Where’s our 21st Century Teddy Roosevelt? No, it will take a movement, a tsunami of determined people and enforcement of newly elected laws to turn this ocean of greed, amorality and powerlust and its abettors. We’ve already allowed them to manipulate the system on a massive scale.
This is probably the silliest thing that anyone has ever heard. But I think that the whole country should support these workers. One way we can do that is to stay away from all of the movies that have been produced that are out there in theaters coming up real soon. The one that's being advertised real hard right now is Oppenheimer. It's a great movie. I want to see it. But I'm not going anywhere near a theater to see openheimer or anything else for the rest of the summer until the strike is over with.
Thank you. I was looking forward to it, but in this context, I think I'll skip it. One thing I've learned about blockbusters is that they stick around for years. It's all about the opening revenue.
Why would anyone ever say, "...even..." Elizabeth Warren? She is the BEST on your list and, by the way, was/is the professor and mentor to student Katie Porter and Porter credits Elizabeth Warren as her influence. Too many are too willing to marginalize Warren and I suspect that for many that is fear of genuinely smart and honest women and for some it's fear of being separated from their ill-gotten super-wealth.
Oh goodness no! She seems to be partially a corporatist, unlike the others I mentioned.
That said, I ABSOLUTELY would have trampled people to vote Biden-Warren or vice versa. She would have made a spectacular vice president, not so much inexperienced, kinda' dim Kamala.
What evidence do you have that she "seems to be partially a corporatist"? I don't think she is anti-business but she is a fighter for fairness and honesty and she is anti-monopoly.
She originated the idea and the fact of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to give American consumers a good resource for financial fairness. She and the CFPB were almost immediately confronted with opposition and obstacles from every "corporatist," banker, Wall Street and their like. She also met with strong opposition from JOE BIDEN (Delaware=banking, finance, corporate interests) and President Obama. She was sidelined by the Clintons and their DNC. So I ask you: what exactly do Democrats stand for and what values and principles do they represent?
It isn't my intention to "rant for" Elizabeth Warren, but I do think she has gotten poor treatment from the Democratic Party establishment and that "side" of the Democratic Party, the "establishment," is not all that different from Republicans, at least pre-Trump Republicans before they became outright No-Shame-Fascists.
To any extent that she is a "corporatist" it is because the Democratic Party establishment, the DNC, is.
Challenge is to get people to Look Up, the kind of movie we need to support, produce more of same. Hollywood Labor needs to also negotiate about the content of what Hollywood Capital pushes.
Pardon the morbidity, but some "babies" DESERVE to drown in this case. OUR government is SEVERLY broken and tip-toeing is not going to work, despite President Biden's remarkable progress.
Can we just acknowledge that there is no such thing as a perfect human being? And if we can acknowledge that fact, then can we acknowledge that some imperfect humans have done some marvelous things that have had great positive impact on our country, on people, on the environment, etc.?
It is one thing to say, for example, that Thomas Jefferson or George Washington had flaws, did things that we know to be wrong, but the brilliant work they did, the brave and world-transforming things they wrote and developed, don't negate the bad, but taking the long view of history, outweighs the bad? What things are any of us doing, particularly our designated "leaders," now that future humans will consider terrible things?
You can't know my level of sincerity when I say, with complete honesty, that I hate, despise how women have been treated (and ARE still being treated) and that there was (and is STILL) the cruel practice of slavery, but I am very grateful that there was a time when minds like Jefferson's and spirits like Washington's existed and they left us with this place - and I think with great sadness that we have proven unworthy.
It sounds to me as though we have read pretty different versions of US history. If we are talking about the consequences of the actions of leaders, then we can see that the despicable Richard Nixon did in fact sign the legislation creating the Environmental Protection Agency. That agency, my ex-employer, is very useful in some ways. And Nixon implemented an affirmative action hiring plan for government contractors, and expanded the reach of the Voting Rights Act. But if we are clear-eyed, in viewing the result of Nixon's administration, what do we see? Nixon believed that "forced integration of housing or education" was just as improper as legal segregation, and he took a strong public stance against it. Do you remember Kent State? Do you remember Nixon's prosecution of the Chicago Seven? Do you remember when you learned that it was that evil incarnate still alive Henry Kissinger who on behalf of candidate Nixon screwed up the Paris Peace Talks so that the War in Vietnam would continue until Nixon's election? And how do we think about Woodrow Wilson's League of Nations when he told Clemenceau at Versailles that the United States would absolutely not give up its colonies? Can we see the world-damaging results of that policy (immiseration of Germany and World War II)? I used to go down to Thomas Jefferson's grave when my family visited Monticello - as a child, I thought he was an intellectual hero. I thought and still think the Declaration of Independence is my credo. But clear-eyed adult knowledge shows us that Jefferson and Washington were southern slave owners who inherited, bought, sold, and rented enslaved people - and Jefferson's position on slavery led directly to the Civil War - the 3/5 of a person compromise. Jefferson would never have been president without that compromise, and the fact of it allowed the southern slave holders to hold Congress for fifty years. Jefferson received fewer votes than his opponent, Aaron Burr, but he was the popular candidate for the South and made it into the office “on the backs of slaves.” So what we have flowing from Jefferson is a bipolar nation, with two conflicting sets of values that are at war to this day.
You are totally correct, of course, and there are many other examples - an "unholy rich" trove of examples, unfortunately - that support your point(s), and I am not disputing them because they are indisputable. We have not read different histories of America, nor am I being a "cheerleader" for a false history. The history is what it is. We can't change it. We can teach it differently, and should, but I think that within an honest and accurate body of teaching, we don't so thoroughly emphasize the bad and the ugly that we dismiss, discredit, or ignore the good.
I think the glowing mythologizing, jingoism and sloganeering sentimentalizing of American history has done great harm, and one of the ways it has done harm in my view is it not only promulgates lies, but those lies serve to not only deceive, mislead and manipulate, but they taint the actual history which also incorporates the good. My hope is that we can collectively decide to be as honest as the historical"record" allows, but not to trade one falsified history (the all good) for a different false history (the all bad).
What nation's history derives from flawless, "sinless" humans and human behavior? I submit that we're pretty damn good in spite of the bad - and if we are not able to acknowledge the bad without sinking into despair and guilt with no way out, we will be doomed to the destruction of even the possibility of rising above our worst "selves."
Nobody, not in the collective societal sense nor on an individual basis, wants to feel bad all the time, wants to feel guilty for things they did not even do but are made to feel responsible for. "We" don't want to feel that our origins are nothing but the bad and the ugly and in a human need to feel better, that need can make a demagogue, a lying charlatan like Trump (or Reagan or Nixon or Clinton or Bush...) appealing and lead to the formation of cults and deeper factions and wars. Our nation's history is neither all bad nor all good and is rich with both good and bad. It's like humankind.
And it was the late Christopher Hitchens who named Henry Kissinger a war criminal,but who also detested "Mother Teresa" and Bill and Hillary Clinton and other charlatans who deceive others for their own agendas or self- interest.
"The truth will set us free. Democracy dies in darkness. Tell the truth and don't be afraid. You can't handle the truth...." and probably a million other notions of "the truth" while, the fact is, there are as many different versions of "the truth." America and it's history is not all good, you are correct, but it is not all bad either and in the history of human establishment of nation-states, it is pretty good, could be a lot better, would be magnificent if our reality meshed with our myths, and can be great if we can progress to that, warts and all on ALL of us.
Rigged system? Who knew? Former Manhattan Asst DA, former Law & Order writer/producer, here. Came up in the golden age of TV: 22, sometimes 24 eps per year; summer re-run residuals; lifetime healthcare; first class travel; expense accounts…. I picket with kids who’ve never seen a $100k residual check, or even heard of one. Have never written 22 eps in a year, and can never afford a house in LA. Have never worked 48-50 weeks while fully compensated. The system is indeed rigged.
Them is me. Lifetime member of the WGA. 30 years of coffee and fun, er, hard work and toil!
Honorary member of the Steel Workers Union, too. And the WGA will be marching with the UPS drivers, as well.
As the Strawbs sang, “Ya don’t git me I’m part of the union…til the day I die….” (OK, for accuracy, it was an anti-union theme, but the lyrics superficially seemed pro-union).
I am semi-retired. Had a fabulous time during the golden years of network tv, but I march with the Guild to support the kids who are struggling. As a former Brooklyn Boy, I much prefer the tough assignments where there will be confrontation! I just roll up in my wheelchair and dare the rat bastits to cross the lines! LOL. Best to your child in his or her pursuit of a noble art! They say it all starts with the writer, but I always say, the actor is just the final pencil!
