'Snow White' Stupidity Should Terrify You
Faux-outrage over Disney's film ends with a whimper — but not the fear and acquiescence. And hey, should Chuck Schumer run a studio next?
Three whole weeks ago, I called out the “dumbest ‘DEI’ attack of all time” in the racist-driven, bad-faith moral panic about Disney’s live-action remake of Snow White.
That panic had two parts. The first one was driven by backlash to the titular star’s casting which placed the film in the MAGA, anti-woke warrior crosshairs and then her comments about both the movie and world events, which cemented this into an annoying and dumb narrative on many levels. But many cannot resist the gotcha game about some stupid thing some star says to overwhelm a narrative and threaten to sink the movie. The second part of the story was the persistent buzz that the movie itself was a historic disaster, so that even if the first part hadn’t happened, this whole ship was destined to sink to the bottom of the sea.
My advice, with the guidance of several experts, largely boiled down to riding it out or even, perish the thought, taking a stand.
Instead, Disney let the narrative that it was muzzling the talent take hold, an option I also anticipated. Naturally, our hometown nepo baby-owned Penske trade monopoly ran with this idea and inflamed it. Rather than set anything in context, maybe stepping back and saying, “Who the f- cares what a very young actor thinks about the Middle East conflict?” it gets ginned up for every round of additional outrage-watch that its outlets can wring out of it.
Right up to the premiere, for which Variety wrote up this headline:
That then got picked up by Drudge and thus other traffic-chasing outlets around the world, echoing Variety’s framing, were happy to have any click from any corner of the internet.
So I had the good fortune to attend that “scaled-back” premiere on Saturday, and let me tell you about it, the problem with getting consumed by unserious things — and how it distracts us, perhaps on purpose, from the real problems no one seems willing or able to face.
Why Did We Get This Upset Again?
The premiere took place in a giant tent behind the El Capitan Theatre, and it included a petting zoo, an ax-throwing contest, a candy bar, a face-painting salon, multiple buffets and dessert areas (I hope Disney brings back the salted chocolate pudding for future premieres) and a red carpet with approximately one million photographers.
If this was a “scaled-back” premiere, what was Disney going to do before all the fake controversy? Hold the whole thing on one of Iger’s yachts? Offer rocket rides to space?