A Short Note About The Strike (Patreon)

So there's a quote going around that should make your blood boil...

The thing is that my blood has been boiling since day one.

I didn’t post anything early on during the strike, not out of lack of desire. I thought about doing some stuff, some interviews and the like, but morale is an important thing and I was worried about just being a doom and gloomer. I just knew how ugly everything was going to get. Partially because I remember a lot about last time. I had been out here a few years and was working in marketing at a cable company and I remember the stone cold nature that the finance people at the tippy-top were like “no, this is good” because ultimately it allowed them to throw out a bunch of bad contracts and what they saved on those was ultimately more than whatever they gave up (this is a simplification, but most of what was fought for they found ways around anyway). They just didn't care. It was all a mild annoyance to them. Because there’s a nexus of brutality to it all. Especially because I watched as the WGA leadership made such a huge error because they were obsessed with “real TV” being “put online” and getting a cut of that and failed to see how they’d all be “online writers” within a matter of years anyway. They didn’t see what Netflix was about to do. They didn’t see the big play. But it was hard to press those things because it all got very, very ugly and the networks already found the “solve” in reality TV, etc. And it’s basically the problem of combatting a system that is there to break you down. Because here’s the whole thing about that quote.

They don’t care if you call them evil. They don’t care if you call them hypocrites, cruel, or unfair. In fact, it is THEIR JOB to say things like this because it’s all about proving to their respective boards that they will do everything in their power to hurt the labor force, make those deeply unfair contracts, and keep the labor groveling, all to maximize profit. This is the goal. And it's why labor fights are so ugly. But there are so many things that need to be fought for in that “online” space. Residuals. Health plans. Protections. Guild Contributions. Set time. ZERO A.I. Literally, no toe even in the door with that shit (for so many reasons, but yes, it's their new big play),. I could say a million more things, but I also second guess a lot of my thoughts with this stuff, too. Especially when there’s people who are so much smarter about this stuff than me and on the front lines of the communication. All I can say is that as a viewer, remember that “they’re coming for every second of your time.” And they want to pay the people who make the things zero dollars and want to take every dime, debt, and doubt you have in your head about whether or not they should. And now they’re getting the feds involved with SAG-AFTRA so they can let the writers languish longer.

Fuck em.

C’mon SAG-AFTRA, don’t back down tonight.

<3HULK