Do not mistake me. I am not on the side of the money in this particular showdown. Who am I kidding? I am never on the side of the money. However, there are times when logic niggles at the back of my brain and makes me think things in stark contrast to what I want to believe. At this time of great need, as the writers are striking, and sunny southern California looks bleak with despair, I believe that there is an impasse and the writers may well be shooting themselves in their collective foots. Yes, there is a whole lot of unfairness alive in the city of fake skylines and inflated breasts, but, sadly, there are really good reasons the writers should accept the meager scraps thrown to them and go back to work.
1. Reality TV. This is no big shocker. The writers themselves know exactly how much of a threat is posed by the reality genre. Reality TV = no writers necessary. The studios already know this. Reality is cheaper to produce and brings in bigger viewership numbers than many of the scripted shows. Quit reminding them of this fact!
2. Your hit shows are going to tank. Question… how long do you think the attention span of the American public is? I’m sorry… what was the question? It’s not long. Something that is a hot new show going into the strike may be forgotten about completely coming out of the strike. This is especially true for shows that are unique and different, like Pushing Daisies. So, when you get a compromise that suits you and you are ready to return to the writers’ room, you may find that people have lost interest and you no longer have a job to go back to.
3. The world is chock full of pinch-hitters. All of the writers with the WGA are on strike and can’t steal your job, you say? There are an awful lot of writers out there who are not members of the WGA, I volley back at you. Call them what you will. Wannabes. Amateurs. As writers, I would hope you have some clever turns of phrase much more interesting than these. The fact is, though, that there are a few extremely talented people waiting in the alley who just haven’t figured out how to make their way into the theater. If you leave the stage door open, they will find their way inside, and, since they are not members of the guild, they are free to accept work and get paid. There are also writers making a living in other countries, who are not subject to the same rules as you. What an excellent opportunity for them to sell their works over here.
4. The viewers don’t support you. It’s not right, but it’s the truth. When you strike, the public gets mad. How can they do that? How can they make us watch reruns like that? How can they put poor defenseless actors out of work? They must be snooty, uppity, unkind people. Remember, you are writers. People think this about you anyway. When you strike, viewers just get angry, whereas, when actors strike, the viewers are right there behind them. You should get paid more, lovely on-screen talent. We love you! You make us swoon!
5. The WGA lower echelon will be forced into retail work. What were the two sticking points of this contract again? Oh yeah. DVD residuals and internet downloads, two things that have absolutely no effect at all on a majority of working writers. So you have been working for the past decade on numerous prime time shows, collecting your fairly decent paycheck per job and putting it away into savings and real estate. This is called a stock-pile, a stock-pile of funds and possessions which can keep you quite comfortable for quite some time. Don’t feel bad about that. You earned it. The guy that just sold his first screenplay though, last year to a small production company for the WGA minimum of right around $56,000 and hasn’t sold anything since, he doesn’t have that kind of a stockpile. He paid his dues to the WGA so that he would be protected, but now he can’t sell anything without reprimand. His money is running out and for no reason that helps him in the end. Let the little guy work, before he has to get a job at the GAP.
