Avoid this Mickey Mouse boycott

For several reasons, boycotting Disney over its treatment of homosexuality is something Southern Baptists should think twice about -- and which Catholics should not support.

Last week, the Southern Baptist Convention voted to boycott Disney's theme parks, movies, TV shows, videotapes and so on because the company hosts gay nights at Disney World, because it owns ABC on which "Ellen" announced her lesbianism, because it offers health benefits to homosexual couples and because the once all-family-oriented company has been releasing movies for adults with very questionable content.

Among the latter is "Priest," which was widely condemned for having anti-Catholic themes. That specific instance could lure some Catholics into joining the broad Baptist boycott, but it's not a good idea.

Taking care

Before any boycott is undertaken, there should be some reasonable hope of success. You can never guarantee that any boycott will work, but you should have a sensible expectation at the start of attracting support from others and having some sort of effect, even if it's not total.

The chances of a successful boycott against Disney, however, are minuscule. For one thing, it is such a large and diverse company that it's almost impossible not to get entangled in it somewhere, undercutting your own efforts.

It's one thing to protest a single film, like "Priest," playing at your local theater; that can bring results. It's far more difficult to take on a multi-layered corporation spread across the globe and wearing a hundred different faces. You can hit the bull's eye on a small target with a rifle shot; firing the same bullet into the sky produces nothing but a noisy bang that quickly fades.

Reasonable?

Another reason not to boycott Disney is that the complaint is not reasonable. Christianity holds that homosexual activity is a sin; that doesn't mean homosexuals shouldn't be able to ride a roller coaster.

And if you want to blame Disney for "Ellen," then you also have to praise it for "Home Improvement."

I'd also be willing to bet that tens of thousands of Baptists work for corporations that, like Disney, offer benefits to homosexual partners. If they are going to be consistent, then they would have to boycott their own employers.

Dis(ney)appointment

Disney today is not the Disney of yesterday, which is what has many people upset. Under Walt Disney, the company was a sure thing. It produced wholesome entertainment that embarrassed no one, thrilled millions, and kept a pledge to its customers to deliver the goods when it came to family movies and TV shows.

Part of the contemporary company can still be described in that way; but like many other conglomerates, some of its other parts do things that would make Walt's mustache fall out and Mickey's ears turn red.

Target those specific parts and a boycott could work. But, just as with animation, painting with a broad brush misses the nuances.

(06-26-97) [[In-content Ad]]