M'eh, I'll live.
I may be the lone voice of semi-apathy here, but honestly, I’m not that wrecked about the WGA strike. I guess I support them in that I think they deserve to make decent wages off a product they helped create that is now earning bazillions for studios on DVD releases. Seems only fair, IMO.
I’ll be the first to acknowledge that I haven't been following all the news about the strike as closely as others. (Hey, I have naps to take!) But I recall reading a few comments here and there about how the strike is causing so many hardworking crew and staff members to be out of work, including caterers, technicians, gaffers, janitors, etc. And all I can think to say to that is: Pay the damn writers the money they're due, and everyone can get back to work! It’s not rocket science, folks. The writers aren’t putting people out of work, the studios are. The amount of money execs make off of scripted television is astronomical compared to the writers. And the disparaging treatment of screen and scriptwriters in Hollywood is notorious. Hell, it’s the stuff of legends. Boring, not-all-that compelling legends. But legends nonetheless.
So the strike doesn’t bother me one bit. Plus, I’m from a Midwestern blue-collar family where unions played and continue to play a definitive role in my community. Now, that being said, will I be down there to wave a placard along with the creative working stiffs? Heck-I-Naw. I’ll honk my horn and raise my fist in the air as I pass by, sure. But that’s it. Well, and I guess I’ll blog about it too. Blogging: The modern-day equivalent of expressing outrage without incurring any of the consequences of actually, you know, standing up and speaking out. (Wow. We are one cowardly generation, aren’t we?)
Yeah, I’ll provide moral support while I head home to my beautiful Netflix queue that’s brimming with TV shows on DVD. That’s right. Fantastic, plot-driven stories with character development, pop culture references, and witty exchanges. Waiting to fill my empty weekday evening hours are shows that I’ve been meaning to catch up on, but can rarely find the time like Entourage S3, Part 2, Robot Chicken S2, and Little Britain S3. Shows that come highly recommended by my fellow geeks, but I’ve never made time to sit down and watch like Deadwood, The Prisoner, and Carnivale. And of course, there are the shows that I simply miss from my weekly TV dial that have been slowly making their way to DVD to comfort those of us without cable like Martin S3, Wings S5, and A Bit of Fry and Laurie.
Let's take a moment to appreciate the irony that I’ll be watching TV shows that I’ve adored for years or may adore for years to come that will never provide a decent compensation for the writers who poured their heart and souls into bringing them to life in the first place. Sure, Paramount, Fox, HBO, and the BBC will make some nice coin off those DVD sets purchased by Netflix and Blockbuster, but how much will the writers be taking home? So you see, for geeks like me that have our online DVD rental queues lined with more TV shows than films, it’s not difficult to see why the WGA deserves a fair shake. The money that studios are earning off this “new” technological innovation deserves to make its way back to the women and men who are responsible for my lazy ass devotion in the first place. Blogging about it is the least I can do. Seriously, it’s the least I can do.
Bring on the Studio 60 box set. I’m settling in.**
**Yeah, yeah, yeah. I might read a book here and there. Or write in my journal. Or do something constructive. Stop hounding me.