I m glad you got to work during a time that your work was appreciated, valued, and fairly compensated for. CEO’s should not be allowed to make more than 30x what their employees make, These are the people that have allowed their success. I am an INA member and support all union efforts to protect their members, and make the country better and safer for all.
The studios view this as a zero-sum game: that there’s a finite pool of money derived from the revenues from their operations, and that everything they have not already reserved for themselves, meaning their top executives and shareholders belongs to, in the case of writers and actors, “talent” (what’s called in the movie business “above-the-line,” meaning the aforementioned writers, actors and directors because they are considered creators of intellectual property; everybody else, from cinematographers to gaffers, grips, makeup artists and secretaries are “below-the-line,” and considered by the Olympian moguls to be largely interchangeable, replaceable and expendable), is immutable.
If the writers and lower echelon actors want more, up front or in the form residuals, royalties and benefits, then the studios decree it must come from the stars’ share. But, since the studios are loath to offend stars, they simply adopt an ostensibly hands-off, let-them-eat-cake stance, which they hope will goad the rank-and-file to turn on the wealthy stars instead of the studios, who’ve already gamed the system to guarantee their “nut” (as the percentage of box office receipts allocated to neighborhood theaters used to be called). Outside of their own secure bubble, then, the Law of the Jungle rules, as determined by the studios.
As Secretary Reich says, this is merely symptomatic of government of, by and for the rich and corporations.
Consumers like us have no voice in the deliberations, although we are paying the freight. I personally detest about 90% of the content being produced.
The studios and Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta are making a killing. I figure subscriptions and payments to these companies cost me over $1000 per month.
This morning I got notice that Peacock is raising its rates. The main reason we use it is to get Law and Order. Of thousands of NBC programs, apart from the "news", it's the only one we like. We've dumped Netflix .We'll probably dump Peacock, too. My wife is addicted to the Bob Newhart Show or I'd dump Hulu.
True, but sticking to the subject of movies, while was have a choice among the movies producers offer us, we have no say in what those offerings are. While producers try to divine what will entice audiences into cinemas, they will still make whatever it is they want to make without consulting us.
In that, it’s the same with every other consumer product: we get whatever it is we get, though those products that succeed, versus those that shrivel and disappear, are dictated by what the public embraces or refuses to — something not unlike the process of evolution in which Existence runs a figurative conveyor belt, just throwing mutations of existing species or new species against an equally figurative wall: what fits in nicely with what’s already there thrives and becomes a seamless part of that Existence, and what does not fit dies out and goes the way of the Cro Magnon and passenger pigeon.
Re movies, I am also "talent." I am asked to be am "executive producer" if I am to have my work filmed, which I consider to be a scam. Looking at screen credits, some movies have dozens of executive producers: actors, directors and others involved in the film. They probably financed their own work.
"Entice audiences into cinemas." IMHO that is a lost cause. Too costly and too inconvenient.
Since the studios also own the the theaters and the platforms for streaming it is almost, if not impossible, to give the money you spend for entertainment to these big corporations. It sounds a lot like a monopoly to me. There should be a way to break these up. To serve the public and the employees who create the content we pay for better.
There is, enforce the anti-trust and anti-monopoly laws of the late nineteenth, early twentieth century. But, good grief, there would go the billions of dollars (bribery) we receive in our PACs, campaign funds, vacations, box office tickets, fancy dinners. Sorry Fred, you're asking too much of the Congress as it exists today.
Ours is a nonpartisan, nonviolent & non-exploitative #RevolutionOfAwareness for #FreeingTruthAndReconciliation (ref. Bollyn.com, John 8:32, & #NelsonMandela, respectively). THE current “situational awareness” of greatest & lasting import is #WeThePeople’s propagandistically MANagerially MANipulated & MARshalled
subjugation to the #Orwellian & #Huxleyan #nefariousNewWorldOrder’s totalitarianism.
#TheRotsAtTheTop and ever greater numbers of us are awakening to the fact fascism IS the enmeshed collusion of corrupt Big Corporations and Big bureaucratic brothel-like Governments.
Imperialism is passé. The pernicious #PowersThatBe promote egregiously wasteful, but to them highly profitable “perpetual war” to keep their gravy train of greed rolling while a larger & larger percentage of #weThePeople fall into penury.
There’s no “quick fix” to our “best of times AND worst of times” CONNEDdition, but we “free thinkers” should at least agree #WarIsNotTheAnswer.
I have a fire stick and only subscribe to STARZ for Outlander 😁. Will cancel after season 8 is done. I got a 99¢ /mo promo price for 3 mos. I also give $60/yr for PBS Passport. That is more than enough content for me. I got the weeklong free AMC+ promo and binge watched Happy Valley.
Apparently,the Republicans want to give all of PBS the ax, so I do think supporting them is not feeding the Hollywood machine. I've been griping about the News Hour, and it's becoming clear to me they are trying to mollify some of their critics with a more "fair and balanced"approach.
It will be a big deal when corporations find a way to control firestick. How change the format, a streamed shutoff. Don't get sucked in or fooled they're steering you the direction they wish.
There's an amazing amount of free content out there. Amazon has FreeVee which is like old school television...you have to watch commercials. Kanopy is a free movie service that you can access via your library card (!!!) plus it's got content that you can't find on HBO, Netflix, etc. I've been bingeing Gerard Depardieu movies recently. ABC, CBS and NBC can be streamed free ober some services and if you donate to your local PBS station you can stream the live broadcast as well as access on demand via PBS Passport. The less interested you are in mainstream TV and movies, the easier it is to cut the cord.
It is an evolutionary based problem... evolution in both biological and cultural (in this case, the culture of movie making) terms. And, yes, the Law of the (Evolutionary) Jungle rules. And, what is that, exactly? Well, self-interest only crashes the system. Other-interest, too much attention to it, also crashes the system. So, what is the solution? Well, simple, really, the system needs to "crack the nut" and work at walking in the shoes (empathizing-with) both the above-and-below line people. Ultimately it is about empathy-with going every direction, and focusing on the balance in a joint self & other-interest that works for everyone. That balance is based on the facts of the situation (like the role of AI) ... and, ethics are key. That balance must be based in sufficient reason, pragmatism, that which works for everyone, not just the holders of the "nut."
When we see Supreme court judges get 'bought' by billionaires, is it any surprise that the 'entertainment' industry is dominated by wealthy CEO's? The antitrust laws are not being enforced. I wonder how any judges are 'persuaded' to be 'reluctant' to enforce these laws?
The inequities suffered by the writers and actors that give us the entertainment we all enjoy so much are being overshadowed by the turmoil surrounding the 2024 presidential race. Nikki Haley has suggested that President Biden should undergo a competency test to prove his ability to lead. Let's go one better, add a lie detector test and administer it to Trump as well. It would be very interesting to see how he really perceives the results of the 2020 election and all the other crap he is embroiled in. Miss Haley just might have a good idea, probably her first. What is good for the goose is also good for the gander. Give the writers what they deserve, a living wage.
NH suggests that this obviously competent man undergo competency tests because of what? He has demonstrated great competence annd statemanship from the beginning of his term.
Plus, he can say person, woman, man, camera, TV far far FAR more "strongly & bigly" than his criminal predecessor!
Adam--Well said and from everything we can see President Biden has demonstrated nothing but excellence in his job performance. That would be a stretch of the imagination for Trump who was good at nothing. Well, he was quite adapt at lying.
Paul: “lie detector” is a misnomer, and they don’t work reliably enough to be admissible in court. They detect discomfort or other physiological changes that most normal people feel when lying. Someone who lies as easily as they breathe (or anyone trained to defeat them) could sail through without notice.
The inequities suffered by the writers and actors that give us the entertainment we all enjoy so much are being overshadowed by the turmoil surrounding the 2024 presidential race. Nikki Haley has suggested that President Biden should undergo a competency test to prove his ability to lead. Let's go one better, add a lie detector test and administer it to Trump as well. It would be very interesting to see how he really perceives the results of the 2020 election and all the other crap he is embroiled in. Miss Haley just might have a good idea, probably her first. What is good for the goose is also good for the gander. Give the writers what they deserve, a living wage.
Donald, Trump is a psycho or socio path. He could pass as lie detector test in his sleep. Once those specious words leave his mouth they are the absolute truth and he'll stick with it until he utters a contradictory lie, then he'll tell you you never heard that first lie because he didn't say it. If you show him a video tape he'll call it fake. Nikki Haley has all the brains of a Barbie Doll. Joe Biden could pass any competency test they care to give, Could Ted Cruz?
