What the heck?!? Where did this come from?
The issue at hand is: What level and forms of protest against Chapek are acceptable.
By lucky happenstance, the House of Representatives was called upon to answer a similar question today. A Republican congressman had posted a fantasy video that showed a Democratic congresswoman and the president being killed. The GOP congressman was the subject of a censure vote and all but two of his colleagues in the House voted against censure.
So the policy of the GOP is that it is fine to make and post fantasy videos of those whose views you oppose being killed.
By analogy, it must also be fine to boo the CEO of a large corporation if you don’t agree with the way he is running the business.
Certainly in the case debated in the House I imagine supporters of the First Amendment would find themselves in agreement. (A view the GOP didn’t take with Kathy Griffin in 2017. Presumably their view has matured.)
3 Likes
THIS!!!
3 Likes
Man are you off the mark. That deal before congress has NOTHING to do with this discussion. You may or may not like Chapek. I for one hold Disney stock and feel he is not the man for the CEO job. I also do not like the cuts and added expense he has added to a trip to Disney Parks. He himself has stated that it was his plan to make changes I for one do not like. In my case I get vote my Proxy for all the good that will do, but non-shareholders don’t even have that option. That’s my opinion and more on the subject at hand.
1 Like
Is there any possibility he cares less or not at all about the fans vs board members / stock market? D23 is a fan organization, correct (I am ignorant of the details). So even if he’s not avoiding possible negative reactions, he is communicating that other business matters are more important. No judgement there as I’m neutral on all this. But leaders make decisions about what they can and cannot attend all the time and they absolutely make those decisions based on what’s important to them but also on triaging their time. Hence, even if it’s not avoidance, it’s not reassuring.
Just on the outside looking in…
Exactly.
Bob is the sacrificial lamb…I mean CEO… of the company that has been put in place to be the face of all the changes Disney is making (and most certainly is being paid very well to do so). It doesn’t help that he has placed his foot in mouth on multiple occasions. That may have played a part in making sure there is a conflict in his schedule. In addition, you are seeing those around him making poor decisions as well. This leads me to believe there is no confidence/respect for him internally as their leader.
- Poor handling of the ScarJo fiasco.
- Uncalled for comments of Shang-Chi being an experiment.
- His CFO fat shaming the guests in the last shareholder call.
- The continued actions that show that customer satisfaction is no longer the focus of the company… that the shareholders are king.
- The above mentioned poor stock performance and the scrambling to find ways to make up the difference.
- Not meeting the Disney+ expectations.
- The continued shell games with new attractions being placed on hold to provide better optics at a later date.
- The poor treatment and furlough of Cast Members during the pandemic and the continued push to under pay them. They would have all returned in a heartbeat if he sacrificed his bonus money and kept them all on the payroll.
The optics for Disney and Chapek are not that great right now. It will only be a matter of time before there is a shake up.
Thanks Chapek.
11 Likes
I remember this. Someone in one of my other group got a very nice selfie with him. The group slightly heckled (in good fun) and she said he was quite nice, and how often do you get the chance?
D23 is the “official Disney Fan Club”. It is a Disney sponsored event this weekend.
1 Like
THIS.
“Possibility”? No. Probability? Absolutely. He’s a spreadsheet bottom line driven manager who doesn’t seem to realize that in an entertainment industry, customer satisfaction should be a top priority. He is alienating “average” families who are being priced out of the market and is alienating long-time fans who see a constant reduction of services and content and increase in cost and money-grabbing ploys (charging for what used to be included with admission). The company philosophy has moved from “make it the best and they will come” to make it the cheapest, yet most expensive, and they’ll come anyway".
5 Likes
In my opinion, WDW likes to rush for click bait, has an ax to grind and I really doubt they vett all their stories as vigorously as I would like, but
- this is hardly their low
and - Jacquee’s response is nutsballs.
Seems like she’s entered irrational land when it comes to WDW News. Does she think she’s really going to instill more trust in Bob with that tone? Does she think she’s going to stop WDW News in the future by scolding them? The only thing I got here is that she’s wearing her frustration on her sleeve. Is that really the kind of person you want representing you on twitter? Seems like they should get someone who knows how to deflect this kind of silliness with humor. That would make this all less of an issue. Watching Jacquee get all worked up probably makes the orininal tweet completely satisfying for WDW News.
Seems like we got a soulless bureaucrat who doesn’t give a damn defended by a true believer who is walking off a cliff to show she cares.
2 Likes
In isolation maybe this could be excused BUT this is a week after another executive (it was someone else?) publicly talked about reducing food portions?
1 Like
I’m guessing you didn’t say this in person then?? 
course not.
…I didn’t think of it until I was here at home.
(Full Disclosure: I’m one of those who doesn’t rely on the anonymity of the keyboard. I always assume anyone and everyone can track me down, so I actually do watch what I say, even online. That said…I likely wouldn’t have said that to his face unless it was organically brought up, cause it’s far too long winded, but I definitely see myself saying something close. I get in trouble often at work for speaking to our Higher Ups without the “reverence” my immediate manager feels they deserve. However, I also don’t go looking for fights either, so unless I was already engaged in a conversation with him, I would likely just keep quiet, I’m not just going to yell out “YOU SUCK!” in the middle of a crowd. It accomplishes nothing)
5 Likes
It was the CFO, Christine McCarthy. It was clearly an off-script, off-the-cuff comment. She is widely respected in the industry, so I think this was just an unfortunate slip-up on her part. Unlike Chapek where at least there is a pattern of decisions that can be criticized.
Oh, she made a mistake? So she publicly apologized? She clarified that is not what she meant? She realizes how it sounds and is horrified?
I am very clear. My definition and expectation of leadership is not this.
If a school leader said/did these things parents would be outraged. Why is it ok for Disney leaders?
Sigh….back to time out.
9 Likes
One thing that I wondered is if the comment she made was intended to be self-referential, self-deprecating…as in, joking that she’s struggled with sticking to a proper diet in some way, etc. If so, then it was never intended to be any kind of insult, but merely jesting on her own behalf. Of course, the trouble is, such comments, then, are taken completely without any such understanding.
And, I’m not suggesting that IS the case…only that is a possible/plausible explanation to her comment other than how she was interpreted.
1 Like
I haven’t heard whether she did or not, and she probably should. But I imagine if she hasn’t it’s because the Disney PR folks probably think it’ll blow over and people will forget about it (honestly most people probably have no idea she said that. I saw many fan blogs report on it, but most people don’t listen to earnings calls).
1 Like
It was reported by most major news outlets.
Intended or not- would the behavior we have witnessed be allowed in our daily lives? Would we expect some reflection and self-accountability?
If I publicly said some of the things to a parent or other stakeholder that these people are saying - the line out the door at a public meeting demanding my firing would be front page news.
Why would that be my experience but these people are excused?
3 Likes
In general, I’m of the opinion that NO ONE should be excoriated for something they say that they did not mean to be offensive - not teachers, professors, CEOs, average Joes, etc. I lean toward giving people the benefit of the doubt and leniency.
I also believe people should apologize if they inadvertently say something offensive (or especially if the meant it to be offensive). But what other people do is out of my control.
I don’t say any of this to disagree with you. I’m just sharing my opinion. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and your reaction is valid - no time out needed. Most people probably feel the way you do. Just wanted to present an alternative viewpoint in case anyone else on here feels the same way as I do.
5 Likes
I am still going to argue that 5 years ago it was not ok for public figures/companies to say/act this way and it horrifies and honestly sickens me that it is now acceptable, not surprising, and expected.
6 Likes