The world's richest man, Elon Musk, has taken aim at Netflix, claiming it pressures children to watch "woke" content about transgender and homosexual themes.
For years, Disney has faced criticism for promoting a "woke" mindset on identity politics and sensitivity to controversial themes.
Critics argue that it has consumed Disney's recent movies and series, where, for example, classic fairytales like The Little Mermaid are rewritten to emphasize diversity, or homosexual themes take center stage like in Lightyear.
Under pressure, Disney has started to tone down these themes somewhat. For example, Pixar' Elio was rewritten before release so that the lead boy is no longer homosexual, following the departure of the original director.
Netflix under scrutiny
Now Netflix is in the crosshairs, led by Elon Musk, who highlighted the animated kids series Dead End: Paranormal Park for having a "transgender woke agenda" due to a transvestite character, as reported by The Verge and Variety.
Musk also cited a CoComelon episode where a homosexual man encourages a young boy to wear a tiara skirt and tutu crown as well as the teen series The Baby-Sitters Club, where transvestites are a theme. In some of Netflix's own games, players can pick a gender beyond male and female.
Musk is urging viewers to boycott Netflix, which many subscribers have done, sharing their cancellations on social media.
Kids series Dead End: Paranormal Park explores themes such as transvestites. Photo: NetflixUnder political pressure
Elon Musk's push to make media giants anti-woke is not new. In 2024, he ran April Fool's joke portraying himself as Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Officer for Disney to make content "even more woke".
However, the pressure also comes from higher authorities in the US, with the Trump administration trying to make corporate DEI policies illegal.
Certain American Republican politicians are attempting to link "woke" with the Democratic Party.
Netflix shares dropped around $13 billion in market value last week after Musk's comments.
- Source: The Verge, Variety
