These changes might largely be to rebrand the company's DEI initiatives versus actually phasing them out.
The Walt Disney Company has been at the heart of the culture wars for several years now. Regardless of one's political allegiances, multiple controversies have swirled around the company's film projects, DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives, and even scandals like the firing of actress Gina Carano which seemed to center entirely around left-versus-right politicking. With the inauguration of President Donald Trump and his new administration, however, there have been sweeping changes carried out in very short order, and among them the elmination of DEI initiatives within the federal government.
These DEI-focused executive orders have caused changes in the private sector, as well, with companies like Google, Meta, and others making similar cuts and alterations to their own DEI operations. Now, Disney seems to be shifting its position on DEI, but while it might seem like Disney is making cuts, it's more likely that these initiatives are being rebranded so as to fly under the radar and make investors happy.
For instance, an issue of very hot debate have been the various trigger warnings that Disney has been affixing to classic films in its back catalog. These warnings are often tone deaf, pandering, and completely out of touch with the opinions and beliefs of everyday people, with many considering them to be highly offensive and inappropriate. A recent change has seen these trigger warnings toned down, but they're not gone entirely.
Now, rather than have "negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures" automatically display across the screen prior to a movie, the warning is instead moved to the details area of each film and says "this program is presented as originally created and may contain stereotypes or negative depictions." Some might see that as a victory against censorship, but the very existence of the warning, even if it's not immediately visible, remains alarming.
A similar change has been made with the removal of the company's Reimagining Tomorrow website, which touted Disney's DEI goals for representation in its media projects. Meanwhile, Disney's Business Employee Resource Groups (BERGs) have been rebranded as Belonging Employee Resource Groups. For the former, the removal of the page doesn't mean the initiative is dead, it might simply mean that Disney is no longer wanting to publicly draw attention to it. For the latter, the term Belonging (as noted by a That Park Place report) is a popular replacement buzz term for "diversity" as corporations attempt to maintain DEI while using alternate terms for it (such as BRIDGE).
So now the question becomes, is Disney in fact moving away from DEI, or is Disney simply trying to not draw attention to its DEI initiatives? With public outcry at an all-time high against DEI, as well as government mandates working to restrict its practice, it will be interesting to see which way this shakes out.
Source: Reuters