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Why I Support The WGA Strike
This isn’t a Hollywood story — it’s about the future of work, too
There are many reasons to support the Writers Guild of America’s strike, which has shut down Hollywood for the moment. One of those reasons is purely selfish: I am thoroughly enjoying the final season of HBO’s hit Barry, a bleak half-hour comedy starring Bill Hader as an aspiring actor and hitman.
I spend a good chunk of my paycheck on my streaming services to binge-watch shows like Barry or Netflix’s Beef or Schmicago on AppleTV. It’s an honest transaction. When my sink is clogged, I call a plumber. I pay taxi drivers when I need to get from here to there. And I subscribe to Disney+ because I like to relax with Jedis at the end of a long day.
I want to be told stories. I want to laugh. I want to go on an adventure or be moved to tears, all in the relative safety of my apartment or my local movie theater, the fancy one with recliners and chicken tenders. Those experiences are worth my hard-earned money, and I’d like to think most of my cash goes directly to storytellers and artists, not beancounters and grinning masters of business administration. I know that’s not how it is in real life, but it’s a momentarily diverting fantasy.
