get back to work, monkeys

[thehefner]

According to CNN.com's unfortunately-worded poll "Do You Feel Sorry for the Writers?" regarding the ongoing strike, 53 % (3,921) said "No."

Soooo... um... can someone please explain this seeming overwhelming lack of sympathy for the writers? Are people just pissed because their shows are in reruns, or do they think the writers are greedy, lazy, and overpaid?

Seriously. I honestly don't understand, what's going on here?

I have not yet heard a single intelligent rebuttal to elegant pro-strike arguments from the likes of Mark Evanier and Brian K. Vaughan (a writer on LOST and of several excellent comics). Someone explain to me how they're in the wrong, here. Because it seemed to me that Hollywood's worst-kept-secret was how writers were constantly being shat upon.

For God's sake, they already gave up one of their previous demands to earn eight fucking cents per DVD sold of their own work (as opposed to the four they get now), in a desperate bid to avoid the strike. Can one argue that it's fair how they're getting nothing from New Media versions of their work, when clearly, someone else is profiting from said work?

I'm genuinely curious. I don't claim to know the ins and outs of commerce or the industry. But so far, I've seen nothing to dispute what the WGA is trying to achieve. How are they in the wrong, here?

Comments

[skalja.livejournal.com]

I bet a lot of people just don't understand what's going on. It took me a while to even find out what the writers were striking about once I heard about it, and a lot of the explanations, although obviously clear and right-minded, tended to involve a lot of acronyms and excursions into economics that I didn't quite understand.

So I'm thinking people are confused and suspicious.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I'd believe that. I haven't exactly been scouring the mainstream news, but from what I've seen, this story's getting pitiful little coverage beyond "writers are striking, shows will be affected," and it's barely even headline news at that.

[eliyes.livejournal.com]

They aren't. People just haven't read any of the pro-strike arguments.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Aye, I'm thinking there's also that.

[suburbfabulous.livejournal.com]

See? THAT is why we should all download movies until the writers get their 8%.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

The timing of this video is off, but I think it gets the point across:

[angrylemur.livejournal.com]

As others have already pointed out, there is the fact that a lot of people just don't know what's going on/haven't read the pro-strike arguments, etc.

There's also, I find, a general sort of attitude surrounding any sort of creative work like that, that goes with the notion that creative types do what they do strictly because they love it, and they don't care about the money because they'd be doing it even if they weren't getting paid. Like, "What are you complaining for? You get to do what you love."

This, of course, is bullshit - nobody expects computer programmers or plumbers to do work for next to nothing, or just for "exposure" - and any artist, writer, or performer will tell you that their craft is a marketable skill like any other that takes years of training and practice to develop and use (I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir here). But plenty of people look at folks in "arts"-related jobs and think that they're only in it because the job itself is the reward, or worse, that they lucked into a job that anyone could do. So when writers start speaking up because they're being treated unfairly, they're not bound to be met with a whole lot of sympathy.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

But I can still make "MONEY GOOOOD, NAPSTER BAD!" James Hetfield/Lars whatsisname jokes, right? Who cares if those jokes are sooooo year 2000!

Yeah, the lack of (insightful) coverage certainly seems to be a major issue here. Hrm.

They aren't.

[treyhawk.livejournal.com]

But Hollywood still has the direct line to the consumer, so whatever they say - and they will say it over and over and over again - must be true because that it is the only voice that most TV viewers will hear.

Just like the government controlling the news. Just because FOX or CNN say it's true doesn't necessarily mean it's true.

The longer the strike goes, the more the writers will lose.

Re: They aren't.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Makes you wonder what can be done, y'know? It's bloody depressing.

Three-step plan:

[treyhawk.livejournal.com]

1. Stop watching television.
2. Contact the advertisers and tell them that you will not be watching television until the writer's strike is over.
3. Get enough of your friends to do the same thing.

Eventaully, the advertisers catch on, pull their ads, and force Hollywood to make a fair settlement with their writers.

