Kulturkampf

[BIONIC]

But it has the first *checks notes* non-binary character!

Even the target audiences realize how cynical this is, and how there's little real effort into telling diverse stories. It's solely marketing. Sometimes it works. Lords knows I thought Little Mermaid would flop but it's clearly a success. Usually it fails tho.

The little Mermaid actually did kind of flop. It did really well in the US but with a total box office of 468 million and a budget of 250 million it may have not even broken even. (rule of thumb is usually that it needs to make twice the budget to account for marketing)

[Potato]

Is it non-conforming to the cat/bat binary?

Because otherwise WTF?

[Uncle]

if you read the kotaku article, they included a comic explaining its origin, which helpfully lets you know it was groomed into becoming nonbinary 

it escapes from neo cortex and the first person it meets who is friendly is a david bowie lookalike so it makes that its entire personality immediately and forever

also it's voiced by a woman (who is pretending to be nonbinary) therefore it will be heard as female and identified as such by literally everyone

[Potato]

if you read the kotaku article, 

Yeah, nah, I'm good thanks.

[Nintex]

The comments

[Uncle]

This is exactly why Reddit is fucking shit. It's just Reeeeesetera moderation on an industrial scale with somehow even less checks and balances.

you might enjoy https://www.reddit.com/r/PoliticalCompassmemes/ if they ever un-private from the protest

they're under constant threat of getting gutted and destroyed because they purport to be open to anyone who wants to laugh at any part of the political spectrum, which means the left is getting laughed at too, which they can't abide

No interest in Reddit at all these days. If a sub hasn't been taken over by the terminally online Reeeeesetera types then it's just a matter of time before it is.

I mean, go to ANY city-based sub and I guarantee that it's been over run by mods who blatantly lean so far left that it's embarrassing. 

Fuck that shit.

  

https://www.reddit.com/r/PoliticalCompassMemes/comments/14dx4hg/its_about_damn_time/

https://www.reddit.com/r/PoliticalCompassMemes/comments/14dwrmy/source_in_comments/

https://www.reddit.com/r/PoliticalCompassMemes/comments/14dz9td/this_alliance_never_fail_to_amuse_me/

[Eric Cartman]

Teacher brands schoolgirl 'despicable' after she refuses to accept classmate's claim that she 'identifies as a cat'

[HaughtyFrank]

Oh wow you're right. I glanced at a headline awhile ago that said the WW numbers weren't horrible but assuming it won't have legs much longer...that's gonna be what a 500-600m total gross? Whereas if they had just cast [random white girl singer] it prob does double. And while that says some ehh things about overseas markets at the same time if you're signing the checks how much longer are you gonna go in this direction...

Have to disagree with you here. 

In addition to these remakes being some of the most cynical cash-grabs ever made, trying to jam the casting down everyone's throat with the massive PR campaign really put the focus on how this was offering nothing EXCEPT for the casting choice.

That's what they don't get. Focus on the fact that you've cast a real talent in the role and how this is going to give viewers something new and fresh and most people don't give a fuck.

I agree they're cynical cash grabs but Lion King and Aladdin both grossed over a billion dollars. There's a clear demand for this trash, and it's looking like this one will only do about half of what the others did. There's gotta be a reason for that.

They say she was the best person who auditioned. I'm sure that's the case when it comes to singing, since she's one of the best young vocalists in the US. But I doubt she was the best actress, given her limited experience in that realm. The weird thing to me is that Disney already has a black princess and while the Princes & The Frog wasn't great it's prob the best fit for film adaption compared to the other ones.

I think something often that often gets mixed up with race swapped movies like the little mermaid is the assumption that people are simply racist vs people simply disliking the race swapping. 

Like, we know that the international audience will show up for black lead or non-white lead movies, Aladdin is the perfect example of a non-white Disney remake being a big success. 
Of course, there's going to be racists who just refuse to watch any non-white movie but I think overall people are more annoyed by act of the race swapping itself than the idea of a black main character, as race swapping characters is mostly perceived as a pure social statement (and that's also how Disney presents it). It can be pretty unfair to the actress or even Director (maybe he really just picked the best actress for the job) but at this point it seems like almost everything is perceived as a larger statement than just wanting to make the best movie you can.

[BIONIC]

Teacher brands schoolgirl 'despicable' after she refuses to accept classmate's claim that she 'identifies as a cat'

[benji]

Spoiler:  (click to show)(click to hide)

[Potato]

The complete lack of media literacy these  have it astounding.

Always with the most surface level reading of a film/book/whatever.

[benji]

The complete lack of media literacy these  have it astounding.

Always with the most surface level reading of a film/book/whatever.

Yeah? Well, you know, that's just like, uh, your opinion, man.

[Cauliflower Of Love]

The complete lack of media literacy these  have it astounding.

Always with the most surface level reading of a film/book/whatever.

Yeah? Well, you know, that's just like, uh, your opinion, man.

I understood that reference.

[killamajig]

https://news.yahoo.com/scientists-discovered-alarming-side-effect-100000446.html

Scientists have discovered an alarming new side effect of air pollution: ‘We had not thought about this before’

Insects typically find their mates by heavily relying on pheromones –– chemicals that allow males and females to locate each other and mate.

These pheromones are distinctive to males and females of a species, and in the case of flies, they are being disrupted and degraded by the pervasive increase of ozone in the air, which is a result of air pollution.

Typically, male flies’ pheromones attract females while simultaneously repelling other males. But increased ozone levels caused a decrease in pheromones, which caused females to be less attracted to males and led to courtship between male flies.

Now we're making the flies gay.