Fay--Trump doesn't possess the intelligence to pass that test. Once strpped in that chair with all those electrodes attached him there is no way he has the ability to evade the science that will open the world hidden by his lies.
Possibly, Donald. But I had a sociopathic stepson, who could and did pass a lie detector test, as I said, once the lie dripped from his mouth it was true to him.
Love your comment. But that handsome, slender, jerk in his mirror believes every word he says. He decided he won in August 2020 by a landslide with 99% of the people voting for him - just like Putin. So in his feeble mind, of course he did. This pile of blubber lives in a dream world all his own, where he is a "stable genius" a well loved, benevolent monarch and everyone adores him. And anyone who doesn't should be shot on sight. Those media idiots, like CNN and Fox, play right into his fantasy.
Fay--When I took criminology in college we discussed at length the type of mental prolis that could beat a lie detector test and Trump doesn't possess the mind necessary to do that. His ego and his temper would trip him up somewhere along the line.
Trump's WH legal advisor says "It isn't illegal to be crazy" in defense of the former President's actions. I completely agree with his thinking but when the craziness causes an individual to act in an illegal manner society is forced to take action. No one is above the law, crazy or not. May Mailman, who heads "RITE," an organization that is attempting to restore integrity to our elections, says 56% of all Republicans no longer trust the DOJ and the FBI. That thought is in line with the percentage of that party who blindly still follow Donald Trump. It's sad that those people cling to the misconception that Trump in all his glory had the 2020 election stolen from him by factions within our government that wanted to remove him from power. The movement wasn't from within our government it came from our population itself. The people were sick and tired of his childish antics and hateful rhetoric. Trump is a low-class person trying to hold on to a high-class image. Someone please throw a bucket of water on this man, let's see if Dorthy's accident is worthy of repeating itself. It really doesn't matter how the other side views the efforts of the DOJ, distasteful or not when the law is broken society is forced to take steps in order to maintain its rectitude. To step aside for Trump and excuse his behavior would degrade the rule of law this country functions under. The DOJ is doing what Trump has forced them to do, like it or not the 56% that find it difficult to see the truth will have to settle for the "dunce hat" if it fits.
Giving what a writer deserves, a living wage ... well, that requires empathy-with the writers. Actors and movie company owners, CEOs, have any empathy? Or, do actors, owners, and CEOs run only on ego? If so, well, this strike could go on a very long time.
This takeover by the top management/ownership class is happening everywhere & at all levels - example : I just had some plumbing work done - estimate for the job was $1400 - "that is high" I thought, but then I had not had any such work done for several years so assumed it was my not keeping up with recent price rises in such things. Job was 'completed' & bill paid, and then 2 days later I suddenly realized I still had a leak within the area of said 'completion' - I called up the company - plumber came, found the problem & fixed it - then tried to give me a bill for another $300 !!! I screamed at him - he 'called the boss' & it was finally agreed 'no charge'. What transpired was that it was a manager guy sitting in an office doing the 'charging' - I explained to plumber I was supportive of him, but furious that his work had to be 'managed' by somebody who's job was merely to get as much out of me as possible, and sorry that he was not available as a working plumbing business of his own - why should I be paying for his manager's salary (what % of my bill was for HIS salary?) when said manager likely only sits in a chair all day & contributes nothing to the plumbing work at all ?
Yep, I just had a similar situation recently. Had a major leak from a shower upstairs through the downstairs kitchen. Got a guy in to give me a quote and stupidly assumed he was the one doing the work. Wrong, he's just the owner who then had me dealing with a manager and all of the work was performed by various subcontractors.
But that's exactly why the leak happened in the first place. It was a fairly new home and I found out several other homes in my neighborhood had the EXACT same problem. It was caused when the builder subcontracted someone to install all the showers who literally failed to install a shower pan under the tile. Our showers were all just ticking time bombs. But the builder is long gone and can no longer be held accountable. And even in the rare instances they are still around to sue, they just file bankrupt and then pop up the next day under a new business name.
The regulators in Georgia, where it happened, have been so deregulated under decades of Republican rule that they don't have any ability or care to do anything about it.
And the insurance company took months to pay for the repairs, citing that they were too backlogged due to the overwhelming number of claims in Georgia (gee, I wonder why so many claims, hmm?).
And the kicker, all of that happened just after we listed our house for sale, right before we moved out of the country because Georgia isn't safe for queer and trans families. Having that level of damage has prevented us from getting any reasonable offers on the house for months, and so I had to arrange to stop making payments for awhile, which tanked my credit. Payments come due again next month and we're still struggling to sell our house, even now that the repairs have been completed. I am almost certainly going to have to file bankrupt now, too, because I lost my job nearly two months ago, and have been struggling to find work in no small part because I got banned by the Big Tech monopoly LinkedIn, which is a whole 'nother story (that I've written about here on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/jdgoulet/p/how-linkedin-kicked-me-into-poverty?r=10bxpq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web).
The American Dream is a lie. Even for people like me who technically had a pretty decent income for a little while, the instability and precarity capitalism orchestrates out of necessity has me now worrying about becoming homeless in a foreign country, and maybe even deported. I'd rather die than end up back in the U.S. again.
Literally every person who has to work to keep a roof over their heads should be striking and revolting.
Everything in the US has been downhill since about 1981 & Americans out there in the hinterland do not seem to have realized that fact. How can people who make minimum wage or are basically destitute vote Republican - what on earth is their thinking ? Reason is simple - they have been brainwashed into blaming all their life's problems on 'those others' - assuming that Republicans are just in 'wait' mode until 'their guy' gets full control then everything will change to their benefit ! Huh ? Corporations have no intention of giving away any of their profits to the little guys they are running rings around ! And if ever the trump ambition becomes reality then forget ANY talk of 'rights' - you have basically ZERO of those - you are merely fodder for trump's glorious dictatorship - the new American Dream ! How stupid can Americans be ?
I sort of agree, Laurie, the system is corrupt, but when the "victims" keep voting for the same hogwash they certainly are contributing to the problem, not the solution.
I am firmly of the opinion the whole of the American South is where the rule of law goes to die. It's government bodies and businesses are almost entirely run by fraudsters and charlatans. It's a feedback
loop of corruption. A survival of the most immoral death spiral.
Lol. That's basically the gist of the letter I got back from Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr when I filed a complaint with a regulatory body under his watch when I was trying to get help dealing with a dishonest medical doctor committing fraud against health insurance companies and the patients he lied to. The letter basically read that the agency had no authority to intervene in the matter and they had faith that businesses will do the right thing, and if they don't, my only recourse was to hire an attorney. I was floored. A couple of years later, the claims against that doctor were still mounting and eventually he sold his business and retired early. No justice.
As a member of SAG/AFTRA since 1979 I fervently hope that you will all support us in this strike. As Robert Reich so vividly points out it is a paradigm of what is happening in the world today and we must stop it!
Professor Reich is only putting a finer point on what was clear across the street from The Goldman School 20 years ago, i.e. that technology can enable a revolution - but it can't keep people from choosing to be the worst of themselves!
Of course corporations are not people. My point is that corporations abuse technology a lot more than "people" I'm just making your statement more precise. Most all egregious abuses of technology have been by corporations. All the "choosing" of technology is made by corporations. Surveillance capitalism was created by corporations, not 'people.".
Yes, understood - but in being facetious the idea is to illuminate a blind spot: corporations, in and of themselves, have no agency; it is only through the actions of the people who constitute the corporation & its interests that harm is done (hence calls for 'ESG' & "stakeholder capitalism").
Should it really seem possible that corporations have originated (rather than simply commercialized) capacities which researchers identified almost a generation ago?
Yes, corporations are made of individuals. The individuals at the top who conspire to engage in illegal activities and reckless actions should be held criminally accountable.
Laurie, that is their top priority and they purchased Mitch McConnell to make it top priority for the court system and if that doesn't frighten you, nothing will.
Add to that, the mission of the Republican party to establish a Christian illiberal nation, and we're going to be cooked. No mention at all of the consequences for this concentration of wealth and power for climate change.
What happened to truly conservative bankers? Careful philanthropy? Stewardship? We have an embarrassment of slumlords ruling the planet. Who now own the highest court in our land! In ' the richest nation in the world' !!!?? The 'land of the free and home of the brave!??'. Our planet is overheating at the moment, and there is no 'doctor' to call! They take food for granted while they force women to bear children they cannot house or feed. Idiots!!!!
"What fools these mortals be..." But Nature bats last and a burning/flooding/thirsty/starving planet will find prince and pauper. The rich fools may imagine that gates and mountaintops and yachts and rocket-ships will protect them and paupers may think that wiles and street-smarts and hard-life adaptability will protect them, but Nature always bats last.
