Article Steve wrote on the silly writers strike

BALDERSON BLVD.
Greed Strikes Again!

Activists, in general, are annoying. There's something nauseating about picketers who are so unbelievably hell bent on getting you to "see it their way." Perhaps it's because all they do is stand there walking back and forth. Back and forth. Back and forth. Chanting, yelling, or worse.

I understand certain kinds of activism. I have a high regard for the people who protest so that each human being, regardless of sexuality, race, gender, weight, age, height, or financial background, is treated fairly and EQUALLY. This kind of activism is needed to get the word out. Because unless one pickets, people may not know how bad they've got it over there. This I can understand. How else would we know who has it worse off than we do?

The thing I can't understand, and find totally laughable, is anyone within the Hollywood industry who goes on strike.

There are millions of people out there who, for one reason or another, can't even get their foot in the door. And here, on the other side of the threshold, we're beginning to hear less about the glamour and more about how horrible Hollywood's got it. It's just awful how unfair life is for all the disadvantaged writers and underprivileged, delicate actors.

In the beginning, labor unions seemed to be a great idea. For starters, unions helped set standards for safe working environments. For instance, there were many more deaths in the mines than there are deaths in the mines today. But now, it seems, the unions have turned just as bad as, say, the greedy Hollywood studios they're picketing.

On a film crew, for example, unions make it so that unless your job is the Man Who Picks Up The Equipment Case you aren't allowed to touch the equipment case. Only He Who Picks Up The Equipment Case can pick up the equipment case. And when crew members in another department are running behind, He Who Picks Up The Equipment Case will stand there watching and refuse to help. Because that isn't his job. And he'll cry about it if you ask him to help. And, if you force him to help you will either be fined or sued.

Everyone has heard about the Writer's Guild strike. And if you haven't, it's basically happening because writers want a new contract with film and TV studios that would give them more money when their work is sold on DVD or downloaded or streamed online.

Late-night talk shows, which rely on writers for their scripts and jokes, were the first to go off air in November. Production has been stopped on all sitcoms and prime-time dramas - such as the brainless Desperate Housewives. A number of high-profile and mostly brainless film projects have also been sidelined, with the strike putting thousands of off-camera crew out of work.

Why? Because somebody wanted more money. And chances are that somebody was already being rewarded exorbitantly. There are thousands of writers who couldn't get a job before. But now, thanks to their insatiable seniors, the little guys can't get a job even if they wanted to.

This reminds me of the striking baseball players. Remember that one? Athletes getting paid preposterous amounts of money decided they weren't getting ENOUGH. So they went on strike and pretty much ruined baseball. Baseball players all seemed dishonorable.

Rumor has it that SAG will strike this summer. Never mind they're ALREADY bleeding filmmakers dry and out to help no one but themselves.

SAG is a gag. If you use a SAG actor in your movie you MUST have your movie "approved" by SAG. Once you're in the club, they will force you to do anything they tell you. Say you're a filmmaker who has an actor who wants to work on your movie for free and will take deferred pay. Well, SAG will force you to pay them up front anyway. Per SAG rules. Even if the actor doesn't want it. Or else you'll be fined. Or SAG will have possession of your movie. Like the bank to your house if you don't pay the mortgage.

Here's another statute that is thoroughly ludicrous: If you use a SAG actor in your movie and you do not get your project "approved" by SAG, that actor can be fined for appearing in it.

So for all intents and purposes, labor unions have now turned into a system to put a stop to work. No longer are unions there to help people get work. No, sir. Now the unions are there to make sure no work happens at all.

Okay, we cannot blame the unions of Hollywood for being greedy and foolish. No, sir. We must look inward. It is our fault-the nation's fault-that the unions of Hollywood have such entitlement issues. It's the masses who refuse to take responsibility for themselves and continue to get home loans they cannot pay for. Or charging up credit cards there's no hope of ever paying off. And it's the United States government who continues giving hand outs every time someone refuses to take responsibility for themselves!

On my street we understand that people who work in Hollywood are lucky to be working there to begin with. We were shocked to learn that writers can make $500,000 in pilot season writing shows which may never get made at all! What a waste of money! Never mind the paychecks for writers on feature films. It's disgustingly outrageous, I can assure you.

Maybe if Hollywood rearranged its priorities it would have more money. And then maybe they wouldn't always need more and more. If people in Hollywood spent less money on pointless things like cocaine and clothing that costs more than cocaine, they would have more money. If people in Hollywood left the unions and started out on their own, taking responsibility for themselves, or, if California became a Right to Work state, maybe then, just maybe the people could find workers who WANT to work. If, if, if…

We understand that we must take responsibility for ourselves. If we have a television talk show and our greedy writers are striking again, we understand that we should hire non-union writers. Or better yet, if we're such a great comedian, we should try writing our OWN jokes!

We also understand there is no reason the writers strike should have any impact on the brainless Golden Globes or brainless Oscars. Unless we didn't know it and, meanwhile, all the unions have made it so all acceptance speeches must be pre-approved by SAG and only official Writers Guild writers can write them.

That would make sense!



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published January 23rd, 2008