At the beginning of his term, US President Trump abolished the federal government’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion(DEI) project, which has caused major US companies to adjust their internal policies recently, and Hollywood giant Disney is no exception. According to a notice letter sent to employees by Disney, the company will adjust its internal DEI policy, adjust the content disclaimer slogans before the opening of some film and television works, reduce the proportion of diverse and inclusive content, and pay more attention to business results and core values.
Disney’s Changes
Sonia Coleman, Disney’s chief human resources officer, said in a letter that starting from this fiscal year, Disney will replace the “diversity and inclusion” performance factors previously used to evaluate executive compensation with a new talent strategy. The company will also shut down the controversial digital platform Reimagine Tomorrow, which was launched in 2021 to give voice to underrepresented groups. For ordinary audiences, the most intuitive change is reflected in its works: the beginning of early works such as “Dumbo” and “Peter Pan” previously had reminders that “negative portrayals and improper treatment of specific ethnic groups or cultures are included.” After the adjustment, the content of the disclaimer will become “This program is presented in its original version and may contain stereotypes or negative descriptions.”
These adjustments mark a strategic shift in Disney’s approach to hot social and cultural issues. After the US election in November last year, Pixar, a well-known animation studio under the company, deleted the storyline related to transgender characters from the upcoming animated series. At the end of last year, an episode of another animated work, “Moonlight Girl and Devil Dinosaur”, was not broadcast on the Disney Channel because it involved LGBTQ+ (sexual minorities). The episode tells the story of a transgender protagonist being discriminated against while participating in a women’s volleyball game. The creators involved in the production of this episode expressed disappointment and believed that it was shelved due to the election results. However, the decision to shelve was made more than a year ago and has nothing to do with the election results.
Disney’s Doubts
In recent years, Disney’s live-action adaptations of classic animated works have often been questioned for “colored casting”. The live-action version of Snow White, which will be released in North America in March this year, will be played by Latino actress Rachel Ziegler. Her not-so-white skin and controversial remarks have caused the trailer to receive negative reviews such as “a magical change to the classic”. In 2023, Disney’s live-action version of The Little Mermaid, which uses black-haired and dark-skinned Halle Bailey to play the red-haired and white-skinned Little Mermaid in the animation, has also been criticized for being “overly politically correct”. In the past year, Disney’s film revenue has returned to the top of the North American list thanks to the box office success of IP blockbusters such as Inside Out 2 and Moana 2. Although Disney’s DEI adjustment is not as obvious as the actions of other Fortune 500 companies in recent weeks, it also reflects the brand’s attempt to adapt to the pressures faced by Trump’s second term. On January 20, Trump signed an executive order at the White House to end the DEI program in the federal government. Since then, the U.S. Federal Office of Personnel Management said that all DEI programs will be canceled, and the corresponding offices, official websites and social media accounts will be closed and cancelled. The DEI program can be traced back to an executive order signed by then-President Lyndon Johnson in the 1960s, which required the federal government to “take affirmative action to ensure fair treatment of people during employment and prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.” Since he was first elected president in 2016, Trump has strongly opposed this policy, believing that the DEI program is counterproductive and discriminates against white citizens.
Other Reactions
The Trump administration believes that a series of diversity policies promoted during the Biden and Obama administrations have led to a decline in the FAA’s recruitment standards and insufficient firefighting staff, which are the deep-seated reasons for the crash and the ineffective rescue of California wildfires. He advocates a return to “merit-based recruitment” and recommends that job opportunities be given only based on qualifications and performance rather than race or gender. After canceling the DEI program, some labor organizations and groups publicly opposed Trump’s order, accusing him of undermining years of unremitting efforts by marginalized groups to defend their rights.
In addition to Disney, U.S. technology giants Meta, Google, Amazon, and McDonald’s have recently adjusted their DEI plans. According to US media reports, Amazon deleted several references to DEI, black people and LGBTQ+ from its corporate “policy position” page, and companies such as Walmart and Boeing began to withdraw investment from diversity work since the end of last year.
