Here's a question, and this is an actual question, not me snarking:
Should the WGA be worried about public opinion?
Well, lady, I must say-- You're my kinda stupid.
Mal ,'Heart Of Gold'
The Minearverse 5: Closer to the Earth, Further from the Ax
[NAFDA] "There will be an occasional happy, so that it might be crushed under the boot of the writer." From Zorro to Angel (including Wonderfalls, The Inside and Drive), this is where Buffistas come to anoint themselves in the bloodbath.
Kevin - Dec 03, 2007 7:30:36 am PST #8694 of 10001
Never fall in love with somebody you actually love.
Allyson - Dec 03, 2007 7:34:44 am PST #8695 of 10001
Wait, is this real-world child support, where the money goes to buy food for the kids, or MRA fantasyland child support where the women just buy Ferraris and cocaine? -Jessica
Of course, it's key to winning.
These are publicly traded companies. The public provides the almighty Nielsens.
Why do you think the writers are begging for pencils?
Monique - Dec 03, 2007 7:36:49 am PST #8696 of 10001
No no no. Not begging. They're "channeling positive fan energy."
Get with the lingo ... or do I have to email you to explain why they're doing this?
Allyson - Dec 03, 2007 7:37:39 am PST #8697 of 10001
Wait, is this real-world child support, where the money goes to buy food for the kids, or MRA fantasyland child support where the women just buy Ferraris and cocaine? -Jessica
Please no. Not again.
Kevin - Dec 03, 2007 7:41:54 am PST #8698 of 10001
Never fall in love with somebody you actually love.
The only way I can see the WGA using public opinion to influence the ratings though is to actually get people to switch off all programming. Which they might have been doing, but I've missed it if they have. I don't think that's gonna happen, though.
Allyson - Dec 03, 2007 7:44:13 am PST #8699 of 10001
Wait, is this real-world child support, where the money goes to buy food for the kids, or MRA fantasyland child support where the women just buy Ferraris and cocaine? -Jessica
I don't understand.
Allyson - Dec 03, 2007 7:51:23 am PST #8700 of 10001
Wait, is this real-world child support, where the money goes to buy food for the kids, or MRA fantasyland child support where the women just buy Ferraris and cocaine? -Jessica
Maybe I wasn't clear. Public opinion is important to the corporations. I mean they have to appear to be really super duper disgusting to the the public to reach the care threshhold.
But they don't. It's an incredibly easy spin to blame greedy writers. It's more complex to explain that it's ridciulousness on behalf of the corp.
Topic!Cindy - Dec 03, 2007 8:17:47 am PST #8701 of 10001
What is even happening?
I agree. I also think the Tonight Show staff was fired, not because NBC is in a panic, but to influence public opinion, i.e. "Look what the greedy writers have made us do!"
victor infante - Dec 03, 2007 8:26:54 am PST #8702 of 10001
To understand what happened at the diner, we shall use Mr. Papaya! This is upsetting because he's the friendliest of fruits.
I agree. I also think the Tonight Show staff was fired, not because NBC is in a panic, but to influence public opinion, i.e. "Look what the greedy writers have made us do!"
But frankly, this hasn't happened. I don't sense people buying the "greedy writers" meme anywhere in any great numbers, and the various polls all seem to bear me out on this.
JZ - Dec 03, 2007 8:26:59 am PST #8703 of 10001
See? I gave everybody here an opportunity to tell me what a bad person I am and nobody did, because I fuckin' rule.
I do think public opinion, public support, matters hugely. I don't know that there's been a successful strike in practically ever where it didn't matter.
I may have already asked this, but is there an organized letter-writing campaign under way? To specific studio heads or network heads or big advertisers? I wrote a shitload of letters during the actors' strike and I was shocked at how many at least semi-personal responses I got, especially from advertisers, full of "The issues are of course very complex" weasel-words but with an undertone of real worry that they were getting flak not just from the strikers but from fans, that their public images were being tarnished by their unwillingness to back down.
I know there's a postcard drive being run by someone (which I stupidly failed to bookmark), but IME actual letters get a better response. I'd be happy to start cranking them out again if I knew where they should go.