The Walt Disney Corporation recently launched a new diversity and inclusion program that teaches its employees about things like systemic racism, transphobia, white privilege and unconscious bias, and no one is more upset than Rep. Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina.
Yesterday, the 25-year-old Nazi enthusiast took to Twitter to express his outrage at all of this.
“These documents should concern everyone,” he tweeted. “America is not a racist country. The only racists are the folks at @Disney who order white employees to ‘not question or debate anything black people tell them’. The awakened anti-racists are the real racists.
These documents should concern everyone.
America is not a racist country.
The only racists are the folks at @Disney who order white employees to “not question or debate anything black people tell them.”
The awakened anti-racists are the real racists. https://t.co/mMlmPBPh1y
– Rep. Madison Cawthorn (@RepCawthorn) May 10, 2021
For the record, Disney does not order its white employees “not to question or debate anything black people tell them.” It does, however, encourage them to be more open-minded and to accept others.
According to documents obtained by City newspaper, the company’s new diversity and inclusion program notes that the United States has a “long history of systemic racism and transphobia” (fact!) and encourages its employees to “make racism training their own anti-black structural “(great idea!) and” don’t rely on your black colleagues to educate you “(because that’s not their damn job!).
The training also recognizes that some white people may have ‘feelings of guilt, shame and defense’, but it encourages them to overcome these emotions and to ‘listen with empathy. [to] Black Colleagues ”and“ not to question or debate the lived experience of black colleagues ”.
All the good stuff.
Part of the program includes a checklist to teach participants about their own privileges. The list includes markers like “I am white”, “I am heterosexual”, “I am male”, “I always identify as being the sex I was born in”, and so on.
Also a good thing. Unless, of course, you’re Madison Cawthorn.
Here’s how folx responded to the anti-Gay lawmaker’s outrage over Disney’s new diversity and inclusion program …
You have dangerously misquoted the document.
– Sean O (@sposhe) May 10, 2021
You’re a Hitler fan, aren’t you?
– Rich Morgan (@ RLM19382) May 10, 2021
You are the reason why many companies have diversity classes. And the reason why I support them 100% Madison. History!
– Ken Dean (@ kendean20005) May 10, 2021
America may not be a racist country. But many of its citizens – including you – are racists.
Tackling racial issues is not in itself racist.
But classifying blowjobs according to the race of the woman giving the blowjobs – as Madison Cawthorn did – is most definitely racist.
– WNC Political Operator (@WNC_Politico) May 10, 2021
@mtgreenee tried to create a white Anglo-Saxon caucus. It’s pretty racist if you ask me. # White supremacy
– Lost Trump (@EmpressPug) May 10, 2021
You are deliberately distorting what the Disney brochure says. In fact, you are lying about it. No one is “asking white employees not to ‘question or debate anything black people tell them'” as you put it. The brochure says: pic.twitter.com/zy32IWaxu1
– Carolinatralala (@Carolinatralala) May 10, 2021
Our Nazi congressman, showing once again that he doesn’t read much, even what he posts
– Pete McCabe (@RocinanteRider) May 10, 2021
This is from a racist, Nazi, homophobic transphobic jerk who clearly doesn’t know how racism works. Racism is alive and well and lives on in the damp and private hearts of the Republican Party and its supporters.
– alex_white7 (@ alex_alexwhite7) May 10, 2021
I guess when you’re homeschooled by your mom and living a privileged white life at WNC, you don’t know much about systemic racism.
Our founding fathers had slaves, morons.
Our country was built on the backs of slave labor and the Native American genocide. Inquire.
– Science Matters (@ trustscience92) May 10, 2021
Stay in your child lane. What has happened to the government that does not interfere with private enterprise?
– Brent Jerricho (@BrentJerricho) May 11, 2021
Not racist, just offended that other white people have to listen to black voices without telling them why they are wrong.
– Dave Ferrell (@canyoufixthat) May 10, 2021
“America is not a racist country.”
But we have a lot of racists like you in positions of authority, so we’re kind of cutting our hair.
– Jedi, interrupted 🏳️🌈💛 (@JediCounselor) May 10, 2021
Graham Gremore is editor and editor at Queerty. Follow him on Twitter @grahamgremore.