What Gender and Sexual Politics Are Doing To The Magic Kingdom
Economics in the competitive market of streaming services was already a big problem before Disney went against the grain in Florida.
Disney’s Taking A Beating
Pressure on Walt Disney Company’s board to oust CEO Bob Chapek has gotten worse. News that Netflix’s subscriber growth has come to an end has shown that Disney’s streaming efforts may have peaked, or will do so very soon. To make matters worse for Disney Ceo Bob Chapek, the long-held, special status that Disney has benefited from has come under assault by Florida republicans and Governor Ron Desantis.
Much of Disney’s current situation with the Florida republicans is because they are upset with Disney’s stance on education about sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools. Chapek, a key figure at the center of the Disney story, could discover his streaming strategy may no longer work.
This week Disney’s shares have hit a low at $124.11, a breathtaking drop of 31% in a year, leaving Susan Arnold, Disney’s board chair, to decide whether to bet her legacy on Chapek or replace him. Any replacement would hopefully be from the outside and by someone who has not been part of the company's recent problems. It’s likely time for Disney to bring in someone from the outside and distance themselves from the politics of today, getting back to the business they are good at.
Lawmakers Vote To Remove Special Governing Status From Disney
On Thursday, April 21st, the Florida House Of representatives voted to pass the bill withdrawing self-governing status from the Reedy Creek Improvement District. It’s headed for Governor Desantis’s desk for a signature.
The challenge to corporate heavyweight, Disney, is to strip special status privileges that were granted in 1967. Since 1967 Disney in Florida has essentially been its’ own jurisdiction, enjoyed special tax statuses, and maintained its’ own fire department, waste management service, law enforcement, and debt. Disney, essentially, has been its’ own county.
If you haven’t paid attention to this story, Governor Ron Desantis, has been very critical of Disney in recent months for their “Woke” policies.
Most suspect that this is a hardline response to Disney’s openly voiced stance against the recent ‘Don’t Say Gay' bill, which was signed into law in March. The law prevents classroom discussions about sexual orientation or gender identity in grades from kindergarten to 3rd grade.
Disney’s Streaming Business
Disney’s streaming business centers around Disney +, ESPN +, and Hulu. Between the three services, there are nearly 200 million subscribers with an estimated 130 million on Disney + alone. Streaming services have become more crowded as the years have passed, with Discovery and Paramount heating their offerings. Two of the biggest companies in the world have continued their assault on traditional media companies, Amazon and Apple.
Investor concerns about Disney are whether the streaming services are correctly priced, and whether or not it will be forced to take advertising to offer lower-priced streaming alternatives. This is the news coming from Netflix’s Corporate offices, that Netflix has begun looking into taking advertising to offer affordable pricing options to fans of the streaming giant.
Final Thoughts
Disney hasn’t been this down and out since the early 2000s. It was in 2005 when then CEO Michael Eisner was excommunicated from the ranks of the corporate giant. There seems to be a myriad of reasons for Disney’s stocks to be in the tank. They range from pandemics to politics.
In the meantime, the current chief board officer has a task in front of her and could be gambling with her professional reputation. Keeping the current CEO is a bone of contention with investors. Then, there are the woke policies that seem to have put a target on Disney. Could a change in leadership be in the future? It could happen sooner than we know. Until then, Disney shares will likely be stuck at current levels or below. As of this writing, their stock continues to slip, but what it’ll finish at is hard to tell until the effects of losing their 55-year protected status are fully analyzed.
**********************************************************************
If you liked the story consider checking out my Ambassador's link below. For $9.99 a month, after special introductory pricing, you can write your stories, share your voice, and start developing an income stream. You can also write in writing competitions worth up to $20,000 in prize money. Joining through the Ambassador link doesn't cost you anything, but it does support the writers using them (me) and your membership fee supporters the members of Vocal Plus.
About the Creator
Jason Ray Morton
I have always enjoyed writing and exploring new ideas, new beliefs, and the dreams that rattle around inside my head. I have enjoyed the current state of science, human progress, fantasy and existence and write about them when I can.
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Excellent storytelling
Original narrative & well developed characters
Expert insights and opinions
Arguments were carefully researched and presented
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Keep reading
More stories from Jason Ray Morton and writers in The Swamp and other communities.
Ukraine Has Two Shining Symbols Of The Fight For Freedom
The world needs heroes. We need heroes. Sadly, there are few heroes left in the world because it doesn’t sell newspapers or win ratings. However, since the beginning of the Ukraine invasion by Russia, there have been heroes born out of the horrors of war.
