What Roy Disney's granddaughter has to say about Iger

[Truxi]

Not worried about this. Anyone who has tried socialism can testify how miserable it is.

...funny, Scandinavia seems to be doing pretty nicely. The Canadian healthcare system works much better than ours. (in before: "But the WAIT TIMES!" which is pretty exaggerated and also doesn't take into account just how many Americans "wait" for literal years because just seeing a doctor or getting treatment is too expensive, so we just ignore problems until they become too big to ignore.) UK one too, much as the Tories are trying to dismantle it. Education system in most European countries seems to be working better than ours.

But public libraries over here are pretty darned amazing.

 

[Truxi]

The CMs are saying it's adequate, right? By not leaving?

my dude, that is a BIIIIIG assumption, and not one actually based on Earth logic or human needs.

Wages are pretty low all over, unless you're a high-level employee. For most folks, there aren't really better options to move onto. We take what we can get and scrape by as best we can.

Used to be 40 hours a week would take care of a family. Now even 80 can barely do it.

 

[Truxi]

Five of the top ten countries in the world ranked by the reported happiness of their people are Democratic Socialist countries.

shhhhh, they only care about Venezuela

 

[Love Tink]

shhhhh, they only care about Venezuela

I think it's more likely they don't know the difference between socialism and communism.

 

[pahoben]

...they always bring up Venezuela like some kind of "gotcha" and completely ignore every other country with better practices than ours... it's like clockwork.



I mean, Walt literally made propaganda films, so he wasn't opposed to using his work to hammer in a message without subtlety.

That said, given his time frame, Walt probably wouldn't approve of a lot of modern thought. Probably wouldn't have much liked the Little Mermaid and Jasmine being so sexualized (remember when he fired Harlan Ellison after just overhearing a sex joke about one of his characters?).

The "messaging" in Captain Marvel was way less overt than, say, Winter Soldier, but it's always the one I hear guys complaining about.

I will take this in the order you have in your post instead of immediately going into OMG...Harlan Ellison! So...

But you know those countries benefit hugely from technologies (and music and movies for that matter) etc developed in the US. I won’t go into WW2 and post war military issues. I have spent sometime in Stockholm (actually more common there for women to verge on being stalkers), Oslo, and Copenhagen. Kind of dull for my taste but the people at the bottom (ever increasing number in some ways) do have a relatively good life. Otherwise not so good. Of course the typical Norwegian benefits hugely from the Pension Fund that recently passed a trillion dollars.

In Norway and Finland especially the common person has become increasingly opposed to migration. In Sweden opposition is also growing and rightist parties have gained in strength. These countries historically had small and relatively homogeneous populations (even now population of Sweden is 10 million) so much easier to manage social programs. The migrant populations thus far are not integrating into the native cultures as the elites for some reason thought they would so who knows what the future holds.

One story about the migrants in Norway was quite popular. There was a border crossing above the Arctic Circle from Russia into Norway that many Syrian migrants used. The Russians wouldn’t allow anyone to cross the border by foot and the Norwegians wouldn’t accept any cars unless everyone had documents. So...the Russians would sell the migrants bicycles and the Norwegian border service would admit them but then the bicycles didn’t comply with Norwegian safety regulations and had to be abandoned. A few thousand migrants made it through that way but the press coverage was so embarrassing that the Norwegian government vowed to round them up and send them back to Russia (good luck with that).

Now I can continue-
OMG...Harlan Ellison! I read a lot of his stories in paperbacks in the time before Kindles. I remember “I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream”. Gotta feel sorry for the protagonist of that story for sure. I also remember of course “A Boy and His Dog”. I doubt the conclusion of that story is revered by feminists.

I think he was fired by Disney his first day on the job. He also was the best writer for the original Star Trek series but had an endless feud with Gene Roddenberry. One award winning script essentially had McCoy dose himself with a hallucinogen and then dive through a time portal and change the past to a timeline that didn’t even have the Enterprise in the future. Another script he turned in to Roddenberry that was DOA had McCoy selling illicit drugs.

The Star Wars franchise has really become a vehicle for messaging and has suffered at the box office. I think the difference with Captain Marvel was that Brie Larson continued in the first post release press conference to demonize Caucasian males. I really really liked Brie Larson as Captain Marvel and she played the role so much better than any of Scarlett Johansen’s character but it just seems really dumb to me to demonize the demographic group that dominates the box office for super hero movies as part of your super hero movies.

Demonizing a demographic group isn’t a good strategy for anyone except those that are able to capitalize from the division it creates. It isn’t a good long term winning strategy for progressives nor is it a positive for the demonized demographic group. For almost everyone it is a lose lose strategy.

Sorry this post is so long and thanks for bringing up Harlan Ellison. I hadn’t thought of him for a long time.

