My view on the writers strike has wavered a bit here and there, but after reading the following nonsensical rant from Michael Eisner and now understanding completely what the writers are up against, I am firmly on their side 100%.
Michael Eisner said the Writer’s Guild is lobbying for a bigger cut of profits from digital distribution and Web video - profits he claims don’t exist.
Though most Hollywood executives were quiet last week as the strike began, former Walt Disney chief executive Michael Eisner showed no restraint in expressing an opinion.
“I’ve seen stupid strikes, I’ve seen less stupid strikes. This is a stupid strike,” Eisner said at the Media and Money conference in New York. “It’s a waste of their time. [The studios] have nothing to give. They don’t know what to give.”
Eisner said the Writer’s Guild is lobbying for a bigger cut of profits from digital distribution and Web video - profits he claims don’t exist.
However, Eisner placed part of the blame on studios and networks for allowing themselves to be strong-armed by Apple and Steve Jobs, its chief executive.
The studios “make deals with Steve Jobs, who takes them to the cleaners,” he said. “They make all these kinds of things, and who’s making money? Apple! They [the writers] should get a piece of Apple. If I was a union, I’d be striking up wherever he is.”
"The studios have nothing to give. They don't know what to give." Okay... first of all that's two entirely different concepts right there. Either you have nothing, or you're not sure what you have. The first is a bold faced lie. Studios don't do anything when there's no money involved. The second, well, if you don't know what you have, then you need to fire everyone in accounting because they clearly cannot do their job. But of course the second statement is a lie too.
Then, out of nowhere, blaming Steve Jobs? Saying the writers should go after him? I guess the writers should go after Best Buy too, because after all, that's where all the DVDs are sold, right? What an idiot. Studios license their content to online places like iTunes and Amazon.com and through Xbox Live for a fee. That fee goes somewhere, right Mike? Someone makes some cash on that transaction, otherwise they wouldn't do it, right?
Likewise for the streaming of online content, at places like NBC.com. Ads are placed on those pages. Ads are forced into the breaks of the shows being streamed. Someone is charging for those ads, and someone is collecting revenue from them. Again, this is pure idiocy to say that "there's no money... we don't think there's money... the writers should sue Apple because Steve Jobs is evil".
I have enough going on where I will now be completely fine if this strike goes on for years. Stick to your guns, writers. These people are morons.
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