Writer's Strike Is Blowing Up On Twitter, The Comments Are Vicious
By Kay on May 2, 2023 at 3:45 PM EDT
The writer's strike is gaining a lot of opinions from people on social media, and many of them are afraid for the future of TV.
Writer's Strike Getting Support From Celebs
Last night may have been the Met gala, but one thing was on everyone's mind; the writer's strike. As celebs were walking down the carpet, they were being asked their opinions on the strike, and a good chunk certainly did not hold back!
Jimmy Fallon straight up admitted without the writers, he would be struggling. "I wouldn't have a show if it weren't for my writers; I support them all the way," he said. He admits they need a "fair contract" and then dropped the bomb that if there is a strike, they will "go dark"; in other words, no new episodes will be airing.
Fallon said he is in the writer's guild and will do "whatever I can to support." The comedian shared the same feelings as Olivia Wilde. She is a writer herself and feels that the strike is necessary now.
"I support the writers, and I think it will affect all of us," but "we have to stand up for our rights, and I support unions." Wilde goes on to say that this decision is not taken lightly. "They've spent much time thinking about what they deserve."
Consumers Are Supporting As Well
Like celebs, consumers are concerned about their content: "Netflix didn't start producing content until 2011. They've never truly experienced a writer's strike. Amazon has kept unions out of their workforce but entered Hollywood after guilds were established… this will be interesting."
Many remember the crisis of '07. "The children don't remember how bad TV got during the 2007 writers' strike," please don't dredge up the trauma!
"No writers, no industry. Treat people fairly—it's really that simple. As a SAG union member, I stand with the WGA. #WritersStrike #WGA," writes a passionate supporter. And I have much shared information on how anyone interested can support the writers.
"The first thing you can do to support the writers' strike is bring your solidarity to the picket line! Here is a list of the picket lines from @WGAWest, in LA and @WGAEast in New York. