On Strike

My son-in-law was a bit upset this past Sunday because 3 of his favorite television programs were repeats (reruns). Of course, he is blaming the Writers Guild of America (WGA) for this travesty. They are on strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).

I blame the AMPTP. From what I have read the writer’s demands are not that great. They just want a little more piece of the pie. Which in my humble opinion, they justly deserve. Many of these writers live off of residuals when they are not working. Unless they are writing for an on-going television series or talk show, they rely on this income to carry them through the lean times.

The writers see the “Fat Cat Producers” getting richer while they must eke out a living to stay solvent. This is a sad commentary. But it is true in every aspect of our lives. The rich always strive to become richer and keep others where they are (financially). This almost sounds like Karl Marx. And I am not a Marxist.

Although I was a union member (Retail Clerks and Druggist) in the 1960’s, I am basically against unions. Not to say that unions are not a good thing, but when they come to that certain point where they must demand more than what is deserved, just to justify what you’re paying in dues to them, they become a bad thing. However, this is not the current case with the Writers Guild.

One of my son-in-law’s Sunday night favorites is the Family Guy on Fox. I started to watch The Family Guy on a regular basis when I moved here to Nowhereville. I had probably seen 8 to 10 episodes before that time. I didn’t really like this program at first. The concept of a talking baby and a talking dog (who happens to be the most intelligent member of the Griffin family) seemed inane. Plus the animation leaves something to be desired (in the same vein, so did my all-time favorite – Rocky and Bullwinkle). The Family Guy is a good program, and I will enjoy watching the reruns (while the writers are on strike) that I had missed during the past 6 seasons.

The Beach Bum