The QAnon proponents, operating on websites and social media, claim that Disney’s opposition to the Florida bill, and its various diversity initiatives, are attempts to “groom” children. That term was long meant to describe the tactics of child abusers, but some conservatives have used it as to describe what they see as indoctrination into acceptance of gay and transgender people.
Netflix’s Experience
QAnon has ventured into business issues before, most notably as the group agitated against lockdowns and Covid-19 vaccine mandates. In 2020, a concerted effort by multiple QAnon believers against the Netflix film “Cuties” spilled over into the mainstream, with a bipartisan group of senators sending separate letters to CEO Reed Hastings demanding answers about the film, which focused on preteen girls and their sexuality. Some research firms believe the uproar cut into Netflix’s subscriber growth. Netflix didn’t respond to a request for comment.
Rarely has QAnon targeted an individual corporate giant for as sustained a period as the current fervor over Disney. Members discuss ways to try and bring the entertainment company down, from boycotts to the idea of purchasing put options, which they theorize would put pressure on the company’s shares. Others have tried to make a connection between convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell and Disney, claims that were discredited by the Associated Press.
QAnon believers are not the only fringe group online who have joined the campaign against Disney. Some of the most prominent anti-vaccine groups on the internet have also been advocating against the company. Natural News, an anti-vaccine website credited with being a leading spreader of conspiracy theories long before the pandemic, has published unsubstantiated claims about Disney in recent months.
The furor is the latest chapter in a battle that also includes masks in schools and critical race theory, part of the broader culture war that has been unfolding around parental rights in the U.S., said Angelo Carusone, the chief executive officer of progressive watchdog Media Matters for America.
Disney, the home of Mickey Mouse, the “Frozen” princesses and the hit song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” is a target for conspiracy theorists because of its cultural dominance, according to Carusone. “If it wasn’t Disney, there wouldn’t have been the same visceral response,” he said.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.