Tucker Just Exposed Disney, Netflix Hypocrisy on Georgia Boycott. Look Where You Film!
One of the current abortion controversies in play is the fact that Georgia — which just passed a fetal heartbeat bill that would ban abortion after an unborn baby’s heartbeat can be detected — is also a major destination for filming.
That poses a dilemma for several major entertainment powerhouses, who have to hold to Hollywood’s liberal pieties.
But, as Tucker Carlson pointed out on his Fox News show this week, there’s a certain hypocrisy when major corporations try to impose their will on a state because of that state’s laws surrounding abortion — and it’s not just because those corporations believe themselves to be in charge of the electorate and not the other way around.
“Voters in Georgia elected lawmakers who represent their values, and that’s exactly how democratic systems are designed to work. That’s the point,” Carlson said Thursday at the start of “Tucker Carlson Tonight,” according to an adapted version of his monologue posted on the Fox News website.
“You’d think the people who claim to be defending our democracy from the Russians would understand that. But of course, they don’t understand it. They don’t care to understand it. They believe democracy is when a tiny group of rich people imposes its values on everyone else by force.”
One example, Carlson said, was Disney CEO Bob Iger, a man who earned $66 million in compensation last year but “doesn’t live anywhere near the state of Georgia.”
Iger said the law would affect the decisions that Disney made about filming in the state: “Well, I think if it becomes law, it’ll be very difficult to produce there,” Iger said.
“I rather doubt we will. I think many people who work for us will not want to work there and we’ll have to heed their wishes in that regard.”
“Right now, we’re watching it very carefully,” he added. “I guess there’s some speculation it could be enacted sometime after the first of the year. I think it’s also likely to be challenged in the courts and that could delay it. And we’re being — we’re being careful and cautious about it. But if it becomes law, I don’t see how it’s practical for us to continue to shoot there.”
“Got that? The company that brought you Minnie Mouse and Goofy and the ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ now demands that you approve of abortion, or they’ll punish you,” Carlson said.
However, the hypocrisy goes beyond rich executives telling voters what to do.
“Disney, by the way, just filmed its upcoming live-action ‘Mulan’ film in China, which is safe to say in a police state, where huge parts of the internet are banned, and people are executed for having the wrong opinions,” Carlson noted.
“And in some cases, abortion is mandatory.”
It’s worth noting that China’s “one-child” policy was phased out in 2015, though 330 million abortions and 196 million sterilizations have occurred in China since 1971, in large part as a result of that policy.
And then there’s the case of Netflix.
As Carlson pointed out, the “company currently films a number of shows in Georgia. If the state doesn’t repeal its abortion law, Netflix says it will pull out.”
Again, however, Netflix could easily be accused of hypocrisy.
“Netflix, for example, filmed its show ‘Marco Polo’ in Malaysia,” Carlson said.
“In case you haven’t visited Malaysia recently, being gay is a crime there. Most of that country lives under Sharia law. Of course, abortion is also restricted in Malaysia, just as it is in Colombia, where Netflix filmed its show ‘Narcos.’ But the company didn’t seem bothered by that.”
To Carlson, it’s clear neither company particularly cares about the fetal heartbeat bill — they just want to seem woke.
“So, no, Disney and Netflix aren’t really worried about anyone’s rights, no matter what their flacks claim,” Carlson said. “Their real concern — their only concern — is power. Women with children might be tempted to put the needs of their own families before those who are shareholders. Abortion solves that problem.”
He went on to note that corporate America was engaged in the same kind of power play over the Second Amendment.
“Salesforce is a major tech company that sells software mostly to businesses. On Thursday, Salesforce announced that it won’t work with customers who sell semi-automatic firearms or magazines that hold what gun control groups say are too many rounds,” Carlson said.
“Last year, Citigroup announced it would not allow stores that sell semi-automatic weapons to use their credit card services. That’s where we are today. But it’s not hard to match what it might be like tomorrow.”
“What if, for example, America — corporate America — decided to punish gun owners in addition to gun sellers?” Carlson wondered. “You’ve got a firearm at home, so you could no longer buy car insurance. OK, you can’t use Facebook. You can’t open a checking account. You can’t have a credit card. You can’t stay in hotels.”
Is that where we’re headed?
Condemning the power of corporations was usually the province of the left. However, in the era of what Carlson calls “woke” capital, it’s something that conservatives ought to be extremely wary of.
Disney and Netflix are perfectly happy to deal with polities that actually engage in human rights violations, but God forbid Georgia pass a bill which bans abortion after a heartbeat is detected.
“This is all a remarkable change in American life in a very short period of time,” Carlson said.
“It wasn’t that long ago that it was citizens who boycotted companies they disagreed with. Now, it’s corporations who boycott citizens.”
That’s a dangerous change we should all be wary of.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.