In the video, the host summarizes the Forbes article and talks with Hollywood media mavens in group chat. They theorize that many high level Disney managers are upset with the company’s direction and reached out to Forbes. They can’t reform Disney in the current Hollywood system, so they must appeal to Disney’s investors in the financial world. This also demonstrates the power of consumers and fans, whom the corporation must serve for income.
The video ends with an analogy of Al Capone being arrested for tax evasion. Capone had corrupted the justice system by bribing and blackmailing judges. Law enforcement had to go outside the usual criminal charges. The lesson is when a system is corrupt and needs reform, the answer is to work outside the system and recruit help from other sources.
