More about the WGA Strike

I've been challenging myself to justify my increased curiosity and interest with the WGA strike, compared to the lesser attention I've paid to other labor strikes (such as the NWA workers). I've come up with several possible explanations that, combined, seem satisfactory:

1. It's Hollywood, which makes the strike a form of entertainment. I actually just watched a bunch of videos from the frontlines, with various Hollywood stars who have chosen to join the picket lines to support the writers. And I felt pride for some of the stars who did so. Gawd.
   
2. It has the potential to impact my daily life much moreso than most other labor disputes, even though that disruption is merely a "bummer" instead of any kind of inconvenience. Although really, how am I going to live without The Office?
3. It's getting more media coverage, of course, than a "typical labor dispute" (I actually heard someone say that on TV last night).
4. I once thought of myself as an amateur writer (and, in my dreams, I still imagine myself writing the next great novel), so in a completely cheesy, melodramatic way, these are my peeps in the picket lines.
   
5. It seems to me, at least, that this strike is very black & white. I've yet to hear anything close to a compelling argument supporting the industry's side of this debate. It comes down to this: they're greedy bastards who don't want to share a single penny more than they have to with the creative people who make them all their money.
   
   In contrast, the NWA workers' strike is much more gray for me. I mean, I still side with the workers, but I can at least recognize that Northwest (and all airlines) are faced with some very difficult financial circumstances right now. It's not an easy industry. From a purely financial point of view, layoffs and pay cuts and benefit cuts could possibly be justified.
   
   In other words, I can at least see two sides to that issue, even though I have a pretty strong opinion of which side is in the right. I can't say the same with the WGA strike. Because it's so obvious that greed is the one and only motivating factor for the industry, I have become emotionally invested in seeing the WGA stick it to the man.
6. Ron D. Moore, who was a staff writer for Deep Space Nine (my favorite sci-fi show of all time until...) and is currently executive producer of Battlestar Galactica (... came along), has taken sides with the writers. And seeing as how I basically think of Mr. Moore as a God, I don't see how I could disagree with him.

Cheers, darlin'

I didn't get laid off. But, there's always next quarter!

I'm impressed

Several things have impressed me this week:

• Ron Paul, or rather, his legions of fans, have raised over $4 million in one day online. More impressive still, that money came from about 35,000 contributors, which averages out to about $115 per contribution. It's like Howard Dean all over again, except this time the candidate really is outside his party's mainstream. Not that that's a bad thing.
• For some reason, I'm rather captivated by the Writers Guild strike in Hollywood. It's kind of interesting to watch a strike play out in an industry that isn't critical to the day-to-day lives of most Americans. Which is not to say that the writers don't have good cause for the strike, and that its not important to them. I think they've got a right to royalties from the booming distribution of telivision and movies via the Internets. So I hope they win. But soon, because I'll be really pissed off if this strike messes with my TV watching. (Actually, the real threat of this strike to us viewers is a greater proliferation of shitty unscripted American reality television.)
• I'm impressed by some of the Ecospot entries, but I already said that. Now I've said it again.
• Al Franken and Mike Cirisi, the two Democrats running against Senator Norm Coleman (R-MN), each recently polled in a statistical dead heat with the incumbent. I'm impressed with both candidates, but moreso with Minnesotans who appear to be wising up to Coleman. I'm sure Paul Wellstone is smiling from his grave.
  

Ecospot

Ever watched Current TV? It's strangely addicting, that viewer-generated content. Anyway, Current TV is holding a little competition (Al Gore might have something to do with it...), in which viewer's are competing to create the best 60 second eco-ad. You can watch the semifinalists and vote for them here. I'm really impressed with the creativity of some of the entries.

I Can't Get Behind That (Special Video Edition!)

I can't get behind Hillary Clinton.