At this juncture where the American experiment is threatened by authoritarian rejection of democracy we need to put on a sober face and pragmatically deal with our nation's problems. If we do that and hold down a job we don't have time for entertainment or wallowing in internet fantasy. We don't NEED the entertainment industry. We NEED antitrust legislation and windfall profit taxes so we can afford to live, and we need to stay focused on serious objectives.
Someone has convinced the American Public that going to the movies is great stress relief, and Movie Stars are important because they promote fantasy life. Escapism is a huge industry, and why not? Despite the fact that Americans are spoiled rotten, we portend we are desperate for relief from the highly stressful life of Capitalism, living in the land of plenty, chasing the all-mighty $, so we believe them. We believe we need to escape. Rather than putting down our phones and going for a walk, or taking our kids to the playground, we park ourselves in front of a screen. It's easy, right? Just sit down in a comfy chair and get out of your head for a couple hours.
A thought experiment: what if we got rid of money? What if everyone does what he/she wants without having to worry about paying rent...as long as his/her choice adds value to the society? What would you do if you were free to pursue your heart's desire? Personally, I would like to teach. Imagine the quality of arts including music and movies if money wasn't a factor. There certainly wouldn't be these bloodsuckers that try to influence how we govern ourselves. Unfortunately, with the human race being what it is, I fear we are doomed. We're too greedy and too selfish to care about others. Even if we add rules and create new laws to prevent this type of disparity in Hollywood (or in any industry for that matter), people will find a way to get around those rules. I think it's time for the animals and plants to take over what was once a beautiful planet. We've done enough damage.
“What would you do if you were free to pursue your heart's desire?” This is actually a paraphrase of one of my own favorite ice breakers when meeting new clients/ people (I’m an artist) I love hearing their replies. My answer normally is something along the lines of what I’m already doing, create art and inspire others. Most say they’d love to travel. When I ask them what is stopping them, it’s always “money” and the need to be able to make ends meet.
I always think about how we live on this amazing planet that literally grows food and provides for us, yet we are all so busy focused on credit scores and politics… somewhere along the way things got severely messed up. It’s sad really. I stand with the writers and actors, even if that means we have to wait for our favorite shows and movies… especially as I see AI creeping into the visual arts as well. We are in uncharted times.
Perhaps we're so focused on credit scores and politics because things are so messed up? For example, Ms Jane just wants to be a teacher. However, to get an education she has to take out student loans. This causes her credit score to go down. When she gets out, she doesn't make much and uses her credit card to pay medical bills. Her credit score goes down again. Some bills were major and didn't get paid. Her credit score takes another hit.
Then Jane gets a cheap car to go to work. But because she lives in a certain zip code and she doesn't have the best credit score, she pays more for auto insurance, despite her perfect driving record and beater of a car.
At this point Jane, and it could be ME, cannot qualify for a home loan so we're stuck throwing away $15-20k a year on rent rather than building home equity.
So while we'd like to travel, we have to pay attention to credit scores and politics because "the system" has failed and we're in survival mode.
The working poor cannot afford higher education without loans. Health care is very expensive, mostly due to insurance companies taking roughly 20% of all health care spending (That's roughly a TRILLION dollars a YEAR.) These two necessities, higher education and health care, often cause debt and lower credit scores which keep us from owning a home and getting ahead.
This is not a "what comes first, the chicken or the egg," because the messed up system definitely came first for Jane and I, and others from the working class.
I think the story of “Jane” is just all too common sadly, and it’s difficult to find some sort of meaning or purpose in life when we are all worn down from trying to make ends meet. I found some solace from reading Aaron Glantz’s book Homewreckers. At least it was nice to see just how screwed up the system is.
I wholeheartedly agree with your Jane scenario. As someone who is self-employed, the goal posts keep moving for us. Every time we are in a position to buy a home there’s more hurdles to jump through. The system is absolutely broken. It’s hard to not feel disenfranchised.
The base problem with this premise is that the people who own all the money, won't ever let it happen. The little people cannot know their own collective power until they join forces against the Giants. And that won't happen when the Giants are controlling the information and influencing the belief systems of the proletariat society. Trump proved how easily fears can can be harnessed to promote violence, to create infighting, to throw the focus off the big picture so the rich and powerful maintain their status. Too many people want to believe their Enemy is their neighbor,, because it feels more manageable, when in fact, the Enemy is the Power Hungry Beast.
If Congress won’t act and not enough people can figure things out and who they need to vote for, there seems no way out except the externality of a collapse. The system is set an auto pilot, more or less, and the mountain is dead ahead. One of the remarkable things is how so much of the public has turned against or chosen to ignore science. Meaning lack of trust in those who are vested with the authority of science .soon we will see parades of self flagellation or like insanity
Invisible hand cannot see the mountain is dead ahead. Only the visible hand ---actively engaged with the other, in finding that which the other can go along with --- keeps one from running head on into the side of the mountain.
"We're too greedy and too selfish to care about others." Yes, that is the crux ... and it is primal, in the core of our reptilian brain! Actually, people are fundamentally too greedy and too selfish to care about even the own-self (as ego-based greed destroys same). So, only hope: Nudge empathy.
Still and all, there seems to be more union activity ongoing, Starbucks, a possible (likely?) UPS strike amongst others. There's real rage out there for working conditions vs. the CEOs, So maybe union membershiip will begin to rise. Let us hope.
Labor unions (as long as they do not become too greedy, too excessive) are key to offsetting the currently absurd, extreme greed of current CEOs and shareholders. It is time to re-balance, toward that which reasoned people can go along with.
Most of these mega corporations provide products that we want, not need. Cancel your subscriptions today and maybe the big boys will listen. I cancelled my Netflix account today and suspended my Facebook. Maybe I'll go for a walk instead
Where’s our 21st Century Teddy Roosevelt? No, it will take a movement, a tsunami of determined people and enforcement of newly elected laws to turn this ocean of greed, amorality and powerlust and its abettors. We’ve already allowed them to manipulate the system on a massive scale.
This is probably the silliest thing that anyone has ever heard. But I think that the whole country should support these workers. One way we can do that is to stay away from all of the movies that have been produced that are out there in theaters coming up real soon. The one that's being advertised real hard right now is Oppenheimer. It's a great movie. I want to see it. But I'm not going anywhere near a theater to see openheimer or anything else for the rest of the summer until the strike is over with.
Nothing silly about that. I agree with you 100%.
Thank you. I was looking forward to it, but in this context, I think I'll skip it. One thing I've learned about blockbusters is that they stick around for years. It's all about the opening revenue.
Your loyalty is appreciated!
1) Senator Bernie Sanders. 2) Representative Katie Porter. 3) AOC. 4) Even Elizabeth Warren!
Why would anyone ever say, "...even..." Elizabeth Warren? She is the BEST on your list and, by the way, was/is the professor and mentor to student Katie Porter and Porter credits Elizabeth Warren as her influence. Too many are too willing to marginalize Warren and I suspect that for many that is fear of genuinely smart and honest women and for some it's fear of being separated from their ill-gotten super-wealth.
Oh goodness no! She seems to be partially a corporatist, unlike the others I mentioned.
That said, I ABSOLUTELY would have trampled people to vote Biden-Warren or vice versa. She would have made a spectacular vice president, not so much inexperienced, kinda' dim Kamala.
What evidence do you have that she "seems to be partially a corporatist"? I don't think she is anti-business but she is a fighter for fairness and honesty and she is anti-monopoly.
She originated the idea and the fact of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) to give American consumers a good resource for financial fairness. She and the CFPB were almost immediately confronted with opposition and obstacles from every "corporatist," banker, Wall Street and their like. She also met with strong opposition from JOE BIDEN (Delaware=banking, finance, corporate interests) and President Obama. She was sidelined by the Clintons and their DNC. So I ask you: what exactly do Democrats stand for and what values and principles do they represent?
It isn't my intention to "rant for" Elizabeth Warren, but I do think she has gotten poor treatment from the Democratic Party establishment and that "side" of the Democratic Party, the "establishment," is not all that different from Republicans, at least pre-Trump Republicans before they became outright No-Shame-Fascists.
To any extent that she is a "corporatist" it is because the Democratic Party establishment, the DNC, is.
There is no evidence. She is on the side of average Americans. I think some people just don't like her candid assessments. She holds no punches!
Vote BLUE!
Or die in the way we are…
…leaving nothing in our wake for those to come after us. We must require courage of ourselves.
Newly created laws, that’s what I meant to say!
bayjh- you can modify your original post if you wish. Click on the dots...
I did that but, still nada! I appreciate your advice.
