EDITORIAL : THE MOUSE THAT ROARED DISNEY REFUSES TO BE BULLIED BY BEIJING.THE Walt Disney Noun 1. Walt Disney - United States film maker who pioneered animated cartoons and created such characters as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck; founded Disneyland (1901-1966) Disney, Walter Elias Disney Co. stood up to an international bully on Tuesday, refusing to allow China to dictate what films an American company can and cannot make or distribute. By honoring an agreement to distribute a new film about the life of the Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (dä`lī lä`mə) [Tibetan,=oceanic teacher], title of the leader of Tibetan Buddhism. Believed like his predecessors to be the incarnation of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, 1935–, , the exiled religious leader of Tibet, Disney stands as a model against censorship censorship, official prohibition or restriction of any type of expression believed to threaten the political, social, or moral order. It may be imposed by governmental authority, local or national, by a religious body, or occasionally by a powerful private group. and economic threats, one the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. , other countries and other companies would do well to follow. Government officials in Beijing made it clear to Disney that the entertainment giant's ambitious business plans in China were at risk over the film ``Kundun.'' China regards the Dalai Lama as a threat to its control over the Himalayan region. What made China's threats so deplorable de·plor·a·ble adj. 1. Worthy of severe condemnation or reproach: a deplorable act of violence. 2. is that Beijing was attempting to impose its will and twisted historical view not only on an American company, but the rest of the world, since Disney was not proposing to release the film in China. Disney chose artistic freedom over cultural tyranny Tyranny Big Brother omnipresent leader of a totalitarian nightmare world. [Br. Lit.: 1984] Creon rules Thebes with cruel decrees. [Gk. Lit.: Antigone] Gessler Austrian governor treats Swiss despotically; shot by Tell. and perhaps over the bottom line. Make no mistake, the potential loss to Disney over its decision could be enormous. Over the last year, Disney executives have made China a top priority, saying that the nation served as a potentially huge and untapped market for Disney films, merchandising and even, perhaps, a theme park. Unfortunately, Wall Street reacted negatively to Disney's honorable decision. Disney shares dropped 2-1/8 to 73-7/8 on Wednesday following Disney's announcement. ``China is an area of great potential for Disney, and the inability to take China by storm is a negative,'' said Bradlee Perry, senior partner at David L. Babson & Co. We disagree. We believe the real negative is a government that wants to become a member of the World Trade Organization refusing to accept the concept of free speech and a successful free market. It remains to be seen if the Great Wall will crack under the weight of its own repression repression, in psychology: see defense mechanism; psychoanalysis. repression In metabolism, a control mechanism by which a protein molecule, called a repressor, prevents the synthesis of an enzyme by binding to (and thus hindering the action of) the . But score one for the mouse that roared. |
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