We have been covering the backlash against Disney over its social and political agenda as well as the recent loss in its fight against the state of Florida. Now the company is facing a new lawsuit supported by Elon Musk that alleges that it fired actress Gina Carano over conservative views expressed on X. The complaint below makes some interesting comparisons in how liberals have been allowed to make analogous statements in the House of Mouse while conservatives are given the chop.
On Tuesday, Carano sued both Disney and Lucasfilm over her firing from “The Mandalorian” in 2021, a hit series where she played the popular character Cara Dune, a Rebel soldier turned mercenary.
That came to an end after Carano shared a post from a different Instagram account in February 2021 stating:
“Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors…even by children. Because history is edited, most people today don’t realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews. How is that any different from hating someone for their political views.”
Musk is funding the lawsuit after promising to pay for legal actions brought by people claiming discrimination from posts to Twitter/X. Musk has been attacked over his efforts to restore free speech values to social media with the reduction of censorship and the disclosure of the government-corporate partnership to target individuals and groups.
Joe Benarroch, head of business operations at X, stated:
“As a sign of X Corp.’s commitment to free speech, we’re proud to provide financial support for Gina Carano’s lawsuit, empowering her to seek vindication of her free speech rights on X and the ability to work without bullying, harassment, or discrimination.”
The complaint is heavy on movie analogies, including Star Wars:
“A short time ago in a galaxy not so far away, Defendants made it clear that only one orthodoxy in thought, speech, or action was acceptable in their empire, and that those who dared to question or failed to fully comply would not be tolerated. And so it was with Carano. After two highly acclaimed seasons on The Mandalorian as Rebel ranger Cara Dune, Carano was terminated from her role as swiftly as her character’s peaceful home planet of Alderaan had been destroyed by the Death Star in an earlier Star Wars film. And all this because she dared voice her own opinions, on social media platforms and elsewhere, and stood up to the online bully mob who demanded her compliance with their extreme progressive ideology.”
The complaint includes three claims:
FIRST CLAIM FOR RELIEF: WRONGFUL DISCHARGE California Labor Code §§ 1101 et seq.
SECOND CLAIM FOR RELIEF: WRONGFUL DISCHARGE AND REFUSAL TO HIRE California Labor Code § 98.6
THIRD CLAIM FOR RELIEF: SEX DISCRIMINATION California Gov’t Code § 12940
The first claim is based on CLC Section 1101, which states:
“No employer shall make, adopt, or enforce any rule, regulation, or policy:
(a) Forbidding or preventing employees from engaging or participating in politics or from becoming candidates for public office.
(b) Controlling or directing, or tending to control or direct the political activities or affiliations of employees.”
The discrimination claims are based on the treatment of male actors who have made similar claims without termination or penalty.
She notes that one of her co-stars was Pedro Pascal, who played the role of the Mandalorian. Pascal has regularly attacked conservatives while supporting various political causes from Black Lives Matter movement, LGBTQ+ rights, and protests for abortion rights. That included comparisons of Donald Trump to Hitler and the treatment of undocumented migrants to the Nazi concentration camps. He also allegedly posted two Disney characters, Bert and Ernie, waving a transgender and LGBTQ+ pride flag and promoting “Black Lives Matter” and “Defund the Police.”
She also noted that actors like StarWars star Mark Hamill posted a comparison of Trump with the Nazis in a September 18, 2022 posting. He also described Donald Trump as Valdimir Putin’s puppet and the KKK’s candidate as well as comparing his followers to the Third Reich.
No action or even condemnation was forthcoming against these actors.
However, Carano was fired.
Disney has long tolerated even liberal attacks on its own brand. The company’s new Snow White, actress Rachel Zegler, has publicly defended her right to trash the franchise’s original storyline and characters. Zegler used her casting as the new Snow White to denounce the entire premise and appeal of the original 1937 movie, calling Prince Charming a presumptive “stalker” and promising to ditch the whole love interest. She told an interviewer that Snow White is “not going to be saved by the prince and she’s not going to be dreaming about true love.”
