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(Forgive inebriation. Will try to not let it interfere with point.)

Just a short point.

So you miss your favorite TV shows. So you're angry the writers are striking. "They're gonna cancel Supernatural!" you cry. "Damn them, anyway! They get enough money! They should be glad they're doing what they LOVE for a living!"

Except ... why should that matter? They're doing a job, and frankly, 99.9 percent of writers of any stripe get zero respect for what they do. It's the money people who get the respect - with newspapers and magazines, it's the advertising staff that gets accolades and bonuses and recognition for selling, selling, selling! With movies, it's the actors and crew (rightfully so, but still), and the studio that makes the decisions for marketing and such. (See, by bitching out Ted and Terry for POTC, even though I dislike their choices, I'm actually giving them respect by recognizing they exist in the process.)

Writers are not often thought about ... and yet, when they strike for any length of time, it's amazing how much goes down the tubes in the industry. Jobs, catering, projects are lost, shows are threatened to be canceled, etc. And the most common sentiment I'm seeing is: CALL OFF THE STRIKE! BE OVER!

It's not just about money. It's about respect. It's about the fact that more and more entertainment has been going to "reality TV" over the past several years, which is cheaper to produce because it's talent-poor and ad-heavy. The CEOs and heads of studios and executives are getting more money with increased revenue both from bigger ad shares and the "new media" that's at the heart of the strike; the writers are getting no extra, and their jobs have been cut as a result. Yet - I don't see people yelling at the studio heads to give in to some demands that would end the strike.

Just because writers might derive some joy from their work does NOT mean they should be punished with less income than someone else doing a job that touches a lot of people positively. That's bullshit thinking. I'm sorry, but writing is harder than some other jobs that pay much better, and ought to be rewarded properly - with both income and respect. Especially the latter.

(EDIT: funny pictures
moar funny pictures. Especially if you remember my post in December 2006 about the small owl I think he killed in self-defense.)

Date: 2008-01-12 08:29 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] astria.livejournal.com
Eagle sez quit all that jibbah jabbah.

Date: 2008-01-12 08:34 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] veronica-rich.livejournal.com
HAHA. Obviously, you did not ever go back and read about the owl (http://veronica-rich.livejournal.com/87746.html) that Sylvester smacked down on last winter.

Date: 2008-01-12 08:43 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] astria.livejournal.com
I did not! For I am lazy right now... and shall now go to bed.

Date: 2008-01-12 12:11 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] bellumed.livejournal.com
It's about the fact that more and more entertainment has been going to "reality TV" over the past several years, which is cheaper to produce because it's talent-poor and ad-heavy.

I've noticed nowadays that the trend is starting to deflate, thank God. Survivor, The Real World, The Bachelor, those kinds of shows used to get much more attention. Now it is Heroes, Supernatural, House, Lost, Grey's Anatomy, etc.

Date: 2008-01-12 07:08 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] veronica-rich.livejournal.com
Yes, but I wonder if the longer people do without their written shows, if they'll be willing to accept the reality crap again ....?

Date: 2008-01-12 02:50 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] starrdust411.livejournal.com
I've actually seen a lot more people saying "Give the writers their money!" than people who say "Fuck you writers! Get back to work!" In fact, I think I've only run across one person on the internet who felt that way.

I personally aspire to be a screenwriter "when I grow up", so I'm completely sided with the writers in this strike. I'm just really pissed at the AMPTP for not giving them what they want when they're losing money, the writers are losing money, people are getting laid off, and the tv viewers are getting irritated. I heard that the WGA strike of 88 lasted 22 weeks, so I really hope this one isn't nearly as long.

Date: 2008-01-12 07:07 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] veronica-rich.livejournal.com
Strikes are a necessary part of the bargaining process, and they're not very effective if they have a time cap on them - the whole point is that they're supposed to be as or more uncomfortable for those on the receiving end as for those doing the striking.

I think respect for unions as a whole is going down in this country. People no longer understand how they got started, why they were necessary, and what they've done for the modern workday and pay schedule. Corruption in some instances is not a reason to throw out the entire system.

Date: 2008-01-12 03:10 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gryphons-lair.livejournal.com
Ah, yes, a variation on the old "How dare you consider your right to fair compensation more important than my convenience/pleasure!" complaint.

Because of course if you enjoy doing what you do for a living, you should be so grateful to be paid at all that little details like whether the bosses are screwing you over to line their own pockets shouldn't matter. It's not as if you have to pay bills and raise a family like everybody else, right?

Riiiiiight.

Oh, and I'd bet that eagle is thinking, "Can I carry it to the nest, or will I have to eat it here?"

Date: 2008-01-12 05:50 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] veronica-rich.livejournal.com
I've seen one person on my f-list who lost her job over this strike. That's the only person I feel sorry for - everyone else, it IS just a matter of pleasure and convenience. And if they want more pleasure in the future, they should remember who is at the front end of giving it to them.

