Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid
The Writers Guild strike is likely to backfire. At a time when there is no clear successful economic model for distributing content online, but plenty of folks who think they are creative and now have a platform to establish their ten minutes of fame, there is inherent risk in a strike. I am reminded of a time, probably more than ten years ago, that a media company elected to stop publishing their daily metropolitan newspaper as a response to a labor strike. Rather than the public outcry they expected, which they thought would help them in their negotiations, readers found other ways to access news and the paper folded.
The void that could potentially be created by a strike of any length will lead to multiple experiments with user generated content, whether comedic sketches for Leno or Letterman as well as alternative story lines to well known shows. Production is likely to be more amateur, but today's youth seemingly has no issue with that. I can envision the networks creating contests to get viewers involved and getting added publicity as well as a closer connection to viewers. The Andy Milonakis show, while far from my favorite, came about from a homemade video virally distributed via the Web.
I am not suggesting that the quality of television would be the same, but I do think the Writers Guild are giving consumers a reason to experiment and go elsewhere. It might prove fatal as a certain portion might not return. For no other reason than perhaps a good fight, I also feel the need to state my bias. While I understand the historic significance of unions, I think they serve very little, if any, purpose in the U.S. today.
So, in essence, if I were the Writers Guild, I would be afraid, very afraid.
Read more about the strike on the Huffington Post's writers' strike page.
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It's dreaming on her part to think that this strike won't accomplish anything.
Unfortunately, the gap between the haves (the studios) and the have nots (most of the WGA membership, excluding the top writers/producers) has gotten wider and wider. Now we have Iraq, Afghanistan, no universal health care and more happening. Basic human nature 101: when people feel under stress (or possibly desperate?), they'll do and say anything the have to to survive. To get their "fair share." Now we could argue semantics all day long about what is your "fair share." Instead look at what the WGA wants:
Technology changes and will continue to change at a rapid pace. Delivery of entertainment will change also to hopefully keep up with this new technology. If the business goal here is to continue to get your content out to the audience, what's wrong with giving the writers a fair percentage of that profit? It's not rocket science. Instead, it's a battle for money and power. Megamedia corporations continue to make millions and naturally will stop at nothing to crush competition.
But also, look at top names. How many have been laid off by their networks? How come Leno's non-writing staff is all gone but he continues to be paid? Because he has a lot of money, power, a very expensive big-name attorney. You get the idea. If these people really support their writers, then why don't they march with them everyday and not go back to work until the strike is settled? Actually say, in solidarity with my writers I won't take a salary until they get what they want. Now, reality check. Because they're not f*****g idiots. Do you REALLY think they're going to give up their money and power that they worked all those years to get over a strike?
So again, it comes down to the haves and the have nots. In the meantime those on both sides with the money and the power will have a nice vacation and not suffer at all (versus the less famous WGA membership).
Well Lauren,
What say you after these replies?
Americans have became arrogant and selfish in the last 15 to 20 years. If not for union American citizens would have been living as other 3rd world countries have. If union have not fought for higer wages, health benefit, retirement benefits and other benefits for their workers, then non-union worker's wages and benefits would never have risen.
This is why today they have sent our manufacturing plants and our jobs to cheap wages overseas, while flooding our country with cheap illegal immigrant workers. Every time you call for service look who answers the telephone.
If Americans do not believe that corporations are running this country, then they are just not paying a bit of attention to what has happened very quickly in the last 7 plus years.
Our government has sold our land and resources to foreign countries and global corporations, as well as privatizing government jobs to corporations.
If you think Exxon, Enron, Halliburton, Blackwater and the war contractors would run our government jobs better using our tax dollars, then you have not followed the deceit, corruption, stealing, lying, no-bid contracts, destoryed military health facilities and other government agencies that have been privatized.
It's no wonder that Bush, Cheney and our elected officials are doing as they please, and screwing the American citizens on a daily basis.
Americans today really have no concern for others, it is all superficial.
Notice as the union are declining and getting weaker, our wages, benefits, jobs safety and social programs are going to hell.
Congress does nothing (this has been proven by their lack of actions today) unless forced into taken action, and in the past the unions played a great roll in pushing Congress on these issues.
Now by corporate political funding and favors, Bush and congress has deluted the powers of the unions, with the lack of help by Americans that doesn't like any inconvience.
Americans have become arrogant and selfish in the last 15 to 20 years. If not for union the American citizens would have been living as other 3rd world countries have. By union fighting for higer wages, health benefit, retirement benefits and other benefits for their workers, the non-union worker's wages and benefits had to go up to get and keep.
This is why today they have sent our manufacturing plants and our jobs overseas, while flooding our country with cheap illegal immigrant workers. Every time you call for service, you receive on the other end a foreign person to answer you questions and problems. Of Americans do not believe that corporations are running this country, then they are just not paying a d... bit of attention to what has happened very quickly in the last 7plus years. Our government is selling off our land and resources to foreign countries and global corporations, as well as given our government jobs to corporations by privatizing them. If you think Exxon, Enron, Halliburton, Blackwater and the war contractors would run our government jobs better with our tax dollars, then you have not followed the deceit, corruption, stealing, lying, no-bid contracts, military health facilities and other government agencies that have been privatized.
It's no wonder that Bush, Cheney and our whole d... elected officials are doing as they d... well please, and screwing the American citizens on a daily basis.
Americans today really have no concern for others, it is all superficial BS.
Notice as the union are declining and getting weaker, our wages, benefits, jobs safety and social programs are going to hell.