 

[pahoben]

You wouldn’t believe how many people in poorer areas of the world view the US as a kind of Utopia. I always tell them that all places have pluses and minuses and nothing man creates will ever be a Utopia. Problems will always arise over the long term. It may be great for a period of time and then the cracks begin to appear. Always best to try to take the good parts of things and eliminate the bad parts to the extent you are able.

A common scandal in many countries that have single payer systems is when their elites travel to the US for health care.

 

[SaintsManiac]

...funny, Scandinavia seems to be doing pretty nicely. The Canadian healthcare system works much better than ours. (in before: "But the WAIT TIMES!" which is pretty exaggerated and also doesn't take into account just how many Americans "wait" for literal years because just seeing a doctor or getting treatment is too expensive, so we just ignore problems until they become too big to ignore.) UK one too, much as the Tories are trying to dismantle it. Education system in most European countries seems to be working better than ours.

But public libraries over here are pretty darned amazing.

Here in the good ole USA my husband had to wait 3 weeks and pay $800 to get an MRI. And we have “good insurance.”

 

[pahoben]

Here in the good ole USA my husband had to wait 3 weeks and pay $800 to get an MRI. And we have “good insurance.”

MRI is used extensively worldwide. The entire technology now used worldwide for MRI medical imaging was developed in the US. The US has fallen to 30th in the world in life expectancy (that sounds like a big fall but really only a couple of years difference). Most of the difference is that deaths by injury are much higher in the US but also obesity that is rampant in the US has an impact. The US health care system is loaded with people that have made bad life style choices. If you look at Medicare the costs are sky high for the last three months of life. One thing I liked about the Obamacare system were what were derisively called the “death panel”. Can we as a society continue to pay say $1MM so someone lives an extra three months.

No doubt about it the US health care system needs to be changed. Insurance coverage is a joke now. Any revamp of the US health care system needs to start with the insurance companies and the pharmaceutical companies.

Doctors are not at all happy with their compensation now and often have huge education debt but the health care insurance companies and big pharm have increasing and large profits. Since doctors are afraid of legal actions against them they tend to order a ridiculous amount of diagnostic tests. They also pay hugely for malpractice insurance. Obamacare did nothing to address the insurance issue and the insurance companies just saw it as an opportunity to raise rates. Insurance companies and big pharma have large and effective lobbyists in DC so reining them in is a problem.

 

[North of Mouse]

Here in the good ole USA my husband had to wait 3 weeks and pay $800 to get an MRI. And we have “good insurance.”

I've had three MRI's in the last couple years for unrelated symptoms (non-emergencies) and was always scheduled within a week and paid absolutely nothing extra for them other than our thankfully good insurance. My sis just had one after a very short wait also (yes, in LA). Not sure why your dh would have had to wait that long there and pay so much, unless you have large deductibles.

 

[SaintsManiac]

I've had three MRI's in the last couple years for unrelated symptoms (non-emergencies) and was always scheduled within a week and paid absolutely nothing extra for them other than our thankfully good insurance. My sis just had one after a very short wait also (yes, in LA). Not sure why your dh would have had to wait that long there and pay so much, unless you have large deductibles.

I didn’t make it up I assure you.

 

[rteetz]

This has turned into a health care discussion so I think this thread has run its course.

 

[isestrex]

https://news.yahoo.com/i-was-so-liv...cover-to-see-worker-conditions-093000722.html

“Every single one of these people I talked to were saying, ‘I don't know how I can maintain this face of joy and warmth when I have to go home and forage for food in other people's garbage,’” she recalled, adding that this was not the work environment her grandfather Roy O. Disney sought out to create.

“I wrote Bob Iger a very long email, and one of the things I said to him was, ‘You know, you're a great CEO by any measure, perhaps even the greatest CEO in the country right now. You know, your legacy is that you're a great manager. And if I were you, I would want something better than that. I would want to be known as the guy who led to a better place, because that is what you have the power to do.’”

“There was no answer,” she said.

 

[Donald Duck888]

I am not going to comment on the politics of this subject as a whole as that is probably a discussion for another forum. I do want to say though that if true the fact that those working for a living (at Disney no less) have to forage in garbage for food is just not right. Now there are probably 1000+ reasons for this type of situation which i am not going to go into as some would upset people on the left and some would upset those on the right and i am not here to fan those flames. But i just wanted to say that i find this situation to be truly sad if it is truly the case.

 

[luvsJack]

https://news.yahoo.com/i-was-so-liv...cover-to-see-worker-conditions-093000722.html

Thank you for posting this. It truly gives her opinion in full. And I completely see where she is coming from. The legacy of the Disney brothers had as much to do with the employees of their company as it did with a mouse and theme parks. They wanted all of their employees treated with dignity and to be valued. If they aren't paid enough to buy food, then they aren't being treated that way.

I like that she acknowledges Iger's abilities as a CEO but at the same time asks does he not want to leave the company in a better place. I really do think she has her answer. And its sad to think that this great company is being led by greed and little else.

