Gina Carano, formerly known as Cara Dune on Disney+’s hit Star Wars series, The Mandalorian, has accused Disney of bullying her. Carano was fired recently from the series after several objectionable social media posts, arguably the most offensive of which likened the current political divide to the persecution of Jews during Germany’s Nazi era.
Carano’s removal from The Mandalorian came after public outcry over her social media activity, as well as the creation of the hashtag #FireGinaCarano. The move was decisive and quick, but it still left numerous unanswered questions in its wake. Prior to the issue in question, Carano’s stature within the Star Wars universe was growing, with some reports stating that there were plans to create a Cara Dune spinoff that would have seen Carano receive a significant bump in pay. In addition to this, Carano was getting her own Mandalorian action figure (canceled) and it genuinely seemed that she was on the cusp of building something new within the Star Wars universe. Now that her future within the franchise has been scrapped, Carano still isn’t prepared to take stock of the damage she’s caused herself and others. Instead, she’s doing what she can to look like the victim.
During a recent YouTube interview with right-wing personality Ben Shapiro, Carano spoke about her firing from The Mandalorian as well as her personal feelings regarding Disney. From her point of view, Disney’s decision to remove her from The Mandalorian was the result of a type of “headhunting” that the 38-year-old feels was unjustly leveled at her for a lengthy period of time leading up to her actual dismissal. Arguing that she and others have been bullied by Disney, Carano stated:
“I’ve been through so much and I’ve seen so much now, clearly, of like, the bullying that’s been taking place. And I saw it before – and it’s not like, I mean I’m not the only one that’s ever been bullied by this company. And I know that, I know that so deeply that I could share a story and it would turn things around in the media, but I can’t do that because it would be selling out a friend that I don’t really have the same views as, but I’m not going to, you know, sell out somebody to take the attention off me.”
Regardless of what sort of story or evidence that Carano might have, it’s hard to imagine one specific anecdote turning things around for her. From the very start of making news due to her controversial opinions, it was Carano’s decision to take the stances that she took. As it stands, her definition of an acceptable argument is obviously out of step with the opinions of many. What’s more, Carano was freely able to make those statements. In other words, she openly exercised her right to free speech without being censored.
What Carano seems to be confused over with regard to her firing from The Mandalorian is that it had nothing to do with trying to keep her silent or “bully” her into not voicing her opinions. The loss of her job over insensitive and unprofessional statements isn’t the same as being bullied. It is a direct reaction to Carano’s decision to promote opinions she had, none of which were facts. Free speech gave her the right to say what she said, but real-life consequences for those words meant Disney saw fit to let her go.
Source: Ben Shapiro
