Writers' strike

(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: ( This is totally something my cat would do )

. Especially if you remember my post in December 2006 about the small owl I think he killed in self-defense.)

Freebie

Does anyone need a DSL modem? (Especially anyone with BellSouth service.) I have a Westell C90, with all the various cords and accoutrements, used for less than a year and kept in a box for about 10 months now. Will sell cheap, plus shipping!

I also have some old Star Trek (mostly Next Gen) stuff and Barbie dolls still in the box I might be willing to part with for a price. If there's anything in particular you've been looking for, leave a comment; you never know ...

Oh, and I have the 2007 POTC calendar I've not thrown away. Does anyone want it for a project or something? You'd just have to pay the mailing cost.

Calling Turrow hors ...

Soliciting those of you who can get into the J/W mindset and who yet might not be a member of jackwill (though, if you can, why are you not?), I made another post hoping to jumpstart some discussion of the desire for quality fanfic ... if you wanna check it out.

J/W 'shipper

I am Veronica, and I am a J/W 'shipper. Yes, I am.

I've been one for coming up five years this summer. I saw the subtext from my first viewing of CotBP, and I've been seeing it since, even in spite of Disney's best efforts to kill it in DMC. (And, God love 'em, Johnny's and Orlando's chemistry remained intact and gave me enough moments anyway. *G*)

I read Turrow. I write Turrow. I also read Sparrington, Willington, Willabeth, Sparbossa, Barbossabeth, and just about anything else you put in front of me if it's done well and doesn't build itself up by blatantly tearing down what someone else likes. I've read a great deal of Sparrabeth and het, and I've commented on a great deal of Sparrabeth and het. I find it telling that I can count on my fingers the number of Sparrabeth fans who've ever commented on anything I've written, or that a great number of better slashers (especially J/W) have written, but that I see other pairings' fans commenting positively on het - especially J/E - stories all the time.

Even stories that otherwise blatantly make fun of what the slashers or Will fans like.

THAT is tolerance and fellowship.

And I think there are fans who could learn something from us homo- and pansy-loving perverts.