Congress does nothing (this has been proven by their lack of actions today) unless forced into doing it, and in the past the unions played a great roll in pushing Congress on these issues. Now by corporate political funding and favors, Bush & Congress has deluted powers of unions, with lack of help of Americans that dislike to have any inconvience.
Like all good Capitalistic Societies, you only win when you are a monopoly...
Although there maybe other resources for writing... Creativity is at a preminium and hopefully the WGA will benefit from the strike.
Today is tomorrow's history. We are living historic significance. Retired now, I always held a card. I remember my grandfather, from Cork, Ireland, who had a tattoo of a man on his chest. The man held a sledge rampant. That and some other tattoos I seem to remember remind me now of what must have been an exciting and risky time for him as a young working man here and in Ireland.
There are strong "hit the bricks" unions, weak unions, "company" unions, all kinds. Rough edges? Corruption? Hey, unions are people and bad pennys turn up. Pick up the Wall Street Journal, pick a day, -more corruption tended by people. More bad pennies. People good and bad are found in all organizations. Even the big one in Washington. We need business, we need labor, we need government. All function in environments that change.
Unions need to reform ...americans need to vote progressive to change the labor laws to even out the playing field for labor. The two must meet in the middle...It really means the preservation of the middle class. I appreciate this lady was honest...honest about her bias. I hope and pray the WGA gets a deal...the money is there ..the profits are there but could it be a Phelps Dodge deal...all about ideology or I can crush you because I can and damn the enormous profits ..we will see. Americans need a new Renaissance/Enlightenment it means throwing out ideologues and electing people with vision and creative problem solving.
Lauren Rich Fine, CFA, is a Practitioner in Residence at Kent State University's College of Communication and Information. Until recently she was a Managing Director at Merrill Lynch in Equity Research. She joined the department in 1988 and covered the publishing, information, advertising and online industries. She was a ranked member of the Institutional Investor All-American Research Team since 1994. Lauren has an MBA from the Stern School of Management (NYU) and a BA in Psychology/Economics from Tufts University.
People who are "financial advisors," and work at companies like Merrill Lynch generally develop a strong bias which is pro-capital and pro-investor, and anti-labor.
Everyone knows that the capital/investor group, which after all represents maybe 10% of the population but owns or controls 90% of the wealth, continues its drive to crush American labor, force working people across the country to all become day laborers lining up on the street each day hoping for some paltry wage. This is the American dream for wealthy investment companies.
But for working people, there is another American dream. Faint, fading fast, but it's still there.
It is a dream that all Americans can have a decent-paying job, can have a home and cars, and put their children into decent schools with roofs that don't leak and with heat in the winter, and that they and their children can do their work and go to school and run their errands and not be gunned down and left to die in a pool of blood by the gangs which are allowed to terrorize people because government is so corrupt that they no longer do anything for the people.
It is a dream in which people earn enough to pay for housing and food and medical care, and can go to the dentist and keep their teeth, and can get new glasses when needed.
It is a dream in which people are treated with respect and dignity in their workplace, and have the right to object to abuse in the workplace, and to have health and safety regulations so they don't die because of the job they have.
This is the dream of working people, not the rich people, not the investors. Just all the rest of us, the 90% of us, the citizens, the taxpayers.
We are afraid, but not of the unions. We're afraid of everyone who promotes the further crushing of American workers, who warns working people not to stand up for their own rights, those who are intent on destroying democracy and the rights of citizens.
Great advice - be very afraid as opposed to be vigilant, strong, positive, etc. Nah, instead of preaching fear, doom and gloomers can kiss my rear. Have a nice day...
I must take particular exception to the closing comments of this young lady about, "her bias". The suggestion that unions are irrevelant in todays America suggests her limited experience in a unionized environment, and her lack of understanding of the basic purpose of unions. This is common in your 'me first, me always' culture. Although unions are a means of gaining collective bargaining rights, fair wages and protection, their primary importance stems from the need to ensure due process. Let me say that again -due process. An employer cannot discipline, nor dismiss, nor harass an employee without due cause. Now, let's digest that for a moment, young lady. Unions need to protect people from the caprice or bigotry of an employer when such situations arise. Of course, in the pure, fair, collegial environment of American business, or in the minds of young, tender writers, this protection is no longer relevant. America is the place where the powerful do not exploit the powerless, fairness abounds, and truth is as strong as the dollar.
The strike is pulling borderline TV watchers over to the internet and other forms of time suckage. When we designed and built our new home, we agreed to no TV. 10 months going and we are still alive. A bit out of touch with the blathering on about TV shows and reality shows at the work place, but can't say that we miss it. Sorry to say, but the author is only stating the obvious. The strike will only damage the excessive media of TV.
Writers and the rest of America should WORK FOR NOTHING! Because the NANNY STATE FOR THE RICH needs your money to get even richer.
I'm excited about the strike because it may the sign of things to come. It is by intellectual workers, scattered over networks, who have found a way to come together to demand legitimate compensation for their output. They have communicated the issues clearly and the public seems to be behind them.
The world will change when networked workers start coming together internationally to demand better conditions. There is no reason why programmers and help-desk workers in, say, India, shouldn't be in touch with workers in the US and elsewhere, comparing wages, working conditions, living costs. Better conditions for Indian workers in these fields would have the additional benefit of slowing the pace of outsourcing from the US. Together we can stop the global race to the bottom that is one aspect of corporate globalization.
Studios: Be afraid, be very afraid. Because as we speak (uh, write), highly acclaimed writer-director-producer types are creating their own content for the internet, entirely bypassing the studios which will be forced to churn out even more mind-drubbing reality shows in order to get through this strike.
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