Walt Disney World has long been one of my favorite places on Earth. I never got to go there as a kid, but when I finally did go for the first time it was on a work trip, and I fell in love with Walt Disney World. My family has now been to Walt Disney World several times, and it’s always been pretty magical, though some trips have been better than others. I am not sure if we will ever go back though, but it’s not just the cost (which has increased exponentially) that is holding us back.
Unfortunately, Disney is one of many corporations that have been capitulating to the demands of the current occupant of the White House. I have been trying to avoid supporting businesses that are either changing their policies to align with Project 2025 and/or paying what amounts to extortion to the President. At a time when strength and integrity are needed most, it’s very disheartening to see so many businesses caving in. It seems so short-sighted, and the damage to their brands may outlive the current political climate.
Of course, I realize that Disney is a business, and the purpose of a business (especially a publicly traded business) is to make money. That being said, there other companies that are not “bending the knee” and staying the course with the policies they had in place regardless of whether or not the President likes them. Notably Costco has held the line, and that in turn has helped their bottom line. I joined Costco the same week they publicly refused to backtrack on their DEI initiatives. I am kind of locked into the ecosystem of some offenders (Apple, Comcast) but in general spending money at Disney, Target, etc. just makes me feel complicit in all of this; I just can’t do it.