Have you ever watched a Disney movie and thought, This is legit propaganda and I must write an op-ed about it? Well, that seems to be what crossed Indiana Gov. Mike Pence's mind in 1999 when he saw Mulan.
The GOP vice presidential candidate, who, back then was the radio host of The Mike Pence Show, felt Mulan was an attempt to influence the "debate over the role of women in the military," BuzzFeed News reported. The Indiana governor, who would be elected to the House of Representatives the year after penning this column, wrote, "I suspect that some mischievous liberal at Disney assumes that Mulan’s story will cause a quiet change in the next generation’s attitude about women in combat and they just might be right." He added, "It is instructive that even in the Disney film, young Ms. Mulan falls in love with her superior officer! Me thinks the politically correct Disney types completely missed the irony of this part of the story. They likely added it because it added realism with which the viewer could identify with the characters. You see, now stay with me on this, many young men find many young women to be attractive sexually. Many young women find many young men to be attractive sexually. Put them together, in close quarters, for long periods of time, and things will get interesting. Just like they eventually did for young Mulan. Moral of story: women in military, bad idea." A lot has changed since Pence wrote this at the end of last century. Today, all combat positions are open to women and they're required to register for the draft. Were the changes that took place in the last 17 years the result of Mulan's influence? We may never know. Read the governor's full op-ed here.
The GOP vice presidential candidate, who, back then was the radio host of The Mike Pence Show, felt Mulan was an attempt to influence the "debate over the role of women in the military," BuzzFeed News reported. The Indiana governor, who would be elected to the House of Representatives the year after penning this column, wrote, "I suspect that some mischievous liberal at Disney assumes that Mulan’s story will cause a quiet change in the next generation’s attitude about women in combat and they just might be right." He added, "It is instructive that even in the Disney film, young Ms. Mulan falls in love with her superior officer! Me thinks the politically correct Disney types completely missed the irony of this part of the story. They likely added it because it added realism with which the viewer could identify with the characters. You see, now stay with me on this, many young men find many young women to be attractive sexually. Many young women find many young men to be attractive sexually. Put them together, in close quarters, for long periods of time, and things will get interesting. Just like they eventually did for young Mulan. Moral of story: women in military, bad idea." A lot has changed since Pence wrote this at the end of last century. Today, all combat positions are open to women and they're required to register for the draft. Were the changes that took place in the last 17 years the result of Mulan's influence? We may never know. Read the governor's full op-ed here.