There was a time in our lifetime when the Walt Disney Co. was synonymous with wholesome family entertainment and the silhouetted Mickey Mouse head was one of the most recognized and trusted brands in the world.

But today, thanks to its heightened sensitivity to racial/social causes and its internal diversity and inclusion programs, some are calling the company “the wokest place on earth,” a slap against Disneyland’s claim to being “the happiest place on Earth.”

As one example, in its quest to become gender inclusive, the company changed its “boys and girls” greeting to “dreamers of all ages.”

In a podcast about Disney, conservative filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza said the company had historically been a celebration of Americana and of virtue.

“Disney was about good and evil,” he noted. “Disney was about wicked witches and beautiful princesses and noble, chivalric princes. It affirmed our innate sense of good and evil and gave virtue a certain patina of loveliness. But in today’s Disney, that is all gone.”

Last week, Christopher Rufo, another filmmaker and a Manhattan Institute scholar, made public internal Disney training documents that reveal the company’s extreme liberal and progressive policies.

And after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill restricting teaching about sexual orientation or gender identity in kindergarten through third grade, Disney issued a scathing statement, declaring the bill should never have passed and that the company is dedicated to “standing up for the rights and safety of LGBTQ+ members of the Disney family, as well as the LGBTQ+ community in Florida and across the country.”

Conservatives were quick to point out that nothing in the bill mentions the LGBTQ+ community but that it highlights parental rights. In his quick response, DeSantis said that Florida is governed by the interest of the people and not on the demands of corporate executives in California.

If Walt Disney were alive today, he would have trouble digesting the culture war or recognize the entertainment empire he founded. Although he became a Republican, Disney was never really interested in politics but he did forge some strong friendships with U.S. presidents, including Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan.

In one of several visits to Disneyland, Eisenhower presented Walt with the George Washington Honor Medal of the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, honoring patriotism and good citizenship. And when Disney died, Reagan (then governor of California), recommended that a postage stamp be issued to honor Walt. In his 1967 letter to the Postmaster General, Reagan stated: “There is no necessity for me to itemize his contributions to humanity; they can be summed up by simply saying that because of him the world is a richer, better place.”

After leaving the Oval Office, one of Reagan’s first public events was a return to Disneyland where he officiated its 35th anniversary celebration, proclaiming the park “one of America’s national treasures.”

These tributes certainly do not mesh with the kind of headlines generated by the company in recent days.

Florida Congressmen Carlos Giménez and Mike Waltz feel that the company’s position that it’s appropriate for the state to teach issues of sexual orientation and gender identity to 5-, 6-, and 7-year-olds is out of touch with the values of most Floridians.

“Maybe it’s time for Disney to rediscover its core values and quit trying to appease the woke left,” Gimenez stated.

Waltz said it was “hypocritical and disgusting” that companies like Disney and Coca-Cola call out states like Florida and Georgia, but continue to do business in China despite its human rights abuses and government censorship.

“They’ll bow down to an authoritarian regime that has zero diversity and, in fact, is committing genocide against ethnic minorities,” Waltz said. “They’ll do whatever it takes to keep that business but yet want to preach social justice here at home. … It’s really hypocritical and disgusting.”

Polls show that many average citizens are also disgusted with Disney’s hard turn to appease the woke left.

James Plowman, a retired Army sergeant major who saw 53 months of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan and is now a father and grandfather living in Goldsboro, North Carolina, called the diversity training recently released by Chris Rufo abhorrent, describing it as “racism disguised as education.” Plowman said he considers Disney to be not just liberal but socialist.

“These aren’t our grandparents’ liberals we’re talking about,” he stated in a post.

By Jim Zbick | tneditor@tnonline.com

The foregoing opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editorial Board or Times News LLC.