Hmm, it worked for me before. Perhaps it is time-limited for editing??
It has updated on my Substack but it didn’t carry over to Dr. Reich’s comment window.
It doesn’t seem to update tho…
TR was a racist, and stated that white women should make lots of babies to populate the nation.
Yeah true. But Martha how many of 'our heroes' weren't either misogynists or racists/slaveowners or both? Kinda rare to find one, sad to say.
Whose heroes? Let's look at heroes. And heroines. In this hemisphere. From 1610. Ready? Let's go. Pocahontas. Massaoit. And there's this list. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Native_American_firstsThen let's go to Black people, and here is another list: https://6abc.com/black-history-month-notable-african-americans-most-influential-famous-people/12781596/ and are you sure you want to go on?
He certainly had a lot of flaws by today’s evolved values but he did bust the trusts!
Don't throw the babies out with the bathwater!
Don't walk through life with blinders on. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/04/climate/climate-change-ipcc-un.html?campaign_id=54&emc=edit_clim_20230711&instance_id=97275&nl=climate-forward®i_id=21979427&segment_id=139040&te=1&user_id=fc5a5feccefed441688c186866dcef86
Imagine if the Supreme Court, Florida, and republican thugs hadn’t stolen the election from Al Gore?
Challenge is to get people to Look Up, the kind of movie we need to support, produce more of same. Hollywood Labor needs to also negotiate about the content of what Hollywood Capital pushes.
AFTRA is not just for the actors, crews are included.
Your Substack looks interesting, I’m going to sample it and hope it’s not over my head!
Pardon the morbidity, but some "babies" DESERVE to drown in this case. OUR government is SEVERLY broken and tip-toeing is not going to work, despite President Biden's remarkable progress.
Can we just acknowledge that there is no such thing as a perfect human being? And if we can acknowledge that fact, then can we acknowledge that some imperfect humans have done some marvelous things that have had great positive impact on our country, on people, on the environment, etc.?
It is one thing to say, for example, that Thomas Jefferson or George Washington had flaws, did things that we know to be wrong, but the brilliant work they did, the brave and world-transforming things they wrote and developed, don't negate the bad, but taking the long view of history, outweighs the bad? What things are any of us doing, particularly our designated "leaders," now that future humans will consider terrible things?
You can't know my level of sincerity when I say, with complete honesty, that I hate, despise how women have been treated (and ARE still being treated) and that there was (and is STILL) the cruel practice of slavery, but I am very grateful that there was a time when minds like Jefferson's and spirits like Washington's existed and they left us with this place - and I think with great sadness that we have proven unworthy.
It sounds to me as though we have read pretty different versions of US history. If we are talking about the consequences of the actions of leaders, then we can see that the despicable Richard Nixon did in fact sign the legislation creating the Environmental Protection Agency. That agency, my ex-employer, is very useful in some ways. And Nixon implemented an affirmative action hiring plan for government contractors, and expanded the reach of the Voting Rights Act. But if we are clear-eyed, in viewing the result of Nixon's administration, what do we see? Nixon believed that "forced integration of housing or education" was just as improper as legal segregation, and he took a strong public stance against it. Do you remember Kent State? Do you remember Nixon's prosecution of the Chicago Seven? Do you remember when you learned that it was that evil incarnate still alive Henry Kissinger who on behalf of candidate Nixon screwed up the Paris Peace Talks so that the War in Vietnam would continue until Nixon's election? And how do we think about Woodrow Wilson's League of Nations when he told Clemenceau at Versailles that the United States would absolutely not give up its colonies? Can we see the world-damaging results of that policy (immiseration of Germany and World War II)? I used to go down to Thomas Jefferson's grave when my family visited Monticello - as a child, I thought he was an intellectual hero. I thought and still think the Declaration of Independence is my credo. But clear-eyed adult knowledge shows us that Jefferson and Washington were southern slave owners who inherited, bought, sold, and rented enslaved people - and Jefferson's position on slavery led directly to the Civil War - the 3/5 of a person compromise. Jefferson would never have been president without that compromise, and the fact of it allowed the southern slave holders to hold Congress for fifty years. Jefferson received fewer votes than his opponent, Aaron Burr, but he was the popular candidate for the South and made it into the office “on the backs of slaves.” So what we have flowing from Jefferson is a bipolar nation, with two conflicting sets of values that are at war to this day.
You are totally correct, of course, and there are many other examples - an "unholy rich" trove of examples, unfortunately - that support your point(s), and I am not disputing them because they are indisputable. We have not read different histories of America, nor am I being a "cheerleader" for a false history. The history is what it is. We can't change it. We can teach it differently, and should, but I think that within an honest and accurate body of teaching, we don't so thoroughly emphasize the bad and the ugly that we dismiss, discredit, or ignore the good.
I think the glowing mythologizing, jingoism and sloganeering sentimentalizing of American history has done great harm, and one of the ways it has done harm in my view is it not only promulgates lies, but those lies serve to not only deceive, mislead and manipulate, but they taint the actual history which also incorporates the good. My hope is that we can collectively decide to be as honest as the historical"record" allows, but not to trade one falsified history (the all good) for a different false history (the all bad).
What nation's history derives from flawless, "sinless" humans and human behavior? I submit that we're pretty damn good in spite of the bad - and if we are not able to acknowledge the bad without sinking into despair and guilt with no way out, we will be doomed to the destruction of even the possibility of rising above our worst "selves."
Nobody, not in the collective societal sense nor on an individual basis, wants to feel bad all the time, wants to feel guilty for things they did not even do but are made to feel responsible for. "We" don't want to feel that our origins are nothing but the bad and the ugly and in a human need to feel better, that need can make a demagogue, a lying charlatan like Trump (or Reagan or Nixon or Clinton or Bush...) appealing and lead to the formation of cults and deeper factions and wars. Our nation's history is neither all bad nor all good and is rich with both good and bad. It's like humankind.
And it was the late Christopher Hitchens who named Henry Kissinger a war criminal,but who also detested "Mother Teresa" and Bill and Hillary Clinton and other charlatans who deceive others for their own agendas or self- interest.
"The truth will set us free. Democracy dies in darkness. Tell the truth and don't be afraid. You can't handle the truth...." and probably a million other notions of "the truth" while, the fact is, there are as many different versions of "the truth." America and it's history is not all good, you are correct, but it is not all bad either and in the history of human establishment of nation-states, it is pretty good, could be a lot better, would be magnificent if our reality meshed with our myths, and can be great if we can progress to that, warts and all on ALL of us.
Here he is! FDR-The Real Deal Holyfield:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72LS_10bWLw
We can only hope!
They may learn something!
probably already are...
Rigged system? Who knew? Former Manhattan Asst DA, former Law & Order writer/producer, here. Came up in the golden age of TV: 22, sometimes 24 eps per year; summer re-run residuals; lifetime healthcare; first class travel; expense accounts…. I picket with kids who’ve never seen a $100k residual check, or even heard of one. Have never written 22 eps in a year, and can never afford a house in LA. Have never worked 48-50 weeks while fully compensated. The system is indeed rigged.
Bless you for standing with them.
Them is me. Lifetime member of the WGA. 30 years of coffee and fun, er, hard work and toil!
Honorary member of the Steel Workers Union, too. And the WGA will be marching with the UPS drivers, as well.
As the Strawbs sang, “Ya don’t git me I’m part of the union…til the day I die….” (OK, for accuracy, it was an anti-union theme, but the lyrics superficially seemed pro-union).
I’m the mother of a SAG member. Union scale is one tough way to keep body and soul together. Good luck to you.
I am semi-retired. Had a fabulous time during the golden years of network tv, but I march with the Guild to support the kids who are struggling. As a former Brooklyn Boy, I much prefer the tough assignments where there will be confrontation! I just roll up in my wheelchair and dare the rat bastits to cross the lines! LOL. Best to your child in his or her pursuit of a noble art! They say it all starts with the writer, but I always say, the actor is just the final pencil!
I m glad you got to work during a time that your work was appreciated, valued, and fairly compensated for. CEO’s should not be allowed to make more than 30x what their employees make, These are the people that have allowed their success. I am an INA member and support all union efforts to protect their members, and make the country better and safer for all.
The studios view this as a zero-sum game: that there’s a finite pool of money derived from the revenues from their operations, and that everything they have not already reserved for themselves, meaning their top executives and shareholders belongs to, in the case of writers and actors, “talent” (what’s called in the movie business “above-the-line,” meaning the aforementioned writers, actors and directors because they are considered creators of intellectual property; everybody else, from cinematographers to gaffers, grips, makeup artists and secretaries are “below-the-line,” and considered by the Olympian moguls to be largely interchangeable, replaceable and expendable), is immutable.