Whether its the greed of Iger or the board or the stockholders, greed is an ugly thing. And I am sorry, this shouldn't be about political lines or socialism vs capitalism. Its about how all human beings should be treated. Everyone should have the ability and the drive to better themselves so I do see the tuition program as a good thing but they have to eat and live while they attend those classes. Being paid a living wage and being treated with dignity while one works to better themselves, isn't a bad thing.

 

[Wreckem]

The wage suppression/stagnation that has existed going on 30 years across all industries and in almost all publicly owned companies comes down to the greed of institutional shareholders(ie: Wall Street).

She is completely misguided by aiming at Disney and Iger. The fairly equitable split of profits between labor and shareholders that existed and led to an extremely robust middle class in the 1960s went out the door in the late 1970s and has only gotten worse and worse of the last 30 years. Until we end the race for maximizing shareholder profits over the labor that actually makes those profits, this will continue to be an issue for Disney and all companies publicly traded.

 

[Hikergirl]

I guess Disney Co. isn't too happy with what Ms. Disney claims

https://www.foxnews.com/travel/disney-heiress-undercover-disneyland-livid-abigail-disney
A spokesperson for Disney, however, responded to her claims, saying, "We generally avoid commenting on such baseless reports like this, but this one is particularly egregious and we won’t let this stand.

"We strongly disagree with this characterization of our employees and their experience at Disney. This widely reported stunt is a gross and unfair exaggeration of the facts that is not only a misrepresentation but also an insult to the thousands of employees who are part of the Disney community. We continually strive to enhance the employment experience of our more than 200,000 employees through a variety of benefits and programs that provide them opportunity, mobility and well-being."
The statement continues on to state that they pay employees at their parks in Orlando and Anaheim earn an average of $19.50 an hour. Employees also have access to subsidized childcare and leave policies, access to pharmacies and clinics and free college degrees and vocational training for hourly employees.
The statement concludes, "We’re proud of the work we’ve done to improve the lives of our employees, and of the more than 45,000 jobs we’ve added in the United States since 2005. The men and women who make Disney parks such a special experience for millions of people are dedicated, hardworking and proud, and we will continue to listen to, empower and reward them. That’s what this company has done throughout its history and will continue to do in the future.”

 

[Irish_Mike]

The statement continues on to state that they pay employees at their parks in Orlando and Anaheim earn an average of $19.50 an hour. Employees also have access to subsidized childcare and leave policies, access to pharmacies and clinics and free college degrees and vocational training for hourly employees.

I'd love to meet some of these front line employees making $19.50 an hour.

Disney does a lot of good for their cast members, and the benefits do offer some incentive. But the face of the matter is that, unless you are in management or one of their corporate offices, the wages paid to these people far in a way fail to keep up with the incredibly high costs of living in the surrounding locales.

 

[Hikergirl]

I'd love to meet some of these front line employees making $19.50 an hour.

Disney does a lot of good for their cast members, and the benefits do offer some incentive. But the face of the matter is that, unless you are in management or one of their corporate offices, the wages paid to these people far in a way fail to keep up with the incredibly high costs of living in the surrounding locales.

That's life.
You want more than a front line salary- better yourself and get a non front line job.
And spare me the it's not so easy BS. If people aren't willing to do the hard stuff to get what they want then they deserve what they get.

 

[luvsJack]

That's life.
You want more than a front line salary- better yourself and get a non front line job.
And spare me the it's not so easy BS. If people aren't willing to do the hard stuff to get what they want then they deserve what they get.

Again, eating would be nice for those that are going to school or trying to better themselves. Some things are just necessities of life. And its easy to dismiss and say "well do something better", not so easy when you are the one with the 5 year old looking at you to put food on the table. Or the sick spouse at home.

I have found, with our students, most are willing to do the "hard stuff" but unless you are in some of their situations, you won't understand that sometimes its not jut hard, its impossible.

No one is saying that the person at the ticket booth should be making the same as an administrator with several degrees. Of course there is a difference. But if on one end you have someone making the amount of money Iger is and on the other end of the same company you have someone not having money for food, there is a serious problem. Its called greed.

 

[jerseyduke]

Here in the good ole USA my husband had to wait 3 weeks and pay $800 to get an MRI. And we have “good insurance.”

This is a complete aside to this argument, but may I suggest in the future, to explore different options. I had a situation that needed to be monitored via MRIs of my brain (typically a more expensive if not the most expensive MRI) - and always went to American Health Imaging. With insurance they were 550-600. Without 600-650. So, you can usually get an MRI a lot cheaper as long as you do not do it in a hospital. And the place I went to had brand new Seimans machines, all state of the art equipment.
Problem is, because of insurance, people do not shop around.
Also, I had a hospital charge me 600 just for the MRI contrast. JUST THE CONTRAST! An imaging center was 600 for the contrast and the scan!

I have a high deductible, so would have had to pay entirely out of pocket. Hospital MRI - about 1500 for the negotiated rate. Imaging center 600-650(with and without insurance)
In america, we just do not shop around, and it costs us.