Latest news with #WOKE
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Disney Layoffs Celebrated by Critics: ‘Go Woke Go Broke'
Disney's recent announcement that it will be laying off hundreds from its film, TV and finance divisions has led to gloating by critics, who view this as a result of the company "going woke." Newsweek has reached out to Disney via email for comment. "Go woke, go broke" is a phrase that has been popularized in recent years, often adopted by conservative groups to celebrate the financial difficulties of companies they view as having embraced progressive ideals or supported left-wing political causes. It has also been used as a rallying call for boycotts of certain corporations, including Bud Light, Target, and Disney itself. While the company's overall financial performance remains strong per its most-recent results, the layoffs coincide with challenges in Disney's film businesses, in particular the underwhelming box-office performance of its live-action remake of Snow White. A report from Reuters, citing an unnamed source familiar with the matter, said that Disney plans on laying off hundreds from its film, TV and corporate finance divisions. Disney spokespeople confirmed the layoffs to the BBC and USA Today, and attributed these to the "rapid" transformation of the industry and the need to "efficiently manage our businesses while fueling the state-of-the-art creativity and innovation." The California-based company employs around 230,000 people, 60,000 of whom are based abroad. The last major layoff announcement came in 2023, when Disney said it would be reducing the headcount by 7,000 as part of a cost-cutting initiative. After the news broke, it was shared heavily online, with conservative-leaning commenters in particular celebrating. Many employed the catchphrase "go woke, go broke," while pointing to the recent release of Snow Whiteas evidence. In addition to a weak critical reception, the film became mired in controversy due to political comments made by lead actress Rachel Zegler in the run-up to its release; the casting of a Latina actress as the titular character; and the use of CGI to reimagine the seven dwarfs. The latter also drew scrutiny from actors with dwarfism, who felt the decision deprived performers of potential roles. The film ended up a box-office bomb, grossing $205.5 million on a budget Forbes estimated at around $300 million. A spokesperson for Disney told the BBC: "We have been surgical in our approach to minimize the number of impacted employees." They added that none of the affected teams would be closed down entirely. One X user reposted the news of the layoffs, writing: "Seems the only way these companies learn what viewers want is through financial lessons." "If you think Disney is correcting course by these layoffs, then you don't know Disney well enough. They're faaaaar from stepping away from WOKE," another wrote. Disney CEO Bob Iger, in response to a question on Disney's "wokeness" during a shareholder meeting last April, said: "I'm sensitive to that." Quoted by Business Insider, Iger continued: "Our primary mission needs to be to entertain and then through our entertainment to continue to have a positive impact on the world. And I'm very serious about that. It should not be agenda-driven." While other recent releases—including Captain America: Brave New World, the fourth installment in the Marvel franchise—have similarly struggled to break even at the box office, Disney's remake of Lilo & Stitch remains a box-office leader in North America, already raking in $613 million globally to become the third-highest grossing film of 2025. Related Articles Star Wars Icon Says He's Done With The FranchiseWoman, 27, Tries To 'Connect' With Gen Alpha Sister-Unprepared for Response'Doctor Who' Pulls Shock Change as Lead Actor Makes Unexpected Exit'Lilo & Stitch' Live-Action Remake Breaks Numerous Box Office Records 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Scottish Sun
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Woke police chiefs forced to apologise after ex-cop nicked for criticising pro-Palestinian activist
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) WOKE police chiefs had to apologise to an ex-cop who was arrested for a social media comment criticising a pro-Palestinian activist. Julian Foulkes, 71, was briefly handcuffed after six officers with batons turned up. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Julian Foulkes arrested for a social media comment criticising a pro-Palestinian activist Credit: Alamy He said: 'Free speech is clearly under attack.' The police were seen in bodycam footage remarking that some of his literature at his Gillingham home — including a book by Sun columnist Douglas Murray — looked 'very Brexity'. And they bizarrely raised an alarm over his hairdresser wife's shopping list because it included bleach and foil. Ex-special constable Julian, who served Kent Police for a decade, had responded to a message backing UK Gaza demos — amid reports of anti-Jewish mobs storming an airport in Russia to confront Israeli citizens after the October 7 2023 Hamas attack. He wrote: 'One step away from storming Heathrow looking for Jewish arrivals . . . ' He was locked up for eight hours and given a caution. After a review, Kent Police has said sorry to him for the distress and expunged the caution from his record.
Fox News
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Trump vows to bring Columbus Day back ‘from the ashes'
President Donald Trump vowed Sunday to bring back Columbus Day "from the ashes," while calling out Democrats for doing everything possible to destroy Christopher Columbus' reputation. "I'm bringing Columbus Day back from the ashes," the president wrote in a post on Truth Social. "The Democrats did everything possible to destroy Christopher Columbus, his reputation, and all of the Italians that love him so much. "They tore down his Statues, and put up nothing but 'WOKE,' or even worse, nothing at all! Well, you'll be happy to know, Christopher is going to make a major comeback," Trump added. "I am hereby reinstating Columbus Day under the same rules, dates, and locations, as it has had for all of the many decades before!" Columbus is commonly credited with discovering the "New World." This after journeying across the Atlantic Ocean from Spain to find a direct route from Europe to Asia without traveling around the massive African continent. This inadvertently bridged the divide between Europe and what would eventually become North and South America. Columbus' ships – the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa Maria – most likely landed on San Salvador, one of the Bahamian islands, before moving to different locations in search of valuable resources. The controversial part of his history, however, revolves around enslavement and colonization. In recent years, the Columbus Day holiday has come under heightened scrutiny, with many opting to honor Indigenous Peoples' Day instead. In fact, several statues of Columbus have been removed, defaced or even dragged and submerged into water over the past few years because of the controversy surrounding the historical figure. An 8-foot-tall bronze statue of Columbus once housed at the entrance of Byrd Park in Richmond, Virginia, was uprooted by protesters in light of George Floyd's 2020 death until finding a new home in a New York City suburb last year. In images from the tumultuous summer, protesters are seen marching near the statue, holding signs that called for removal of imagery that recognizes colonizers to pay respect to indigenous communities. Other reports and images show the statue on the ground after being pulled down from its pedestal with ropes, defaced with spray paint and lit on fire. The protesters then dragged the statue to a nearby pond and submerged it in water. The nearly 100-year-old homage to Columbus was later retrieved and restored before eventually being shipped to its new home at the Rockland Sons of Italy Lodge in the hamlet of Blauvelt, located approximately 20 miles northwest of New York City.
