The Writers Strike Back.

And so it has come to this.

In an era defined by our addiction to entertainment and the media, we are now subjected to the whims and wishes of those brilliant minds who dictate to us what is good, noble and true. The writers of Hollywood have decided that they simply do not receive enough of the "cheddar," as some refer to it, to continue doing their jobs. I wanted to take this opportunity to express my under-appreciated thoughts on such a matter, as I feel like the contents of this blog can and will make a difference.

What I find most striking about the entire issue is the unusual sense of entitlement these writers have. How is it that someone pursuing a career as a writer can honestly come to believe that they deserve large salaries? Better writers than those on Desperate Housewives have died penniless. And its not as if the projected income for the entire writing profession is by any means especially "optimistic." And so, I have to ask our dear friends, the writers, "What did you expect?"

And why punish the viewers? What have we done to deserve this? I understand the cruelty of the producers. They are addicted to their money and power like the main character's three episode story-arc addiction to drugs on a bad teen prime time soap. I am not at all convinced that these proud producers are not robbing you blind, but what happened to your good intentions? What about writing to be heard? Didn't you start out with a goal to entertain people? And yet, all of our romantic ideals have been tainted with the color green.

While I hesitate to say this, it's not as if we need TV writers anymore. The next generation spends more time in front of blogs than they do in front of televisions. There, in the safe haven of cyberspace, is an untouched multitude of writers who haven't yet sold out, not to mention all the fine entertainers of YouTube. And if you're mad about the insane amounts of media being plastered all over the internet, striking is not going to draw the viewers eyes away from our MacBooks and PC screens. You are forcing us into the arms of our forbidden lover.

Now, let's not forget the past. In 1988, we endured a similar strike that lasted 22 weeks. It cost somebody somewhere $500 million. And to what avail? The result was the invention of the reality TV show. To me, this sounds a lot like hell, but (oh faithful blog reader, be warned) if you happen to enjoy torture and reality TV, be prepared to be let down. Not even reality shows are safe from this strike, since they themselves have been unionized! Oh the humanity!

Do you remember those times when crises arose, and your favorite television program was interrupted by a celebrity encouraging you to give all of your hard earned money to match the 2% of their weekly salary that they themselves gave? Now I know that a vast majority of these writers are not famous, but in the grand scheme of the universe, are there not better things to protest? Is an increase in royalties really necessary when people are starving to death even in our own country?

What does all of this say about us as a country? Why do these writers control our lives? How can a pudgy man in Hollywood determine how I'm going to spend my prime time hours? It's simply not fair. I don't have any say in what they do.

This whole ordeal has me relieved that I refused to pay for cable.