Disney reportedly lost 1.7 million paid subscribers in the week after suspending Kimmel
An independent reporter claims that more than 1.7 million paying subscribers canceled their plans to DIsney streaming services.
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I hate to be that guy but this whole thing has frustrated me deeply. It shows we’re willing to fight back and do know how, but our selective use of that power is rather superficial.
Yes, I understand this was very important in the realm of speech but it still has an overtone of celebrity culture. Most people can’t be bothered to boycott to end genocide or to protest legislation or support the courts or to advocate for worker rights or healthcare, but to save a celebrity that makes this nightmare easier for them to swallow every night? Sign everyone up!
It feels less about protecting free speech and fighting fascism and more about them protecting their humor drug that makes “the bad place” more palpable.
Americans know how to fight back they’re just unwilling to do it unless their TV personality who gives them feel good juice is on the milk carton. I know that’s harsh but it’s just frustrating watching everyone cry about how helpless they are until their feel good nightly placebo(s) was/are on the line.
Again, I get the importance and the way the target was clear etc. It’s just frustrating to watch people cry they don’t know what to do then step up big time for famous people but not their communities, neighbors or their own family’s wellbeing.
This is a huge win and I don’t mean to detract from that. Please keep boycotting and hopefully this drives it home to more people that this is an effective tactic across the board. I just needed to vent a little.
I hear you, but cancelling 1/4 of your streaming services with the knowledge that can be reversed easily at any time is hardly the same as protesting or boycotting something tangible or an entire industry. I don't think this has anything to do with celebrity worship, and it has everything to do with how easy the protesting can be.
This protest could be done from home in three minutes, you don't suffer the consequences until the end of the month, and we all know less TV is better for us regardless of speech so there's very little downside.
I agree Americans aren't doing enough. I wish we were doing more.
People also arent directly paying Israel $20 a month or whatever, which can be cancelled at a whim. The most support that the average American sends to Israel is via US tax dollars. Good luck not paying your taxes just to send a message without ending up in prison, not to mention being unable to buy anything through typical means
Excellent points from you and the person you responded to. I’d still argue that a minimum effort - maximum effect action of canceling subscrptions is still a lot better than just ”hopes and prayers”.
As pompous as this may sound I do think subscription cancellation is an awesome protest tool that might, in best case scenario, affect Disney’s future business decisions. Maybe they won’t hire Alex Jones or make a musical animation about how great Hitler was if they’re afraid that their bottom line will be hit hard.
But yeah, we’re living in a timeline where Indiana Jones punching a nazi is a hate crime so the bar for things to be happy about is veeeeery low.
To show your support for free speech and protest US government's actions all they had to do (in this instance) was to unsubscribe from Disney+.
How do you protest for the ending of the Palestinian or Uyghur genocides? Who do you boycott? What do you unsubscribe from?
I think this is the answer. If I could log into my World.me account and cancel my Israel subscription they'd really be feeling the hurt.
Unfortunately for the world - our taxes don't get distributed that way.
BDS, for one.
There is a well established movement to determine exactly what you're asking for.
What is BDS?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boycott,_Divestment_and_Sanctions
https://bdsmovement.net/what-bds
Careful though, several states have literally made this illegal. That's not an exaggeration.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-BDS_laws#Anti-BDS_laws_in_the_United_States
Well now I’m part of the 5% of people who know what BDS is. Neat.
You have it backwards.
Protesting by showing support to a "rival idea" only works if the forces involved are near equal.
Protesting by showing lack of support almost never works (see: BLM).
Protesting by switching off the money flow works always.
I can't support Palestine by taking money away from Israel, because I am not giving money to Israel - my government is. The only way for me to stop paying taxes would be to stop earning money.
The protests against the sacking of Kimmel worked because they were in the form of an immediate money cut-off for Disney. Nothing similar exists in the case of "grown up issues", like the Uyghurs or Palestinians.
Sadly, most people are selfish and don't give a shit about horrors happening in another country on the other side of the world.
That's why, by the way, when news report on horrors, they state "173 dead people including 2 americans", even though it absolutely does not matter where piece of land the victims were born on.
I think it actually shows we don't know how to fight back.
With Disney all they had to do was unsubscribe (or in some way contact Disney) to show their frustration.
How do I do that with ICE? How do I do that with Republicans (when all of my reps are Democrats).
Disney has a bottom line they worry about, but this administration doesn't care about my opinions or my wallet (look at the direction the economy is going). So even if I could directly tell them I'm not happy with things (and I do in some ways), they don't care.
A coordinated effort to withhold the tax revenue the state expects would probably do it. Unfortunately that'll land whomever participates a prison sentence.
There are a lot of lethargic people who think "Liking" a post will change the world for the better. Canceling Disney services is one of the lowest effort things we collectively could do as it also provides the side benefit of removing a monthly expense in these overpriced times.
I canceled 2 accounts. It was strictly about fighting fascism and supporting free speech.
I don't even remember who it was. Falon or Kimmel? I don't watch either.