Lol, We're So Screwed

I promised a positive post. I lied.

My sister got her doctorate a few months ago.

Well, kind of.

She walked up in her cap and gown and got a folder (it was empty). She still has to give her capstone or something next month and then she’ll officially be a doctor. I would elaborate, but I really don’t understand how actual jobs work. My day-to-day involves checking emails, writing wonky sports posts, building podcasts and various other projects that come and go in a nightmarish procession.

My sister—let’s just call her Hannah (since that’s her name)—is finishing up her degree at Boston University and will then enter the world as an occupational therapist, which is a real job for real people. She will then do some work and make some money and eventually retire. That’s how most occupations work. Unless you’re trying to be a creative and then you’re constantly scrounging around. The world’s on fire and you’re on fire and you have to write something in a matter of minutes and then you’re on fire again. It’s like voluntarily having homework for the rest of your life and we all know how much fun homework is.

There were protests at my sister’s graduation. Not because of people being mad at occupational therapists (what a silly thing that would be), but instead, writers were picketing speaker David Zaslav, CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, who is one of the many head honchos attempting to hold off the Writers Guild of America strike. The writers were and are protesting for fair pay, better benefits and more legislation on artificial intelligence, which is in line to start taking jobs from these forlorn creatives.

Hannah’s friend’s dad disagreed with the picketing method as they were in the way and bringing unwarranted attention to a cause that doesn’t need it. He’s not the only one that thought that, I’m sure, but he was the one I talked to. He said that writers aren’t essential and that writers striking was a ludicrous thing as it’s not a real job. I replied to this by saying that I was a writer to which he replied that “Well, you’re not essential either then.”

Now, this is a very funny thing to say to a 20-something you’ve never met before. I treated it as such. I texted my friends explaining what happened and how ridiculous it is for a middle-aged man to make fun of his daughter’s friend’s brother.

I still think it’s a very funny thing to say, but I do wish I pushed back just a little. I’m not sure what his job was, but it was almost certainly some business thing. Maybe he’s a lawyer. Whatever it is, I know in his mind he has a real job and I do not.

I also wish I asked if he had ever read a book or watched a TV show or subscribed to a magazine or newspaper. Because he would have to thank me (well, not exactly me, but you know what I’m saying) for that. Did he ever have a long day and throw on The Office? Is it non-essential now?

While in the process of writing this, my friends, Antara and Taylor, reminded me of an Ethan Hawke clip in which the renowned actor extolled the importance of art. The main takeaway for me is when Hawke discussed tragedy and how we lean into art in these moments of despair.

“That’s when art’s not a luxury, it’s sustenance. We need it,” he said. “Human creativity is nature manifest in us. And I believe we are here to try to help one another. First, we have to survive, then thrive. To thrive, we have to know ourselves. So what do you love? If you get close to what you love, who you are is revealed to you, and it expands.

“The thing that worries me when you talk about creativity is that it’s not warm or pleasant, it’s vital. It’s the way we heal each other. If you want to help your community, you have to express yourself. You just have to follow your love. There’s no path till you walk it.”

Now this may sound haughty, but if you’ve ever had a relationship go south or a family member die or just had a bad day, you should be able to relate. Maybe you watch something funny to take your mind off of it or maybe you read something sad to really sink into your feelings. There’s a reason songs and poetry are often played or read at funerals. Or even weddings. In critical moments, art and writing matter.

It’s “non-essential” if you’re a fucking idiot.

Recently, Deadline published a piece entitled “Hollywood Studios’ WGA Strike Endgame Is To Let Writers Go Broke Before Resuming Talks In Fall.” The article is somehow worse than the headline. The Writers Strike has become a bunch of ones and zeroes, which makes sense logically, but not when you actually take a second to think about what this is about. It’s about art and writing and creativity.

“The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses,” a studio executive told Deadline. Acknowledging the cold-as-ice approach, several other sources reiterated the statement. One insider called it “a cruel but necessary evil.”

There are two sides here, writers trying to earn a respectable living and billionaires making sure that they snuff out every last cent they can for the stockholders and studios. Deemed “non-essential” in the eyes of the CEOs, writers will continue to strike and hopefully, they’re able to keep going long past the company heads attempting to wait them out.

What a gross use of time. Like … this is really how you’re going to live your life? Making sure people lose their houses and that families suffer? Respectfully, go to hell.

I love movies. There’s very little I like more in this world. I’m fine with losing movies if it means that these people (and my compatriots) are able to get what they rightly deserve.

I’m sorry that I keep writing about this. I’d much rather prefer to be speaking in hyperbole about the upcoming Barbenheimer or the pretty good new Mission: Impossible movie or the latest Wes Anderson movie I rewatched, but I can’t stop thinking about how some random wealthy guy went out of his way to tell a kid that what he put all of his time and effort into doesn’t matter. If that’s who we’re up against, it’s going to take a lot to change minds and prove that art is important.

He eventually apologized; his daughter made sure that he did.

I wonder if he’s read or watched something since or if he’s just sat in an empty room thinking about making money. If so, I almost feel bad for him. What a sad existence to not have any art in your life. I hope he gets better.