"Happiest"?? Well, maybe for some....
Article by Neal McCluskey for The Cato Institute
Thanks, Public Schooling, for Ruining the Happiest Place on Earth
With the country’s seemingly hopeless political polarization, wouldn’t it be nice if there were someplace where we could forget about politics and just have fun together? It would be such a relief, one might call it “the happiest place on Earth.” But no.
Thanks for ruining Disney World, public schooling.
Disney is now a major combatant in the nation’s culture war. Yes, its internal workings have become a part of the war, but it was Disney’s weighing in against Florida’s Parental Rights in Education law – dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by opponents – that got Mickey all politicized.
The law is about handling sexual orientation in public schools, institutions that have been ground‐zero for our cultural inferno. Over roughly the last year we’ve seen school board meetings descend into chaos over masking, student pronouns, and more.
Why did Disney jump in? At first glance, the law does not justify turning a peaceable Magic Kingdom into a culture warrior.
Here’s the key clause: “Classroom instruction by school personnel or third parties on sexual orientation or gender identity may not occur in kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards.”
The law also prohibits school officials from withholding information about a child’s physical or mental health, unless “a reasonably prudent person would believe that disclosure would result in abuse, abandonment, or neglect.”
Sexual orientation is, indeed, beyond the ability of most young children to comprehend, and it certainly seems reasonable to inform parents of changes in their child’s health.
But it’s not that simple.
The law could potentially curb a lot of speech with its prohibition at seemingly any age against instruction not “age appropriate or developmentally appropriate.” And even at grade three and below, what if a child asks about a teacher’s spouse and the teacher is gay? Should they be punished for stating the truth? And shouldn’t gay parents be able to have their children taught that their family is good?
In a diverse society, what might seem good to one group may be threatening to another. This is especially sensitive with intensely personal matters such as basic identities and religious values, which are heavily at play in sexuality.
Given this, why did Disney, which would presumably want to alienate no one, join the battle?
Because this is not just about differing values and identities. It is about public schooling, through which government imposes ideas and policies on everyone. That raises the stakes sky‐high: winners get their values imposed, losers get imposed on. And since winning depends on political power, everyone is incentivized to grab every political weapon they can, including the backing of a giant Florida company.
Disney CEO Bob Chapek tried to stay largely neutral as the Florida bill was debated. But eventually left‐leaning Disney employees and celebrities forced his hand to fight what they saw as an attack on gay and transgender kids and communities.
The same immense stakes that got Disney shoved into the public schooling culture war are what make the war so destructive to the nation’s social fabric. To many, needing to win justifies any tactics against opponents, including declaring them outright evil with cries of “hate” or “groomer,” while ignoring often understandable motives.
Thankfully, we can greatly lower the education stakes: let funding follow children to options selected by their families. Let all choose what they believe is right rather than having to impose on everyone.
This would not end debates about sexual orientation. But as we have seen in the Netherlands, Canada, and elsewhere, it would release the intensely polarizing pressure of public schooling.
Then, among many benefits, Disney could go back to being neutral on education, and a happy place for all.
https://www.cato.org/blog/thanks-public-schooling-ruining-happiest-place-earth