[philippos42.livejournal.com]

Well, my instinctual response is along the lines of, "Good for them & about time." I had the impression these guys were doing work-for-hire. Turns out it's about getting a larger cut of the residuals/royalties they're already getting.

And considering that it's Hollywood writers, it is easy to characterize some of them as a bunch of derivative posers, as an editorial cartoon I saw today did.

[philippos42.livejournal.com]

Oh, wait, I just read what Evanier wrote. It's over the proposed replacement for an expiring contract. Well, yeah, you gotta do what you gotta do.

I've got so much to catch up on, I'm not too disappointed that new shows aren't going to come out for a while.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's not really affecting any shows I like, aside from Daily Show and Colbert.

... God, your Tyra icon is hypnotic.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

The residuals cut, at least from DVDs, was off the table. The cut they were getting was four cents per DVD. Not four PER cent. Pennies. They were asking for eight. Seems disgustingly greedy to me, so thank goodness they lost their nerve and have stopped asking for even that now.

Right now, as far as I understand it, they just want to earn money, from new media versions of their works. From which they currently get zilch.

[adaptor.livejournal.com]

Thankfully, guess who'll be striking next year for the same thing?

SAG. So they're with the writers in full force. Whatever precedent we set (...she said as if she was in the union already) will affect their residuals too because it will set the precedent.

The Corp. side got very lucky on the DVD agreement (ages and ages ago when people didn't know how long DVDs would last) but they've gotten so used to that one lucky break that they're starting to think of it not as a fluke that went their way but as an entitlement. I think that's why they're acting to brashly (and telling people we left the table first. No, wait, I'm sure that was just a 'miscommunicaiton.')

[adaptor.livejournal.com]

Sorry, by entitlement I was referring to paying no more than a few pennies on anything. By negotiating their way to paying only 4 cents per DVD that's exactly what they are legally entitled to do. They just shouldn't act like they're morally entitled to only ever pay out royalties that small, even in new media that hasn't been negotiated yet. (Which is my current impression.)

[fishymcb.livejournal.com]

A lot of people are freaking out over the possibility that LOST could be shelved entirely until next Fall. That perturbs me, but ultimately, as a would-be writer, I'm fully in the camp of the writers of course.

That said, let's hope they get what they want and soon, because guess who's going to be on LOST this season?

Zoe Bell.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I KNOW!!! Man, I'll totally eventually get into that show. Meantime, I'm making my way through HEROES, which is such a bad but thoroughly entertaining show. As bad as the writing is, and as worse as the acting is, I never end an episode asking myself, "Why do I watch this?" It's amazing!

In the meantime, maybe this'll mean that Damon Lindeloff will finally write the third issue of his HULK/WOLVERINE comic mini-series. Part two came out about a year and a half ago.

Also, I meant to tell you last night, I think I may have misspoke. Did I say this Friday or Saturday for movies? I meant next, and Saturday is looking to be better, if you're open. Sorry, I've just been turned around a lot lately with work.

[fishymcb.livejournal.com]

See, I don't think HEROES is bad. And at the risk of being one of those a*holes referenced on last week's Robot Chicken, I prefer it to LOST right now. It just seems to be cleaner storytelling. They give you a bunch of little mysteries that string out over a few weeks and then are paid off. Whereas LOST just...I don't know. I'll just quote Hermes:

"That just raises FURTHER questions!"

That said, HEROES definitely grew on me. Especially once they figured out what to do with Ali Larter's character. She's a lot less annoying this season.

And crap, next weekend is not so good. I'm going to the Ravens game Sunday the 18th, so I'll probably be in Balto. County with the family all weekend. Rain check?

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

I love the show, I do, but don't make me take notes of the various crimes against acting and writing this show perpetrates with each episode. From the pilot episode onward, I knew what I was in for: "Mommy, why'd you look at yourself like that in the fish tank?"

Man, were you an X-FILES fan? As a lover of that and TWIN PEAKS, I've just sorta learned to roll with the shows that will never give you any answers, as long as the not knowing is interesting enough.

Aw nuts. Another time, then. Soon!