By Jason Ray Morton 2 years ago in The Swamp
Well-Intentioned Whistleblower or Opportunist?
“I want to believe that you're telling the truth But something tells me don't trust you” – Agnostic Front When a family enrolls a child in a school, the district immediately starts incurring expenses. Space must be reserved for each student and teachers assigned to those classrooms. The district must ensure that textbooks and other supplies are available. These costs are constant and do not change when a child misses a day of school.
By Carl J. Petersena day ago in The Swamp
Rivers of Death
Rivers bring water the element essential to all life on Earth but wherever rivers flow they also bring death surprise attacks Savage kills and brutal fights every day is a battle for survival on these rivers of [Applause] death I'm under the African Sun Staying Alive is hot thirsty work and among the ranks of animals jostling to get a drink lurk Killers waiting to strike but while Lions may be fearsome and the huge Nile crocodiles ruthless Predators one of the continent's deadliest River Killers is mostly vegetarian renowned wallowers spending up to 16 hours a day lounging in the water hippos could be mistaken for relaxed creatures and yet the river horse as their name translates from ancient Greek can be a very angry pony indeed with tusks up to a foot and a half long hippos are literally armed to the teeth and a charging bull Hipp can impact with the weight force of a pickup truck what's more hippos May brutally defend their territory an Impala has been chased into a muddy Watering Hole by a lion it's stuck but for fortunately for the stricken analou the lion is reluctant to follow it into the Meer unfortunately it finds itself in the domain of a hippo ill disposed to uninvited guests the hippo's not stealing the watching Lion's meal she's most likely just aggressively defending her calf and the Impala pays the ultimate price for crossing a doting mother hippos are thought to kill more people each year than the rest of Africa's most dangerous animals combined and during mating season their ruthless aggression is directed at other hippos two bulls square up the pod's dominant male and a Challenger at stake the Riverbanks Prime mating territory and a Herm of females the dominant male puts on an aggressive display posturing to show he will not yield but the interloper Demands a fight finally the dominant male is Victorious the Conqueror celebrates with a dung shower marking the border of the territory he has successfully defended while the vanquished suffers more than just the agony of defeat his back is carved open and by Sunset the crocodiles are watching closely they'd be unlikely to take on a bull in rude Health but now they Circle an expectation the hippo breathes his last the price of insurrection is life his Hulk will not go to waste the crocodiles move in swiftly to Feast on the corpse for these voracious Predators it's a considerable meal but one dead hippo is a mere snack compared with the annual Feast provided by a particular African river each year the serengetti vast grass Plains filled to the Horizon with grazing animals taking part in one of Nature's greatest spectacles around 1 and2 million wilder beast join 700,000 other herbivores on the Great Migration around 1 in six of these migrants will die before completing the 500 M circuit many are outrun and taken down down by Africa's formidable array of Savannah carnivores their Journey coming to a Grizzly end but one of the deadliest single obstacles the vast herds must Traverse is the mara River after 3 months on the move the wilderbeast are exhausted and emaciated all that separates them from the Fresh pastures of the msai mara is the width of the river and a whole bunch of huge ravit Nile crocodiles despite the chilling threat posed by these powerful Predators some of the herd are either oblivious to the danger or so thirsty they dare to take a drink anyway for an unlucky few it will be their last and these witless victims merely wet the Croc's appetite the true Feast begins when the first of the herd Braves the river in the crush and Chaos of the crossing the 16t Crocs grabs scores of victims when 1,600 lb of musc futile the marus Crocs survive on meager rations for most of the year so take full advantage of the great migrations time of Plenty they Gorge themselves eating up to half their body weight in one sitting and with so many different species crossing the river the banquet is as varied as it is Bountiful but not all Africa's Crocs have such an easy meal ticket on the banks of this Kenyon River a Croc has got too close to a pack of feeding Lions a move it's about to regret it's a fierce attack but the Crocs skin is covered in bony armor plating eventually the Lion's Uninvited Guest Retreats having taught the Crocs and dinner manners the big cats return to the carcass the Amazon is a giant of a river and and conceal some monstrous Predators which kill with a crush and in a bloody frenzy draining a lowland Basin of close to 3 million square miles around 1/5 of the water that runs off the earth's surface is carried by the Amazon this giant of a river is renowned for its oversized residence both prey and Predator around 4 ft long and and weighing as much as an adult human capibara are the world's largest rodent they're
By cacloaidongvat4 days ago in The Swamp
Comments
There are no comments for this story
Be the first to respond and start the conversation.