Communism Sounds Good In Theory Too

I figured sooner or later I would need to throw my 2 cents in on the writer’s strike, so let’s have at it. The main point of contention is the Internet. The Writer’s Guild of America (the union) wants residuals for “new media” (basically, the internet). The companies want more time to study the situation, but are willing to set up Internet sales the same way DVD sales are set up now (0.3% of gross profits). The WGA feels they got douched with that deal, and want 2.5% of the distributor’s gross for new media sales and distribution. Basically, that’s what all the hub-bub is about. But let’s break this down scientifically.

Most people support the WGA. Most people are sheep. They see the hard working, underpaid writer versus the evil old corporations. This is the view presented to you by…..a bunch of writers. True, 95% of them turn out swill like “CSI” or “Cavemen”, but there are a few good shows out there. These people can spin a yarn if they want. Also, the public as a whole wants to put up the front that they care about others, that they are compassionate. It’s like the have some guilt complex, where they have to feel guilty if things are going there way. Or it’s a simple transference thing, where your life sucks and these people’s lives suck, so you relate to them. These people make money for doing a job they love. How many people can honestly say that? It’s not like they graduated college and was like “Damn, I can’t get that entry level office job, I guess I’ll have to write a sitcom now.” Basically, they feel they don’t make enough money doing their dream job. While the companies, on the other hand, are run by old white people. These people treat technology like my parents, they know it’s out there, they know they can make money off it; they just don’t know how to do it or how much they can make. So, the writer’s are asking rich people (who didn’t get rich by giving money away) to sign away a percentage of gross profits, yet no one knows just how much those gross profits will be tomorrow or ten years from now. Does that make sense to anybody?

Now, on to the union system as a whole. As my title suggests, it’s good in theory, but in actual practice, it’s a cess pool of human greed and corruption (much like communism). Actually, in the beginning, it worked as it should. The unpaid employees were able to bargain with the companies on a level field to get better wages and safer working conditions. I mean, we all want that. Now, unions are nothing but a figurative criminal with a gun to the head of big business, demanding more money and benefits or work stoppages and smear campaigns will begin. Do unions even have a place in today’s society, since with the Internet and well organized worker first groups, workers have the bargaining chip of bad publicity. Look how Wal-Mart is maligned on a daily basis. Employers do have one trump card in all this, and it’s the card that the companies in this dispute may play shortly. They can move their business overseas, or in TV’s case, they can get into production agreements with entities such as CTV in Canada or BBC in England (the wheels are already moving here). Nothing would please me more than having the writers get the rug yanked out from under them. I, for one, want these production deals to take place because now we get reality shows like “American Idol”, “So You Think You Can Dance”, and “Generic FOX Reality Show That Panders To The Lowest Common Denominator”. That’s not reality and it sure isn’t entertainment, it’s what the writers have given us. Can you support them now?