Reality Bites

I am sick to death of the writers' strike. I like to watch TV, & since I abhor most reality shows, things are not good for me in TV land, & if the strike isn't settled soon, things will get worse & worse. I'd say I could read more, but I already read a lot. Sometimes you just need to stop thinking & veg out in front of the tube. OK, I get it, WGA, you're getting screwed on royalties, or residuals, or DVD sales, or internet content, probably all of it, but enough is enough. For God's sake, get somebody in there to negotiate for you who knows how the other side thinks, like agents, or proven labor negotiators for other unions, or Alec Baldwin (you know what I'm talking about if you read the Huffington Post), or somebody who can shake things up, not just make a point. There are lots & lots of people this strike is affecting, not just writers. All the production & post-production people who work for the scripted shows are out of work, too. You can only expect solidarity so long. When you can't feed your kids, or pay your rent, or go to the doctor if you're sick, then solidarity turns to resentment & anger. Sure, SAG & DGA support you, but these are generally people who make a lot more money than the others I've mentioned- they can afford it. Obviously, negotiations have not gone well; I don't know if they're still broken off or not, but just saying that you're right & the other side are souless money-grubbers is not working very well, is it? Yes, you're the ones who actually create the shows, but right now, that's just not enough, is it? Maybe before reality TV had such a stranglehold on the public (I guess there's no accounting for taste, or lack of) that was the case, but unfortunately, no longer. I don't know the answer to this dilemma, but I know there are smarter people than me out there who do. It's time for them to do something.

On another note, is anybody else out there terrified what Bush might or might not do in response to Benazir Bhutto's assassination? What a real tragedy that was, but the response from this inept, ignorant administration could possibly make the repercussions just as tragic. How insane is that, that we need to be afraid that our elected government will do something that could possibly lead to nuclear annihiliation? I really don't think that people are taking this situation as seriously as it should be taken. Pakistan is generally regarded as the most unstable country in the most unstable part of the world, & now this country, already in chaos, could be plunged into civil war, or worse. Maybe if they didn't have nuclear capabilities, things would not be quite as scary, but they do, & anyone not extremely concerned about this is just not paying attention, or a moron. Maybe praying wouldn't hurt, but sometimes I think that God just isn't paying attention anymore, either.

I know that most of the readers of my blog have come to me through Arlan, & I thank her, & you all, very much for giving me the chance to vent my frustrations on a somewhat larger stage than my living room. In spite of all that we have to worry about in the world, & all the problems we've yet to solve, please try to have a Happy New Year. Maybe we can all resolve to each do something to make 2008 a better, safer, & happier year than this one (like electing a Democrat president, for example). See you next year.