Quit Jerkin' Me Around!

How’s Disney+ been treating you? I haven’t subscribed yet, I can’t afford another streaming service right now, but it seems to be a big hit…outside of lacking certain titles. And cropping shows. And how it crashed on launch day. Come to think of it, is it worth getting Disney+ right now?

Either way, for as happy as I am that people are talking about The Mandalorian (no spoilers!), I’m a little miffed at the anti-Disney snark floating around the internet again. To be fair, anti-Disney snark’s nothing new. And I’m not innocent, either. But in light of the critiques, I have to wonder if a lot of this is reactionary or toxic. (It’s probably both.)

Now, I grew up on Disney content. I was born in 1990, during The Disney Renaissance, so it was easy viewing material. I remember wearing out my VHS tape of The Little Mermaid from overwatch, and many of my VHS covers have bite-marks from young me chewing on them. I still have a Perdita plushie from when I was 4, and she’s seen lots of love. I even remember seeing Toy Story in theatres at a birthday party, and it made an impact. In short, Disney was a big part of my childhood!

I mention this not to sound biased, though I probably am, but to understand where I’m coming from. Disney was a part of my formative years, and even now I enjoy much of their output. But I’m not a blind fan. I don’t worship the ground they walk on, and I’ve been critical of their business decisions. I’ve even avoided movies they’ve made that didn’t interest me, including many of their recent live-action remakes. So when I mention “Disney snark”, it’s not like I don’t understand it.

That said, it still bums me out that so many people are vehemently anti-Disney. And not in a “Disney’s a monopolistic corporation” kind of way, though that’s true. I’m talking in a “Disney’s a monopolistic corporation, therefore you shouldn’t support them” kind of way. Also, I’m talking in a “Disney’s a monopolistic corporation, so we’re gonna make you feel miserable for supporting them” kind of way. Both of those attitudes aren’t only unhelpful, they’re actively harmful.

And I hear them constantly. Whenever Disney exceeds, it leads to a reminder that they’re evil. Whenever they swallow another entity, there are guilt trips lobbed at fans for being “part of the problem”. And whenever they fail, the “Karma Police” are on full-force. It’s never-ending.

Why are so many of the anti-Disney individuals self-righteous anyway? So Disney’s shady? I’ve got news for you: all corporations are. So Disney’s made decisions that’ve been “wrong”? Again, so have all companies. It doesn’t mean blindly defending the firing of James Gunn over old Tweets he’s long since apologized for, but it doesn’t mean that I’m Satan for still watching MCU films. There are more-effective ways of expressing your frustrations than making people miserable.

Also, what happened to “There’s no ethical consumption under Capitalism”? If everything we consume is mired in some form of dishonesty, then shouldn’t that apply to “purer forms of art” too? This doesn’t mean not advocating for change, but sitting back and condemning people who watch Disney media as a form of escapism doesn’t help your cause. If anything, you’re a jerk.

Look, life sucks. Work’s hard, politicians are corrupt, we’re depleting natural resources at an alarming rate, and attempts at advocating for change are met with disdain by those with power. Between fighting for equal rights and wanting a better tomorrow, we occasionally need to relax and recharge. Entertainment does that. And for many people, that’s in the form of Disney content. Why, then, are people making Disney fans feel guilty over that? Isn’t it hypocritical? Isn’t it self-righteous?

It’d be so much easier to improve the world if we stopped being jerks over stuff we have no control over. And yeah, Disney isn’t saintly. Between their monopolistic practices, their worker abuse, their constant attempts at whitewashing their shady past, their attempts at performative wokeness presently, or even how they had ties to The Trump Campaign, Disney has, and will continue to have, lots to answer for in their backlog. I won’t claim otherwise. But if we’re not on the same page about how people are still entitled to enjoy Disney content from-time-to-time, especially if it’s well-made, then why even bother fighting for change? What good will that do?

For as much as we strive to make the world better, we should never deprive people of their happiness. Whether it’s letting an activist buy a Starbucks drink, or letting people who can’t drive Uber to a union strike, or-yes-even letting people unhappy with the state of the film industry enjoy a Disney film, there’s enough anger that a little joy is needed too. So let someone have that, okay? Life’s way too precious for people to be dicks, even over Disney content.