What is interesting is that the company itself has acknowledged that its social and political agenda has proven costly. In its annual SEC report, Disney acknowledged that “we face risks relating to misalignment with public and consumer tastes and preferences for entertainment, travel and consumer products.” The company observed that
“the success of our businesses depends on our ability to consistently create compelling content,” and that “Generally, our revenues and profitability are adversely impacted when our entertainment offerings and products, as well as our methods to make our offerings and products available to consumers, do not achieve sufficient consumer acceptance. Further, consumers’ perceptions of our position on matters of public interest, including our efforts to achieve certain of our environmental and social goals, often differ widely and present risks to our reputation and brands.”
Yet, these actors did not face any backlash from Disney or Lucasfilms.
It is a pattern familiar to many on college campuses. Liberal faculty regularly make extremist and racist statements with little fear of discipline. Such comments include “detonating white people,” abolish white people, denouncing police, calling for Republicans to suffer, strangling police officers, celebrating the death of conservatives, calling for the killing of Trump supporters, supporting the murder of conservative protesters and other outrageous statements.
When these controversies arose, faculty rallied behind the free speech rights of the professors. That support has been far more muted or absent when conservative faculty have found themselves at the center of controversies. The suspension of Ilya Shapiro is a good example. Other faculty have had to go to court to defend their free speech rights. One professor was suspended for being seen at a controversial protest.
We discussed how St. Joseph’s University refused to renew a contract for a professor who actually prevailed in such a free speech fight. A conservative North Carolina professor faced calls for termination over controversial tweets and was pushed to retire. Dr. Mike Adams, a professor of sociology and criminology, had long been a lightning rod of controversy. In 2014, we discussed his prevailing in a lawsuit that alleged discrimination due to his conservative views. He was then targeted again after an inflammatory tweet calling North Carolina a “slave state.” That led to his being pressured to resign with a settlement. He then committed suicide just days before his last day as a professor.
Disney appears to have the same zero tolerance for controversial statements if they are coming from the right of the political spectrum. What is striking is that the other actors routinely disparage roughly half of the country — and half of the market for Disney. The company itself acknowledges that its political agenda is depressing sales and alienating consumers.
None of that makes this an easy lawsuit. Stars often sign contracts with a clause allowing for termination for conduct that brings “public disrepute, scandal, or embarrassment.” These clauses are written broadly to protect companies and their “brand.”
However, Carano makes a strong case that Disney is applying a political litmus test for public comments of its stars. Indeed, one of the greatest threats of the lawsuit is not the verdict but the discovery if Carano can make it beyond a motion to dismiss. She could demand emails and communications related to the controversy that will expose the inner workings of the House of Mouse.
Here is the complaint: Carano v. Disney Complaint
The post that resulted in Carano’s defenestration is absolutely true. That Disney execs objected to it shows the depth of the anti-Semitism in the Disney executive suites.
Congressman Tom McClintock voted against the impeachment of Alejandro Mayorkas on moral grounds, calling it a “stunt.”
Tom does not want to win. Tom won’t fight fire with fire. Tom wants to lose. Tom is a loser. Who wants to vote for a loser. Tom is ethereal. Tom should train for the priesthood.
Tom McClintock concluded that LAWFARE is immoral when done by republicans while LAWFARE is wholly acceptable when committed by democrats.
Alejandro Mayorkas presided over the illegal invasion of America by 10 million Mexicans, Haitians, and various and sundry flotsam.
President Trump was immorally, incoherently and irrationally impeached TWO times.
Support McClintock’s opponents with financial contributions.
“Primary” McClintock for supporting the invasion of America by 10 million illegal aliens.
Late breaking Disney news, Johnny Depp is being replaced by a black female in Pirates of the Caribbean.
Favor, charity, financial assistance, welfare, affirmative action, quotas, minimum wage control, price control, rent control, public housing, Obamacare, discriminatory non-discrimination laws, unfair fair housing laws, etc., are all unconstitutional and pure communism. Congress can’t tax for it. Congress can’t spend for it. Congress can’t regulate it.
Elon Musk is very much against free speech when it comes to his own employees.
On public property, the Constitution holds dominion.
On private property, only the owner may “claim and exercise” dominion.
______________________________________________________________________________
“[Private property is] that dominion which one man claims and exercises over the external things of the world, in exclusion of every other individual.”
– James Madison
While the legal brief was clever in its Star Wars analogy, and written that even casual fan would understand the reference, will a judge find the brief lacks the seriousness he or she expects in the courtroom?
Probably. It read like a Press Release.
May the Force be with her!
Good luck to her
I wouldn’t mess with the Italian girl.