I believe in art.I believe in fairness.
I believe in the value of the written word.
I've been thinking a lot about this strike and wanted to have a lovely rah rah post about why it is important (even for non-writers) and why it is not, as you may have heard, simply a matter of privileged artistic types having a hollywood hissy fit, but I keep getting angry. Not just because the situation is unfair, but because it brings up a lot of other related issues (the lofty status of The Corporation in our national mindset, how art is habitually undervalued and derided, how people who engage in creative work are treated as if it's not "real" work and therefore should be content with whatever they get, the grotesque reign of George W. Bush and the wave of anti-intellectualism he rode in on). I get so mad I can't think straight (rage blackout!) and find myself waking up pages later in the middle of a rant on Why Don't We Have Universal Healthcare!? which is not particularly helpful.
So I will say this: I hope for a speedy and fair resolution to the dispute and hope that the writers (and the scores of others affected by the strike) can get back to work making the shows and movies I love, the shows and movies I love to hate, and yes, even the shows and movies to which I am fairly indifferent.
Some links:
this youtube clip (The Office Is Closed) is a funny and pointed explanation of the "we're not paying you for promotions" issue.
Jane Espenson -- I heart Jane! She is as kind, smart, generous and funny as always, now with added strike news and strike-lunch updates.
John August makes sense of the underlying issues and language (why residuals and not royalties, etc.) in a smart yet easy to understand way.
Doris Egan -- on Living By The Pen, the human appetite for stories and some historical perspective. (among many other interesting things.)
Billy Mernit with tips for keeping your writing sharp during the strike (or, you know, any old time) and a recommendation for a book that sounds so good I have already ordered it! (novels in three lines! I can barely stand it.)
if you haven't already, I encourage you to read Joss Whedon's pointed, angry yet hilarious summation of early NYT coverage and overall issues. It's good and jossy which is a very good thing indeed.
...and another video. This time the Heartbreaking Voices of Uncertanty. (Screens will be fed.)