If the writers and lower echelon actors want more, up front or in the form residuals, royalties and benefits, then the studios decree it must come from the stars’ share. But, since the studios are loath to offend stars, they simply adopt an ostensibly hands-off, let-them-eat-cake stance, which they hope will goad the rank-and-file to turn on the wealthy stars instead of the studios, who’ve already gamed the system to guarantee their “nut” (as the percentage of box office receipts allocated to neighborhood theaters used to be called). Outside of their own secure bubble, then, the Law of the Jungle rules, as determined by the studios.
As Secretary Reich says, this is merely symptomatic of government of, by and for the rich and corporations.
Consumers like us have no voice in the deliberations, although we are paying the freight. I personally detest about 90% of the content being produced.
The studios and Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta are making a killing. I figure subscriptions and payments to these companies cost me over $1000 per month.
This morning I got notice that Peacock is raising its rates. The main reason we use it is to get Law and Order. Of thousands of NBC programs, apart from the "news", it's the only one we like. We've dumped Netflix .We'll probably dump Peacock, too. My wife is addicted to the Bob Newhart Show or I'd dump Hulu.
My father loved the Bob Newhart Show.
I don't watch TV anymore. Never paid for Cable. About the only thing I watch or listen to now is YouTube, mostly for music, occasionally for politics.
True, but sticking to the subject of movies, while was have a choice among the movies producers offer us, we have no say in what those offerings are. While producers try to divine what will entice audiences into cinemas, they will still make whatever it is they want to make without consulting us.
In that, it’s the same with every other consumer product: we get whatever it is we get, though those products that succeed, versus those that shrivel and disappear, are dictated by what the public embraces or refuses to — something not unlike the process of evolution in which Existence runs a figurative conveyor belt, just throwing mutations of existing species or new species against an equally figurative wall: what fits in nicely with what’s already there thrives and becomes a seamless part of that Existence, and what does not fit dies out and goes the way of the Cro Magnon and passenger pigeon.
Re movies, I am also "talent." I am asked to be am "executive producer" if I am to have my work filmed, which I consider to be a scam. Looking at screen credits, some movies have dozens of executive producers: actors, directors and others involved in the film. They probably financed their own work.
"Entice audiences into cinemas." IMHO that is a lost cause. Too costly and too inconvenient.
Daniel Solomon: to say nothing of the not so long ago mass shootings in theaters that may be coming 'to you'
Since the studios also own the the theaters and the platforms for streaming it is almost, if not impossible, to give the money you spend for entertainment to these big corporations. It sounds a lot like a monopoly to me. There should be a way to break these up. To serve the public and the employees who create the content we pay for better.
There is, enforce the anti-trust and anti-monopoly laws of the late nineteenth, early twentieth century. But, good grief, there would go the billions of dollars (bribery) we receive in our PACs, campaign funds, vacations, box office tickets, fancy dinners. Sorry Fred, you're asking too much of the Congress as it exists today.
Or the future cinder 'planet Earth' .
Ours is a nonpartisan, nonviolent & non-exploitative #RevolutionOfAwareness for #FreeingTruthAndReconciliation (ref. Bollyn.com, John 8:32, & #NelsonMandela, respectively). THE current “situational awareness” of greatest & lasting import is #WeThePeople’s propagandistically MANagerially MANipulated & MARshalled
subjugation to the #Orwellian & #Huxleyan #nefariousNewWorldOrder’s totalitarianism.
#TheRotsAtTheTop and ever greater numbers of us are awakening to the fact fascism IS the enmeshed collusion of corrupt Big Corporations and Big bureaucratic brothel-like Governments.
Imperialism is passé. The pernicious #PowersThatBe promote egregiously wasteful, but to them highly profitable “perpetual war” to keep their gravy train of greed rolling while a larger & larger percentage of #weThePeople fall into penury.
There’s no “quick fix” to our “best of times AND worst of times” CONNEDdition, but we “free thinkers” should at least agree #WarIsNotTheAnswer.
Thanks for Reading.
LewWelge.com
#CREATORS (Conspiracy Realist Educator Activist Truther Organizer Reader Socializer)
We have a fire stick. Don't pay for any service anymore. There's so much to watch that if I miss a certain show it's not a big deal.
I have a fire stick and only subscribe to STARZ for Outlander 😁. Will cancel after season 8 is done. I got a 99¢ /mo promo price for 3 mos. I also give $60/yr for PBS Passport. That is more than enough content for me. I got the weeklong free AMC+ promo and binge watched Happy Valley.
Apparently,the Republicans want to give all of PBS the ax, so I do think supporting them is not feeding the Hollywood machine. I've been griping about the News Hour, and it's becoming clear to me they are trying to mollify some of their critics with a more "fair and balanced"approach.
PBS Passport is excellent.
It will be a big deal when corporations find a way to control firestick. How change the format, a streamed shutoff. Don't get sucked in or fooled they're steering you the direction they wish.
I'm in a condo. Stuck with Infinity/Comcast.
The firestick does require an internet provider, such as Xfinity/Comcast.
Fire stick - that's Amazon - hence Jeff Bezos.
I also have an antenna - it cost about $27 at Target 5 years ago. UHF/VHF.
How do you get around not paying for the apps like NF, HULU, etc., that require a paid subscription for their programming on the F-Stick?
There's an amazing amount of free content out there. Amazon has FreeVee which is like old school television...you have to watch commercials. Kanopy is a free movie service that you can access via your library card (!!!) plus it's got content that you can't find on HBO, Netflix, etc. I've been bingeing Gerard Depardieu movies recently. ABC, CBS and NBC can be streamed free ober some services and if you donate to your local PBS station you can stream the live broadcast as well as access on demand via PBS Passport. The less interested you are in mainstream TV and movies, the easier it is to cut the cord.
WOW! Thanks HB. You've opened up a whole new world for me.
The MSM is horrible. All infomercial, all the time.
It is an evolutionary based problem... evolution in both biological and cultural (in this case, the culture of movie making) terms. And, yes, the Law of the (Evolutionary) Jungle rules. And, what is that, exactly? Well, self-interest only crashes the system. Other-interest, too much attention to it, also crashes the system. So, what is the solution? Well, simple, really, the system needs to "crack the nut" and work at walking in the shoes (empathizing-with) both the above-and-below line people. Ultimately it is about empathy-with going every direction, and focusing on the balance in a joint self & other-interest that works for everyone. That balance is based on the facts of the situation (like the role of AI) ... and, ethics are key. That balance must be based in sufficient reason, pragmatism, that which works for everyone, not just the holders of the "nut."
As ever, leave it to Mr. Reich to put the most salient issues into the most pertinent context.
... but it could just *seem* that way, e.g. if one is a communist.
= )
When we see Supreme court judges get 'bought' by billionaires, is it any surprise that the 'entertainment' industry is dominated by wealthy CEO's? The antitrust laws are not being enforced. I wonder how any judges are 'persuaded' to be 'reluctant' to enforce these laws?
The inequities suffered by the writers and actors that give us the entertainment we all enjoy so much are being overshadowed by the turmoil surrounding the 2024 presidential race. Nikki Haley has suggested that President Biden should undergo a competency test to prove his ability to lead. Let's go one better, add a lie detector test and administer it to Trump as well. It would be very interesting to see how he really perceives the results of the 2020 election and all the other crap he is embroiled in. Miss Haley just might have a good idea, probably her first. What is good for the goose is also good for the gander. Give the writers what they deserve, a living wage.
NH suggests that this obviously competent man undergo competency tests because of what? He has demonstrated great competence annd statemanship from the beginning of his term.
Plus, he can say person, woman, man, camera, TV far far FAR more "strongly & bigly" than his criminal predecessor!
Adam--Well said and from everything we can see President Biden has demonstrated nothing but excellence in his job performance. That would be a stretch of the imagination for Trump who was good at nothing. Well, he was quite adapt at lying.
"Was" and still is! A champion among champions if you will.
Adapt or...
Adam--I was referring to his time while he pretended to be our President.
But of course Donald. I was messing with you about something else. I don't mean to be a pedant because he was quite adept at lying.
Adam-- Considering you were here before me and that chick who had a thing for apples messed things up for us all, I see where you are coming from.
NH is a tRump sycophant, who : if she knows the Constitution, thinks it irrelevant, like her mentor. Ageism is what it is
Oh, indeed! But, it won't be long until her tooth is long! What then? Lol.
The why & wonder of it all is that so many either don't see this or don't care to. There are LOTS of dogs in this here fight.
