Is Disney World Racist?

[IronCloud]

Is Disney World Racist? I plan to bring my family there next summer and I just want to know if anyone has had racist experiences there.

 

[mshanson3121]

ISeeing as how people come from all over the WORLD, and pay huge money to do so, I think it's safe to say that no, Disney World is not racist. You will see people of every race and color and orientation visiting and working there. If there's one thing the media loves, it's negative publicity, so if WDW was racist, you would have heard about it by now in the news

 

[Dan Murphy]

Is Disney World Racist?

No

 

[JacknSally]

Assuming this is a legitimate thread...

Disney? No, they don't really care where/who the money comes from. Also, the World Showcase (specifically, not exclusively) is all about celebrating different cultures.

People at Disney? Definitely possible to run into someone with racist tendencies anywhere.

 

[TristiK]

No

 

[Dentam]

Weird question. You can run into racism anywhere that large crowds of people gather. As a company? No, it isn't.

 

[hiroMYhero]

Yes. It is a common occurrence noted by non-Caucasian guests and CMs.

 

[pens4821]

This thread should be closed! Where are the mods?!?! Nothing good can come of it!

 

[JacknSally]

This thread should be closed! Where are the mods?!?! Nothing good can come of it!

They generally try to let everyone discuss things like adults (unless the topics are on the DisBoard blacklist from the get-go) and only step in when it starts getting out of hand or questionable. You can definitely report a thread, though.

 

[Magpie]

Will you be denied service, or even given lesser service, because of your perceived minority status (whether race, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, etc)? No. Absolutely not. Disney staff are well trained and highly professional. If by some chance you happen upon someone who seems to have forgotten their training, complain to their superior. Disney guest services will try their absolute best to make it right for you. (See linked below: The Walt Disney World Company, Business and Ethics Standards)

Could you be treated discourteously in some way by other guests? Sure, it's entirely possible. Disney, the company, cannot police every interaction between guests. However, your risk of such an unpleasant encounter is probably lower at Disney than in most other places in the United States, considering most people are on vacation and more concerned about enjoying themselves, than about hassling you.

The Walt Disney Company’s policy prohibits employees from harassing any other employee, guest or other person in the course of the company’s business for any reason prohibited by law, including, but not limited to, race, religion, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, marital status, covered veteran status, mental or physical disability, pregnancy, or any other basis prohibited by state or federal law.

Source: https://ditm-twdc-us.storage.googleapis.com/Business-and-Ethics-Standards-Document.pdf

 

[mshanson3121]

Yes. It is a common occurrence noted by non-Caucasian guests and CMs.

Are you serious? And I mean that seriously myself, not sarcastically. Is it actually a common occurrence, or were you being facetious?

 

[hiroMYhero]

Are you serious? And I mean that seriously myself, not sarcastically. Is it actually a common occurrence, or were you being facetious?

Here is an earlier post of mine:

As a third generation Californian who grew up with DL, I disagree with the immersion experience. It may hold true for visitors who are Caucasian but it is a different experience for those who are not. I am Japanese American and these immersive events took place on my trip last month:
~ while sitting in the lounge in the GF spa, a blond, Caucasian guest begins speaking to me and my CM friend in a cartoonish-Asian sing-song voice. When I replied, "We only speak English; it's just 'bye'," her response was, "Could have fooled me!"
~ in the DHS Starbucks, a CM points and gestures to me without speaking. Yes, I speak and comprehend English - all he had to do was begin speaking and I would have analyzed his oral structures and volitional tongue movements while assessing his speech and language skills because I am a speech pathologist.
~ in the Chase Lounge, a guest begins gesturing and pointing to me because she wanted to move ahead of me in line for the soft drinks. My first thought was that she was mute or was a recovered stroke victim. No, she just assumed I didn't speak English.

In the 50+ years that we've been visiting DL and then DCA, I've never felt such pervasive racism nor been subjected to racial profiling. DLR reflects the diversity that is California. WDW, to me, does not reflect diversity. You only have to compare parade performers in MK versus parade performers in DL to see how WDW lacks in diversity and it isn't due to a shortage of ethnic performers.

My family and I will still fly to Florida a couple of times a year to visit our CM friend but it isn't because of positive experiences in the parks. For a welcoming park experience, DLR is definitely our choice.

 

[lovethattink]

I'm going to move this thread over to the Community Subforum.

 

[Shanti]

No. You have nothing to worry about.

 

[lovethattink]

This thread should be closed! Where are the mods?!?! Nothing good can come of it!

No guidelines have been broken thus far.

 

[DVCcurious]

cough* Troll *cough

 

[hiroMYhero]

And this is my follow-up post to my post above:
Disney World Orlando is beginning to disappoint me

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Here is an earlier post of mine:

2 of those encounters were guests. One encounter has happened to me and I am Caucasian. I am not sure how that incident could be called racism. The two finger point is a long Disney tradition and I am positive you could understand that speaking all day non-stop could be tiring and unnecessary.

The guest speaking to you Inappropriately was an idiot.

And I don't always speak to people with a request nor do they to me. Has nothing to do with racism. So the second guest, unless she outright stated that she didn't think you speak English (she could have but the way you write it seems like you assumed or you would have stated it), is you just making your own assumptions. Is it normal for Speech pathologists to assume that people who don't speak must be mute?

 

[Gracie09]

2 of those encounters were guests. One encounter has happened to me and I am Caucasian. I am not sure how that incident could be called racism. The two finger point is a long Disney tradition and I am positive you could understand that speaking all day non-stop could be tiring and unnecessary.

The guest speaking to you Inappropriately was an idiot.

And I don't always speak to people with a request nor do they to me. Has nothing to do with racism. So the second guest, unless she outright stated that she didn't think you speak English (she could have but the way you write it seems like you assumed or you would have stated it), is you just making your own assumptions. Is it normal for Speech pathologists to assume that people who don't speak must be mute?

This. As a mixed race family, we have never had an issue with any employee at Disney. Guests are different (although still nothing overt) and Disney as an organization cannot be held accountable for the actions of their guests.

 

[goofyintoronto]

Are you joking? is this a serious question? Wow! This has got to be a troll.