The Disney company is making a few changes to its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs to focus more closely on business outcomes, according to a note sent to employees Tuesday and obtained by Axios.
While many of the changes have already been in motion over the last months or year, and only affect the Disney employees, one of the newly implemented changes has to do with the content warnings we started to see before many of the classic films streaming on Disney+.
When the streamer launched in 2019, Disney+ notified subscribers that some of its classics like Dumbo and Peter Pan were being “presented as originally created” and “may contain outdated cultural depictions,” but Disney took it a step further in 2020 with an updated autoplay message that read:
“This program includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures. These stereotypes were wrong then and are wrong now. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together.”
The disclaimer added that Disney is “committed to creating stories with inspirational and aspirational themes that reflect the rich diversity of the human experience around the globe.”
The new, more concise advisory that can be found in the details tab will now read, “This program is presented as originally created and may contain stereotypes or negative depictions.”
I think both messages convey the same sentiment. Disney has always been dedicated to doing the right thing by its fans and the diverse cultures it represents.