[PhoenixDark]

The comments

This is why I think this stuff is deliberate marketing and #engagement. I understand defending your cast from online hate but the annual Disney letter calling out racist Star Wars fans, the yearly "cast fights back against racists" articles etc seem to be more developed and focused on than, you know, actually creating good shows/films. It's like a set defense they're ready to deploy. What's so hard about "sure some fans are like that but the vast majority have been supportive and I appreciate the love"??? That would have been a pretty standard trained PR response 20 years ago, with the goal of avoided a headline like that.

Something also has to be said about these (white) execs who keep using black/gay/etc people as pawns in order to garner attention and #engagement for products they know are subpar. Instead of trying to make something engaging or interesting, they've decided to constantly make trash that a certain segment of the online discourse will be compelled to defend no matter what. And nowhere in this deal is there an actual story about those identities. The black people are just props to attract black viewers. Want some (childless) adults to come see your cartoon movie? Announce a random character is non-binary and blast that out into twitter. The character shows no sign of being non binary but as that Spider-Man movie shows, you can easily make people see what they want to see and breathlessly support your shit if you do this right. It's nauseating man...and insulting to me as a black dude.

[HaughtyFrank]

The executives really don't give a shit. It's sad/hilarious to see the cast of Willow talk about how amazing it is to have gay characters in a Disney show and how much that means and then Disney removes the show from Disney+, making it impossible to watch anywhere like it never existed

Though it also seems to have been exactly the kind of show that didn't offer anything interesting except for diverse casting.

[D3RANG3D]

[PhoenixDark]

The executives really don't give a shit. It's sad/hilarious to see the cast of Willow talk about how amazing it is to have gay characters in a Disney show and how much that means and then Disney removes the show from Disney+, making it impossible to watch anywhere like it never existed

Though it also seems to have been exactly the kind of show that didn't offer anything interesting except for diverse casting.

They've determined that inclusion and diversity is the best way to appeal to younger demographics. Which may be true but ultimately people want something good and/or entertaining. I have no issue with inclusion, and I'm not agreeing with weirdos who think the mere existence of a non-white, non-straight person in anything = woke identity shit. That's wrong. My issue is with obvious, cynical inclusions done to hide a bad film/show or justify it's very existence. 

I also hate the way some of the dumbest people on earth are being catered too. If you cannot identify with art unless it's represented by someone who looks exactly like you, you're a fucking idiot. IMO this is kind of a subset of the other thing we see: associating actors with the goodness or badness of the characters they portray, and being offended by characters in films/tv who express problematic views or actions. A decade of frivolous #content and lab test tuned diversity signaling has created a lot of stupid people. 

Also it's funny how you can tell how very-online this discourse is whenever a show/film comes out that isn't that diverse but is a smash hit. Wednesday is the most popular Netflix show since Squid Game and it's typical Tim Burton super white shit. I saw some people crying about how the black characters have limited roles or are antagonists in it. Clearly nobody gives a fuck in real life given the success. However you can bet your ass next season there will probably be a bunch of black characters, and the show's popular will largely remain the same. Point being, people are perfectly capable of watching anything that they...like. Because most people are pretty normal and don't require shows/tv to look exactly like them or else.

[Nintex]

True

[killamajig]

True

I hire only the best people.

[TylenolJones]

[benji]

He should have just said it.

[D3RANG3D]

[HaughtyFrank]

[Nintex]

Woke vs. Free Speech is going to be settled in a cage fight between Zuckerberg and Musk.  

[TylenolJones]

Does wokeness have a higher death count than communism at this point?

[benji]

[Nintex]

Too late, with nothing to merchandise Nintendo is going to eat Disney's lunch this holiday season.

Also in a surprising number of these articles you read about George Floyd being the spark that lit the diversity fire at corporations.

[benji]

Too late, with nothing to merchandise Nintendo is going to eat Disney's lunch this holiday season.

Also in a surprising number of these articles you read about George Floyd being the spark that lit the diversity fire at corporations.

I don't see anything in the article about them getting rid of the DEI team, had been in this position since 2017 and she was previously in roughly the same position at Toyota:

Previously, Newton served as group vice president of social innovation and chief diversity officer at Toyota Motor North America, Inc. and chief program officer for Toyota Mobility Foundation, Toyota Motor Corporation. She began her career at Toyota in 1991.

Newton’s exit from Disney comes less than a week after CEO Bob Iger announced CFO Christine McCarthy’s decision to step down from her role.

See Disney HR chief Sonia Coleman’s note to staff announcing Newton’s departure below.

To our extended DEI and HR team,

I’m writing to share the news that Latondra Newton has decided to leave The Walt Disney Company to pursue other endeavors.

Since joining the company in 2017, Latondra has led the company’s strategic diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, including partnering with stakeholders across the enterprise to amplify stories of the world by people around the world. She has been dedicated to ensuring every person sees themselves and their life experiences represented in a meaningful and authentic way.

I know you all join me in thanking Latondra for her many contributions, including the lasting impact she has had on our employees and our culture. Working alongside all of you and so many others, she has inspired countless cast members and employees to bring about lasting change and to help create a world where we can all feel safe and we all belong.

Latondra’s direct reports will report to Julie Merges on an interim basis until a new DEI leader is identified. I want to thank Julie for leading this team along with her Talent Acquisition organization. Additionally, Shelby Curry and the DEI Internal Communications team will continue reporting to Carrie Brown in her role leading internal communications & engagement for the company.

Thank you all for your continued contributions to our DEI efforts. I know we can count on you to keep this important work moving forward during this leadership transitions.

Gratefully,

Sonia

Also lmao at this popup on the Post Millennial:

Spoiler:  (click to show)(click to hide)

[NekoFever]

Lysenkoism is the perfect description.