Hahahahaha! Speaking of which, I was smacking him about the other day. Fool called me a racist and said I was exhibiting the mentality of a victim.
As my Mom taught me, consider the source. With that one, every accusation is indeed a confession.
but do lie detectors work on psychopaths or sociopaths or whatever he is?
Paul: “lie detector” is a misnomer, and they don’t work reliably enough to be admissible in court. They detect discomfort or other physiological changes that most normal people feel when lying. Someone who lies as easily as they breathe (or anyone trained to defeat them) could sail through without notice.
The inequities suffered by the writers and actors that give us the entertainment we all enjoy so much are being overshadowed by the turmoil surrounding the 2024 presidential race. Nikki Haley has suggested that President Biden should undergo a competency test to prove his ability to lead. Let's go one better, add a lie detector test and administer it to Trump as well. It would be very interesting to see how he really perceives the results of the 2020 election and all the other crap he is embroiled in. Miss Haley just might have a good idea, probably her first. What is good for the goose is also good for the gander. Give the writers what they deserve, a living wage.
Donald, Trump is a psycho or socio path. He could pass as lie detector test in his sleep. Once those specious words leave his mouth they are the absolute truth and he'll stick with it until he utters a contradictory lie, then he'll tell you you never heard that first lie because he didn't say it. If you show him a video tape he'll call it fake. Nikki Haley has all the brains of a Barbie Doll. Joe Biden could pass any competency test they care to give, Could Ted Cruz?
Fay--Trump doesn't possess the intelligence to pass that test. Once strpped in that chair with all those electrodes attached him there is no way he has the ability to evade the science that will open the world hidden by his lies.
Possibly, Donald. But I had a sociopathic stepson, who could and did pass a lie detector test, as I said, once the lie dripped from his mouth it was true to him.
Fay--I'm sorry to hear of your stepson, but Trump knows he lost the 2020 election and that idiot couldn't hid that fact from the jerk in the mirror.
Love your comment. But that handsome, slender, jerk in his mirror believes every word he says. He decided he won in August 2020 by a landslide with 99% of the people voting for him - just like Putin. So in his feeble mind, of course he did. This pile of blubber lives in a dream world all his own, where he is a "stable genius" a well loved, benevolent monarch and everyone adores him. And anyone who doesn't should be shot on sight. Those media idiots, like CNN and Fox, play right into his fantasy.
Fay--When I took criminology in college we discussed at length the type of mental prolis that could beat a lie detector test and Trump doesn't possess the mind necessary to do that. His ego and his temper would trip him up somewhere along the line.
Liking your Haley observation: Great idea! Goose and gander, pot calling the kettle black, all those notions.
Meta--NH is a vacuous member of a political party where she is a queen because of her intelligence, others are "Greene" with envy.
Trump's WH legal advisor says "It isn't illegal to be crazy" in defense of the former President's actions. I completely agree with his thinking but when the craziness causes an individual to act in an illegal manner society is forced to take action. No one is above the law, crazy or not. May Mailman, who heads "RITE," an organization that is attempting to restore integrity to our elections, says 56% of all Republicans no longer trust the DOJ and the FBI. That thought is in line with the percentage of that party who blindly still follow Donald Trump. It's sad that those people cling to the misconception that Trump in all his glory had the 2020 election stolen from him by factions within our government that wanted to remove him from power. The movement wasn't from within our government it came from our population itself. The people were sick and tired of his childish antics and hateful rhetoric. Trump is a low-class person trying to hold on to a high-class image. Someone please throw a bucket of water on this man, let's see if Dorthy's accident is worthy of repeating itself. It really doesn't matter how the other side views the efforts of the DOJ, distasteful or not when the law is broken society is forced to take steps in order to maintain its rectitude. To step aside for Trump and excuse his behavior would degrade the rule of law this country functions under. The DOJ is doing what Trump has forced them to do, like it or not the 56% that find it difficult to see the truth will have to settle for the "dunce hat" if it fits.
Giving what a writer deserves, a living wage ... well, that requires empathy-with the writers. Actors and movie company owners, CEOs, have any empathy? Or, do actors, owners, and CEOs run only on ego? If so, well, this strike could go on a very long time.
Meta--The duration isn't important, the results are.
This takeover by the top management/ownership class is happening everywhere & at all levels - example : I just had some plumbing work done - estimate for the job was $1400 - "that is high" I thought, but then I had not had any such work done for several years so assumed it was my not keeping up with recent price rises in such things. Job was 'completed' & bill paid, and then 2 days later I suddenly realized I still had a leak within the area of said 'completion' - I called up the company - plumber came, found the problem & fixed it - then tried to give me a bill for another $300 !!! I screamed at him - he 'called the boss' & it was finally agreed 'no charge'. What transpired was that it was a manager guy sitting in an office doing the 'charging' - I explained to plumber I was supportive of him, but furious that his work had to be 'managed' by somebody who's job was merely to get as much out of me as possible, and sorry that he was not available as a working plumbing business of his own - why should I be paying for his manager's salary (what % of my bill was for HIS salary?) when said manager likely only sits in a chair all day & contributes nothing to the plumbing work at all ?
Yep, I just had a similar situation recently. Had a major leak from a shower upstairs through the downstairs kitchen. Got a guy in to give me a quote and stupidly assumed he was the one doing the work. Wrong, he's just the owner who then had me dealing with a manager and all of the work was performed by various subcontractors.
But that's exactly why the leak happened in the first place. It was a fairly new home and I found out several other homes in my neighborhood had the EXACT same problem. It was caused when the builder subcontracted someone to install all the showers who literally failed to install a shower pan under the tile. Our showers were all just ticking time bombs. But the builder is long gone and can no longer be held accountable. And even in the rare instances they are still around to sue, they just file bankrupt and then pop up the next day under a new business name.
The regulators in Georgia, where it happened, have been so deregulated under decades of Republican rule that they don't have any ability or care to do anything about it.
And the insurance company took months to pay for the repairs, citing that they were too backlogged due to the overwhelming number of claims in Georgia (gee, I wonder why so many claims, hmm?).
And the kicker, all of that happened just after we listed our house for sale, right before we moved out of the country because Georgia isn't safe for queer and trans families. Having that level of damage has prevented us from getting any reasonable offers on the house for months, and so I had to arrange to stop making payments for awhile, which tanked my credit. Payments come due again next month and we're still struggling to sell our house, even now that the repairs have been completed. I am almost certainly going to have to file bankrupt now, too, because I lost my job nearly two months ago, and have been struggling to find work in no small part because I got banned by the Big Tech monopoly LinkedIn, which is a whole 'nother story (that I've written about here on Substack: https://open.substack.com/pub/jdgoulet/p/how-linkedin-kicked-me-into-poverty?r=10bxpq&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web).
The American Dream is a lie. Even for people like me who technically had a pretty decent income for a little while, the instability and precarity capitalism orchestrates out of necessity has me now worrying about becoming homeless in a foreign country, and maybe even deported. I'd rather die than end up back in the U.S. again.
Literally every person who has to work to keep a roof over their heads should be striking and revolting.
Everything in the US has been downhill since about 1981 & Americans out there in the hinterland do not seem to have realized that fact. How can people who make minimum wage or are basically destitute vote Republican - what on earth is their thinking ? Reason is simple - they have been brainwashed into blaming all their life's problems on 'those others' - assuming that Republicans are just in 'wait' mode until 'their guy' gets full control then everything will change to their benefit ! Huh ? Corporations have no intention of giving away any of their profits to the little guys they are running rings around ! And if ever the trump ambition becomes reality then forget ANY talk of 'rights' - you have basically ZERO of those - you are merely fodder for trump's glorious dictatorship - the new American Dream ! How stupid can Americans be ?
vcragain: please don't blame the victims. The system is corrupt.
I sort of agree, Laurie, the system is corrupt, but when the "victims" keep voting for the same hogwash they certainly are contributing to the problem, not the solution.
Fear & anger make people do irrational things...
I totally agree with you vc
Yeah but who needs government , companies will do the right thing. Otherwise they won’t keep their customers and stay in business., blah, blah blah.
I am firmly of the opinion the whole of the American South is where the rule of law goes to die. It's government bodies and businesses are almost entirely run by fraudsters and charlatans. It's a feedback
loop of corruption. A survival of the most immoral death spiral.
Lol. That's basically the gist of the letter I got back from Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr when I filed a complaint with a regulatory body under his watch when I was trying to get help dealing with a dishonest medical doctor committing fraud against health insurance companies and the patients he lied to. The letter basically read that the agency had no authority to intervene in the matter and they had faith that businesses will do the right thing, and if they don't, my only recourse was to hire an attorney. I was floored. A couple of years later, the claims against that doctor were still mounting and eventually he sold his business and retired early. No justice.
