Yesterday the weather was beastly hot, so my wife and I visited a large electronics/recreation/outdoor-sports store to buy another A/C for our apartment.
While my wife shopped, I roamed the store. And on the shelves I saw all sorts of Disney themed products to buy: children's toys, jigsaw puzzles, education study books for kids, Disney-themed party supplies and decorations.
And invariably, When Japanese visit America, where do they go? They go to America's magnificent theme parks: Disney World, Universal Studios, etc.
And yet, Japan's economy is now struggling. Since October 2022, the yen has lost about 28% of its value against the dollar.
Why? Well, my thinking is the Ukraine war and Bidung's destruction of U.S. oil and gas production is causing much of the squeeze. Though Japan is one of the most volcanic nations on Earth, it has virtually no natural petroleum or gas to tap.
And Bidung's insane push to replace American ICE and hybrid autos/trucks with all-electric battery vehicles has caused Americans to stop buying Toyotas, Hondas, Nissans etc.
Though you rarely hear it expressed, Japanese know American leadership is in decline. The average citizen can't put their finger on the problem because the media here suppresses the news-- same as the press does in America.
And I'm convinced that the Disney "woke" issues in America are not seen in Disney Japan. And it's because the average person would turn against Disney if they tried to push a woke agenda.
Japan is a fundamentally conservative nation. Politeness and respect for traditional values are built into the culture and language. 50% of the populace still wears Covid masks in public. Almost 100% of retail and restaurant industry workers are still required to wear masks, even though the Japanese government says the Covid crisis is over.
During the heat of the summer, the American fashion is "beach wear": shorts, sandals, and casual tops. But here, most people dress conservatively. Women's dresses and pants are cut below the knees, and the arms and shoulders are generally covered up in airy cotton blouses that mostly cover up the arms and shoulders.
So you begin to understand why a company like Disney operates differently in Japan. It's because "We the People" of Japan won't put up with destroying Walt Disney's original vision of family oriented, culture-enhancing content.
It’s because “We the People” of Japan won’t put up with destroying Walt Disney’s original vision of family oriented, culture-enhancing content.
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I think a few things are lost in all of this.
Someone like Iger doesn’t really care. He’s getting paid. Has enough to live his life, anyway, and this is all ego for him now.
The Disney heiress was just arrested protesting at some small airport. That stuff doesn’t matter to her. She gets arrested and some $2000/hr lawyer shows up to get her out, while the schmuck next to her sits in jail. And then her mo ey and family name keep her out of trouble.
But, at the end of the day, these people are all hypocrites.
They do what they want and can in the US because all they have to do is scream some ‘ism’, ‘ist’, or phobia, and the trained seals in the media pick it up and go after anyone that criticized them. But as poconopundit stated, they know their audiences, what will work and won’t work, and then adjust accordingly. They know where their bread is buttered.
So, at the end of the day, as much as they want to use the company as some mutated vehicle for change, it’s just another capitalist entity, trying to make a buck.
Thanks for the reminder that the left’s hedonism is being pushed mainly in western nations.