Disney remains mum on George Floyd's death, internet urges Bob Iger to speak out: 'Silence is violence'
Several regions in the US are currently witnessing protests and rallies following the death of Geroge Floyd, the 46-year-old man whose death led to the arrest of former police officer Derek Chauvin who knelt on his neck for several minutes leading to his death. The display of police brutality also led to numerous social media trends and movement supporting Black Lives Matter. Similarly, major television networks and streaming sites have used the opportunity to voice their opinion about racial discrimination, with some like HBO changing their twitter handle to #BlackLivesMatter.
HBO also tweeted today (May 31), "'Neither love nor terror makes one blind: indifference makes one blind' — James Baldwin. We stand with our Black colleagues, employees, fans, actors, storytellers — and all affected by senseless violence." Meanwhile, Netflix shared a tweet that stated "To be silent is to be complicit", before talking about treating its black employees, creators and talents with respect.
However, entertainment conglomerate Walt Disney is yet to share its views about the same and the internet users are wondering what is stopping it from addressing the prevalent issues or work towards putting an end to it. One user said, "@disneyplus is the only streaming service not talking about this issue! Netflix, HBO Max, and Hulu all did but Disney remains silent!"
"@Disney has been really f**kin quiet these last few days. The silent goes to saw how they view their black workers, actors, and customers #BlackLivesMatter" added another. And some are urging The Walt Disney Company’s Executive Chairman Robert Allen "Bob" Iger to step in and take a stand. "Hey @RobertIger. I see you supporting us through likes but a statement would mean a lot right now. Please use your platform right now. Please prove how inclusive Disney really is. Please do not stay silent." said one.
Surprisingly, even Google, whose last tweet was two days ago, has chosen to stay quiet about George Floyd’s killing and the storm it has created within the nation. Calling out Google along with Disney one of them shared on Twitter, "@Disney and @Google are being silent! Silence is violence." Meanwhile, Amazon Prime Video’s official Instagram account shared a picture with a message about Black Lives Matter written in it. It stated, "Together we stand with the black community — colleagues, artists, writers, storytellers, producers, our viewers- and all allies on the fight against racism and injustice. #BLACKLIVESMATTER."
