I often say that "the left will devour itself" because leftists will inevitably turn on each other. The nature of wokeness means that even the most well-meaning leftist is going to come up against something that offends another fellow traveler.
We’ve seen it in a gender non-conforming priest who ran afoul of racism, Rolling Stone’s Jann Wenner not including minorities in his collection of rockstar interviews, and the brouhaha over the “Barbie” movie’s Oscar nods. Add to the mix that leftists can’t have fun, and you can’t help but wonder how wokes get through the day without exploding.
The latest example of the left-wing circular firing squad is happening at Walt Disney World in Florida. Of course, Disney’s former CEO Bob Chapek and the company’s woke cast members became darlings of the left when they stood up against the state of Florida and its Parental Rights in Education bill. Disney has also pushed the gender envelope in recent years with programming and even costumed cast members in the parks.
But there’s one attraction at Walt Disney World that the wokes can’t deal with—Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress. It’s an innovative show that predates the park. As part of Disney’s contributions to the 1964-65 World’s Fair, it’s a direct link to Walt Disney and what I like to call his “optimistic futurism.”
It’s also an attraction that needs a little bit of TLC. Some of the seats in the revolving theater have fallen into disrepair, and the storyline needs a little updating to keep up with modern technological advances. Disney has teased some updates to the Carousel of Progress, including Tom Hanks performing the voice of the father, but none of that is enough for the woke crowd.
Flashback: Walt Disney's Fascinating Political Journey
Certain Walt Disney World guests of the woke persuasion have discovered that the Carousel of Progress isn’t hip and up-to-date enough for a left-wing world. Last year, a Reddit user discovered that the father in the attraction refers to Al Jolson, the star of the first movie with sound.
The user, who has since deleted his account, wrote:
Back in 2020 I went on the Carousel Of Progress for the first time and was shocked to hear a reference to The Jazz Singer, a movie starring All Jolson, a man famous for his blackface performances. While the film has significant historical value, as it was the first film to have audio that is recognizable, it is today only really known for its blackface.
I’m sure more people know Jolson for being the first person to speak in a motion picture than for a blackface performer. Commenters didn’t let the original poster off the hook, and moderators eventually shut down comments.
“It is known for being the first feature film with synchronized sound, come on now,” said one commenter. “It's a famous movie because of the technological advancement, and it unfortunately features blackface, but it absolutely would not be well-known at all if not for the groundbreaking tech.”
“Well, it’s not like John [the Carousel of Progress father] is saying ‘oh boy, Al Jolson’s dressing up in black face, I gotta see that!’” another user pointed out. “John is saying that he wants to see the movie because of its technological advancements, i.e. because it is the first film in which the characters talk. And sing. And it’s just so fantastical, he can’t believe it.”
So there you have it; commenters shut down the wokester who cried “blackface.” But a more recent example of a radical leftist hating on the Carousel of Progress is more egregious — and laughable.
Flashback: Walt & Roy Disney: Champions of Free Enterprise
A TikTok user who goes by “Nerdy Priest” says she wants to write a dissertation about the Carousel of Progress because she thinks you can’t easily define progress — oh, and because the family is white. (By the way, Nerdy Priest is an Episcopal priest and an “exvangelical,” which means that she has fallen for woke, progressive Christianity.)
“I’m just saying that I want to write a dissertation not only on questioning the idea that progress is a linear idea and always inherently for the good, and also just the very sad idea of progress that while technology changes, the fundamental structure of the family and the patriarchal order is maintained throughout all of it,” Nerdy Priest says in her video. “It’s also the whiteness of the prototypical white American family. There’s a lot.”
One thing is for sure: when Walt Disney and the Imagineers envisioned a “Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” in the Carousel of Progress, they didn’t imagine people who were so wrapped up in trying to destroy society that they would nitpick theme park attractions. These people need to learn how to have fun and enjoy life.
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