As a member of SAG/AFTRA since 1979 I fervently hope that you will all support us in this strike. As Robert Reich so vividly points out it is a paradigm of what is happening in the world today and we must stop it!
Pro union...
Thanks for your support!
Thank you for helping me understand the situation more clearly.
Professor Reich is only putting a finer point on what was clear across the street from The Goldman School 20 years ago, i.e. that technology can enable a revolution - but it can't keep people from choosing to be the worst of themselves!
"...but it can't keep" corporations like google, Uber and Facebook "from choosing to be the worst of themselves."
Corporations aren't people (and those corporations didn't exist 20 years ago).
Of course corporations are not people. My point is that corporations abuse technology a lot more than "people" I'm just making your statement more precise. Most all egregious abuses of technology have been by corporations. All the "choosing" of technology is made by corporations. Surveillance capitalism was created by corporations, not 'people.".
Yes, understood - but in being facetious the idea is to illuminate a blind spot: corporations, in and of themselves, have no agency; it is only through the actions of the people who constitute the corporation & its interests that harm is done (hence calls for 'ESG' & "stakeholder capitalism").
Should it really seem possible that corporations have originated (rather than simply commercialized) capacities which researchers identified almost a generation ago?
Yes, corporations are made of individuals. The individuals at the top who conspire to engage in illegal activities and reckless actions should be held criminally accountable.
Is it even legal to consider 'fairness' or equity anymore in the world of high finance? The 'shareholders' must profit always. It is the top priority?
Laurie, that is their top priority and they purchased Mitch McConnell to make it top priority for the court system and if that doesn't frighten you, nothing will.
Add to that, the mission of the Republican party to establish a Christian illiberal nation, and we're going to be cooked. No mention at all of the consequences for this concentration of wealth and power for climate change.
What happened to truly conservative bankers? Careful philanthropy? Stewardship? We have an embarrassment of slumlords ruling the planet. Who now own the highest court in our land! In ' the richest nation in the world' !!!?? The 'land of the free and home of the brave!??'. Our planet is overheating at the moment, and there is no 'doctor' to call! They take food for granted while they force women to bear children they cannot house or feed. Idiots!!!!
Need more action by the Ghosts, to get the attention, and, then, temper the excesses of the Scroogists!
"What fools these mortals be..." But Nature bats last and a burning/flooding/thirsty/starving planet will find prince and pauper. The rich fools may imagine that gates and mountaintops and yachts and rocket-ships will protect them and paupers may think that wiles and street-smarts and hard-life adaptability will protect them, but Nature always bats last.
At this juncture where the American experiment is threatened by authoritarian rejection of democracy we need to put on a sober face and pragmatically deal with our nation's problems. If we do that and hold down a job we don't have time for entertainment or wallowing in internet fantasy. We don't NEED the entertainment industry. We NEED antitrust legislation and windfall profit taxes so we can afford to live, and we need to stay focused on serious objectives.
Agreed. Indeed.
Someone has convinced the American Public that going to the movies is great stress relief, and Movie Stars are important because they promote fantasy life. Escapism is a huge industry, and why not? Despite the fact that Americans are spoiled rotten, we portend we are desperate for relief from the highly stressful life of Capitalism, living in the land of plenty, chasing the all-mighty $, so we believe them. We believe we need to escape. Rather than putting down our phones and going for a walk, or taking our kids to the playground, we park ourselves in front of a screen. It's easy, right? Just sit down in a comfy chair and get out of your head for a couple hours.
That's what they are counting on...
How would you define a windfall profit and how would you tax it?
Better start like reading books! If Trump gets into office again, those may become hard to find! STOCK UP!!!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8201080-the-master-switch
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2467566.The_Long_Tail
A thought experiment: what if we got rid of money? What if everyone does what he/she wants without having to worry about paying rent...as long as his/her choice adds value to the society? What would you do if you were free to pursue your heart's desire? Personally, I would like to teach. Imagine the quality of arts including music and movies if money wasn't a factor. There certainly wouldn't be these bloodsuckers that try to influence how we govern ourselves. Unfortunately, with the human race being what it is, I fear we are doomed. We're too greedy and too selfish to care about others. Even if we add rules and create new laws to prevent this type of disparity in Hollywood (or in any industry for that matter), people will find a way to get around those rules. I think it's time for the animals and plants to take over what was once a beautiful planet. We've done enough damage.
“What would you do if you were free to pursue your heart's desire?” This is actually a paraphrase of one of my own favorite ice breakers when meeting new clients/ people (I’m an artist) I love hearing their replies. My answer normally is something along the lines of what I’m already doing, create art and inspire others. Most say they’d love to travel. When I ask them what is stopping them, it’s always “money” and the need to be able to make ends meet.
I always think about how we live on this amazing planet that literally grows food and provides for us, yet we are all so busy focused on credit scores and politics… somewhere along the way things got severely messed up. It’s sad really. I stand with the writers and actors, even if that means we have to wait for our favorite shows and movies… especially as I see AI creeping into the visual arts as well. We are in uncharted times.
Perhaps we're so focused on credit scores and politics because things are so messed up? For example, Ms Jane just wants to be a teacher. However, to get an education she has to take out student loans. This causes her credit score to go down. When she gets out, she doesn't make much and uses her credit card to pay medical bills. Her credit score goes down again. Some bills were major and didn't get paid. Her credit score takes another hit.
Then Jane gets a cheap car to go to work. But because she lives in a certain zip code and she doesn't have the best credit score, she pays more for auto insurance, despite her perfect driving record and beater of a car.
At this point Jane, and it could be ME, cannot qualify for a home loan so we're stuck throwing away $15-20k a year on rent rather than building home equity.
So while we'd like to travel, we have to pay attention to credit scores and politics because "the system" has failed and we're in survival mode.
The working poor cannot afford higher education without loans. Health care is very expensive, mostly due to insurance companies taking roughly 20% of all health care spending (That's roughly a TRILLION dollars a YEAR.) These two necessities, higher education and health care, often cause debt and lower credit scores which keep us from owning a home and getting ahead.
This is not a "what comes first, the chicken or the egg," because the messed up system definitely came first for Jane and I, and others from the working class.
I think the story of “Jane” is just all too common sadly, and it’s difficult to find some sort of meaning or purpose in life when we are all worn down from trying to make ends meet. I found some solace from reading Aaron Glantz’s book Homewreckers. At least it was nice to see just how screwed up the system is.
I wholeheartedly agree with your Jane scenario. As someone who is self-employed, the goal posts keep moving for us. Every time we are in a position to buy a home there’s more hurdles to jump through. The system is absolutely broken. It’s hard to not feel disenfranchised.
The base problem with this premise is that the people who own all the money, won't ever let it happen. The little people cannot know their own collective power until they join forces against the Giants. And that won't happen when the Giants are controlling the information and influencing the belief systems of the proletariat society. Trump proved how easily fears can can be harnessed to promote violence, to create infighting, to throw the focus off the big picture so the rich and powerful maintain their status. Too many people want to believe their Enemy is their neighbor,, because it feels more manageable, when in fact, the Enemy is the Power Hungry Beast.
True enough.
If Congress won’t act and not enough people can figure things out and who they need to vote for, there seems no way out except the externality of a collapse. The system is set an auto pilot, more or less, and the mountain is dead ahead. One of the remarkable things is how so much of the public has turned against or chosen to ignore science. Meaning lack of trust in those who are vested with the authority of science .soon we will see parades of self flagellation or like insanity
Invisible hand cannot see the mountain is dead ahead. Only the visible hand ---actively engaged with the other, in finding that which the other can go along with --- keeps one from running head on into the side of the mountain.
"We're too greedy and too selfish to care about others." Yes, that is the crux ... and it is primal, in the core of our reptilian brain! Actually, people are fundamentally too greedy and too selfish to care about even the own-self (as ego-based greed destroys same). So, only hope: Nudge empathy.
Still and all, there seems to be more union activity ongoing, Starbucks, a possible (likely?) UPS strike amongst others. There's real rage out there for working conditions vs. the CEOs, So maybe union membershiip will begin to rise. Let us hope.
Labor unions (as long as they do not become too greedy, too excessive) are key to offsetting the currently absurd, extreme greed of current CEOs and shareholders. It is time to re-balance, toward that which reasoned people can go along with.
Most of these mega corporations provide products that we want, not need. Cancel your subscriptions today and maybe the big boys will listen. I cancelled my Netflix account today and suspended my Facebook. Maybe I'll go for a walk instead
Great idea!