Writers' Strike Diary: In Defense of Ellen DeGeneres

Read more about the strike on the Huffington Post's writers' strike page.

The only thing less pleasurable than being wrong -- or, I should say: reassessing your own correctness as there's always some dial-up speed gandy dancer to tell you you're wrong for you -- is not manning up to your own wrongness.

I was wrong.

Two weeks ago I wrote about Ellen DeGeneres being, seemingly, more empathetic toward animals than humans.

By returning to her television program this week following a brief hiatus at the beginning of the Hollywood writers' strike, Ellen has proven -- or reaffirmed -- what I'd missed; that she cares quite deeply about people. She does so despite being publicly dried as a scab and a traitor for crossing the picket line.

Falsehoods and slander.

What Ellen is, is an individual responsible for keeping her television program on the air and securing the livelihoods of some 135 people she has on staff. One hundred and thirty-five people who would find themselves out of work, without paychecks and -- with both a strike on and a holiday season approaching -- not many prospects for making money.

One hundred, thirty-five people.

Despite this fact, the WGA-East -- the vestigial limb of the WGA -- has in particular been openly, vocally antagonistic regarding Ms. DeGeneres' return to television. They are so seemingly without notice that Ellen's is hardly the only daytime syndicated program to remain in production and on air. And also without noting that in the past David Letterman and the great Johnny Carson crossed lines to remain on air and keep their staffs employed.

Where's the righteousness in a cause that segregates that supposed righteousness from compassion?

There is none.

Such tactics are the equivalent of strapping on ideology, and walking into a crowded room to indiscriminately unleash philosophical fury with no regard to who is left maimed: a grip, or cameraman. A make-up, or craft service artist. Those who so many often refer to in the worst of paternalistic pejoratives: "The little people." Tiny, helpless individuals who will either forcibly accept the "goodwill" of others, or be crushed by the collectivism which claims to want to protect them.

If the leadership and membership of the guild wish to strike regardless of who loses their job or their ability to provide for their family, that is their right. But I would ask that they not vilify those who will not concede their moral obligations to group think.

I continue to support the guild by not working during the strike. However, added to my display of support will now be the daily viewing of the Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Read more about the strike on the Huffington Post's writers' strike page.

Comments

[SueDoe]

Sorry, Letterman did it right.

Although she's "saved" 135 people she's sold out thousands and if she was a writer making $80,000 a year in a town of $800,000 homes I think she's be pretty bugged with the scabs.

I'm not a union person, I'm not even a liberal but Ellen has proven to the world that she's an absolute narcissist who thinks that the rules only apply to other people.

If she wants to do her show she should tear up her union card and not be the beneficiary of their collective bargaining.

http://suedoenim.blogspot.com/2007/10/dear-mutts-and-moms.html

Ellen's recent history shows us who she is, it's not America's Sweetheart.

[avergejoe]

A load of hooey!

Every production could make the same argument.

[guru75]

John, it's a nice of you to think that Ellen is crossing a picket line and putting on her show for the families of her employees. But it's a foolish and illogical one. Just who do you think the striking writers are striking for? Their families! And these many thousand families matter as much as Ellen's small group of people and her dogs. She is helping to steal Christmas for the writer's families by helping to prolong the strike in her own "humanitarian" fashion. Every time new entertainment is provided by people like Ellen on TV they are making a vote against the writers - no matter how much sympathy she expresses for them. Do they even matter to her as much as small dogs in her confused emotional life? This is an issue that is much greater than Ellen and her employees. It's about fairness for other employees. Trust me, as a long time member of the WGA the alleged high incomes of writers is absurd. Most are lucky to scrape by from assignment to assignment. I find your post a breach of faith by an otherwise decent and intelligent man and hope you once again reconsider your position. If you wish to flip-flop please do so for those who deserve your support.

[Dandy12]

For the big bucks some of these people make, they should come up w2ith some of their own jokes, etc. or hire a consultant, free lancer...

[Corgyjane]

Strike one up for Degeneres, the show must go on, if writers wish or need to strike, great. Ellen is not a writer, she's an entertainer, if she's capable of writing her own material MORE POWER TO HER. I am watching her show more now for being a mavereick. Ellen high fives for keep those 130 plus people working and the audience clapping, I applaud you!

[Aunt Shecky]

I support labor unions in general and the writers' strike in particular. I went to the wga website just to become more familiar with the organization. Reading the requirements for membership is a revelation -- there are several hoops ("units") through which the writer has to hop, as well as a membership fee
to the tune of two and a half grand. Which is fine -- it keeps out the riffraff, such as yours truly. I often quote Groucho Marx who
said he never wanted to join any group that would have him as a member.

But -- even so, I wish the best of luck to these writers. At the very least the wga has a script registry service, which, as far as I can tell, is open to non-members. Still costs only twenty clams. But don't register or write any scripts till the strike is over!

