News Flash: Hate to be the one to break this to you, but the Walt Disney Co. is going to survive this backlash of a culture war going on in Florida.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last week stripped Disney World of its special tax-exempt, self-governing status in Orlando known as the Reedy Creek Improvement District. Now Disney can't just paste a stamp of approval on projects without county government approval and must pay its fair share of taxes. And that's fine - DeSantis did what he felt he had to do.
Ostensibly it was portrayed as a decision that stripped Disney of having an unfair business advantage over other resorts and theme parks.
In reality, it was basically a punishment - and a warning to other big businesses - for Disney speaking out against the state's new law that prohibits the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity to children from kindergarten through third grade.
And we just don't have the time here to get into that whole pesky little First Amendment thing about anybody's right to speak out in favor or in opposition of this or any other law. Nor do we have time to dissect how Disney has had this special self-governance status since 1967 and hardly anyones said a word for 50+ years until about two months ago.
No, my point is that Disney, as arguably the world's greatest tourist attraction, is going to survive just fine.
People are going to stream Disney+, tourists are going to flock to Disney World and Disneyland, and they're going to book passage on Disney Cruise Line ships. Park officials had to turn people away from Disneyland over the weekend it was so crowded.
This is the way most boycotts go. With few exceptions, they aren't sustained for a variety of reasons. One of them being, we've changed as a society and a country. We don't have the gumption anymore to throw British tea into Boston harbor, nor the fortitude to stop taking the bus in Montgomery, Alabama, and all but cripple the transportation system.
When it comes to boycotts these days, people talk a good game and that's about it. Think about similar cases that were backed by bravado - and a lot of false memes on social media. Like when people talked about boycotting the NFL and Nike over the Colin Kaepernick saga. The NFL had one of its most-watched Super Bowls two months ago; Nike has had record profits. How's that boycott thing workin' out for 'ya?
No, Disney is going to be just fine. Is its stock price falling? It is - just like every other major company who just lived through two years of a pandemic. Will Disney World be able to afford the new increased tax payments to the county and state without its longtime protection? About as easy as you or I grabbing a bunch of quarters to pay for a Nutty Buddy when the ice cream man comes through the neighborhood.
In a perfect world, we respect both sides and both opinions on the matter. We all know it's not a perfect world, however.
I'm just saying that for every person who says they'll never give Disney World another dollar, I'll show you one who will.
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