(I don't care how big that bird is, if he made it back to his nest after attempting that, he'd be plucked like a chicken and have more aeration holes than a wiffle ball. *G*)

Date: 2008-01-12 06:09 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] gryphons-lair.livejournal.com
Yes, I have sympathy for all the ancillary people (camera crew and caterers and props-rental shops and gaffers and carpenters and...) who are out of work because of this, too, but that doesn't mean I think the writers should cave in and take what crumbs the studio moguls are willing to hand out.

And you're right, the "My favorite show is going to be cancelled!" whiners should be complaining to the studio moguls, not demanding the writers give in.

(If he were seriously planning that, he'd be hovering for an opportunity to strike, not sitting on the rail. If, OTOH, the cat is stupid enough to try to jump him unprovoked, that beak could do some serious damage to that pretty white fur coat.)

Date: 2008-01-12 04:23 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] solitaryraven.livejournal.com
They're doing a job, and frankly, 99.9 percent of writers of any stripe get zero respect for what they do.

A-freaking-men.

Date: 2008-01-12 05:52 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] veronica-rich.livejournal.com
After a good number of years of doing it myself, I know the reality of the business, but I still get sick and tired of being told that MY department isn't as valuable because it's the only one that doesn't go out and directly bring in money. YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE TALENT TO MAKE SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE WANT TO READ EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. If there were some way of pulling all the copy for a month and letting what we have be nothing but advertising, I'd be willing to do it, just to see what kind of feedback the receptionists get ...

Date: 2008-01-12 06:58 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] yoiebear.livejournal.com
Oh, the lack of respect for writers (even in the newspaper business) is atrocious when everything entertainment involves writing of some sort. My mom, at first, was all for the strike and is now bitching because there is nothing new on TV (until Survivor (ak) begins). I keep reminding her that the writers involved are my peers and she just doesn't get it. No matter how I explain it. It's just one more thing people have to bitch about. *hangs head*

As for the picture... Munchkin and a bat. I want that photo.

Date: 2008-01-12 07:10 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] veronica-rich.livejournal.com
You have to wonder what might've happened with the POTC sequels (just on a tangent, here) if the strike had been a couple or three years ago instead of now ...

Date: 2008-01-12 08:21 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] yoiebear.livejournal.com
No kidding! They may have had easier to follow plot lines and an ending that made real sense for the characters. You know, tied up.

Date: 2008-01-13 12:32 am (UTC)
From: [identity profile] ainsoph15.livejournal.com
Man alive! This makes me wonder what the furore would be like if the equivalent of the miners strike happened now. Heh. People would even be able to watch the damn TV because they'd have no bloody electricity. That might put things into perspective. Hell, why should people be vilified because they are doing a job they like, just because the terms they work under are unacceptable to them and they feel the need to protest about it? I just wish this meant that the general public ended up with a greater appreciation of what writers do, and how they are the vital factor in any show. Without decent writing, like you say, we end up swamped with reality TV crap. Jeez, if this happened in the UK, I'd like to think the public would be campaigning to support them wholeheartedly, if nothing else because it would mean they'd get their favourite shows back on air. (Mind you, if it was only UK writers striking, we have so many US imports of superior quality the public would probably realise how much crap we have on UK TV, and it might actually make British writers make more of a damn effort, which I see as sorely lacking in most UK shows. Just sayin' *g*)

Oh yeah, and edited because I saw this on lolcats, and wondered if you had as well, because it made me giggle like a loon:
http://icanhascheezburger.com/2007/12/23/funny-pictures-davy-jones/#comments

/rant
Edited Date: 2008-01-13 12:34 am (UTC)

Date: 2008-01-13 05:39 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] veronica-rich.livejournal.com
In this country, at least, I don't think a miners' strike would get the same response - people would be more likely to sympathize with and support them. While many people would like to have a higher income and place in the food chain, I've noticed that overall, there's a real resentment and suspicion of white-collar workers that doesn't exist toward blue-collar workers. Automotive strike, miners' strike, Teamsters, drivers - when they want something, it's deserved, but when a higher-paid group of talent makes the same demands, they're spoiled and greedy. (I don't mean executives and higher management; I mean people who do the actual work of producing a product.)

My father was an automotive worker for 30 years; I grew up out in the middle of nowhere, and I understand this mindset. Doesn't mean I agree with it. Writers may not stand on their feet all day and have to suffer with loud noises and the possibility of physical injury, but many have given up a portion of their lives and future income toward education to do what they do, and have sometimes gone through periods of very little or no pay for what they do, while juggling menial jobs they didn't want - not to mention great personal debt - to get where they are.

Date: 2008-01-13 09:49 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] elibad.livejournal.com
The writers deserve what they are asking for, there is no doubt about it, and I am not worried about any of my shows, yet. With the directors and actors set to start their own negotiations and follow with in the next 6 months, I do think that things will get worked out.

Having said that there is danger if this goes on too long. If all of the next TV season or more is lost, it will matter significantly less what the writers (directors and actors) can get, because there will be less for them to go back to. People won't wait forever, and TV and movies aren't the only game in town any more. Habits will change and the longer they are out the fewer people come back, and the next generation may very well be completely unreachable.

Poor puddy, someone should warn him that that birdy has almost as many pointy ends as he does.

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