[rst2536]

ADVICE TO THE WRITERS ON STRIKE
1
I do support the striking writers.
But for my life can"t understand
Why all these militant bull fighters
Bow to producers, cap in hand.
Why not demand that your creations
Not dignify the degradations
Producers force on you and fight
To keep intact your copyright?
Why not proclaim yourselves the owners
Of what you write and make a deal
As equals, not a mere fifth wheel?
You needn"t stick to being loners;
But by incorporation lay
A ground producers can"t gainsay.
2
Imagine writers in collectives
Both dreaming up the scripts for shows
And spurning idiot directives
From suits who run the studios-
The men and women bottom feeders
Are growing into business leaders
By sucking-up and doing jobs
(Sometimes by sucking bosses" knobs)
Which in their way may be creative
But who can"t tell good story from
A tale that"s listless and humdrum.
So why not strike for qualitative
Change- not pennies out of which you"re gypped;
But final say about your script?
3
Put writer"s names beneath the titles
As it is done for books and plays;
Not first of all the movie idols
Or else directors who wins praise.
Put first and foremost who"ve created
The chance for these to be translated
From movie people to the star.
Don"t put these on an level par
With writers whose work made them famous
By writing them into the part
That turns their acting into art.
Who"s such an awful ignoramus
As not to know they all revere
The writer"s writer Will Shakespeare?

[Hugo de Balsac]

Hey now, don't go diss'n the "scabs". I worked non-union when I was in Hollywood and all I can say about Union people is they're a bunch of soulless automatons utterly devoted to the vain practice of self-interest... not that it matters.

[QueenCeleste]

Great post John. Ellen is to be commended for keeping her show going and her people employed. She has always seemed like a dear and wonderful person.

(For the record, people can be empathetic toward both people and animals. Heaven knows both need it. Do you not remember how active Ellen was in helping the residents of New Orleans after Katrina?)

[elion10]

Where's rightousness in a cause that seperates it from compassion?

When the cause is just, a price is worth paying.

Fair wages are a matter of human dignity- and human rights worth fighting for - just like racial equality


I guess the people in Selma needn't have bothered to make their families suffer- they could have just had compassion- for their families- for their employers- and all the other people in their lives who suffered while a boycott went on in the name of fighting an unfair policy.

Either the strike is bogus- and anyone who breaks it is just fine.. or there is some real purpose, real rights (like racial equality or fair wages)at stake - - or a principle- Like, if you are a memeber of a union- a brotherhood- that you stand with your brother- no matter the cost to you - or other people.

I am surprised a black man would have so little understanding of why it matters that a group stand together.

Honoring the strike is the harder choice for Degenres.. and she chose the privileged path, becuase she could..


But ellen got where she is on the shoulders of other writers and women who came before her- and they all just got screwed.

[cinemaven]

Ellen is a member of the striking WGA and at the moment, she is writing and performing material she has written. No matter how you look at it, the woman is a SCAB.

Perhaps instead of deciding to SCAB, she could have taken a page from Letterman's book and actually paid the strikers while honoring the strike.

Had Ellen done what most of the talk shows have done and held the line, it would have helped expedite the contract. Every day that she SCABS adds dollars to the pockets of those who are in a position to end this thing.

[Thunderbeach]

John, nobody wants to be out of work, period. Sure, the holidays add a nice bit of movie sentiment, but if things were shutting down in January, March or August, I would feel just as bad for people who lose their jobs over another group"s grievances.

I just want to know two things: first, why is it that you feel none of this terrific empathy for the writers who have losing work steadily for years, writers who have been selling their homes and finding other ways to make ends meet and buy holiday presents; and second, why do you only focus your ire on the writers side of the breakdown at the bargaining table? The AMPTP is at least equally responsible for people losing their jobs, and more accurately, mostly responsible for creating and nurturing the antagonistic, strong-armed, greed-driven environment that"s caused the rift in the first place.

Share the empathy, John, or better still, if " God willing " the writers actually get something closer to what they deserve when this strike is over, you can give your increased piece of the residual pie back to the AMPTP to show your solidarity with them.

[gallonjug]

there are 12,000 people out here eager to get back to work during the holiday season, and ellen is prolonging the strike by continuing to work.
Should we blame her? Probably not. She's worked hard to get where she is and doesn't want to lose it. But we certainly shouldn't celebrate her actions as anything other than pure ambition and self-aggrandizement.

[dobberdoss]

Strikes can be very divisive, but unless people make a stand for decent pay in this way then you would never be heard. Also the TV & Movie industry aint exactly the backbone of this country, infact it is more responsible for dumbing down the population than any other industry. If these strikes mean less crap TV & Movies then as a nation we are all better off for it!

[jasonball]

A scab is a scab, is a scab! And it's not just Ellen, it is anybody who allows for the mechanisms of production to continue.

Sorry but crossing the picket line - whether you're that camera man or grip or Ellen or the "great" Johnny Carson makes you a scab and can makes it that much easier for management to defeat the efforts of strikers or win more concessions at the bargaining table - period. Returning to work has only one possible effect - prolonging the strike.

You cannot simultaneously support the strike while supporting action that will prolong it and possibly strengthen management's position when bargaining resumes.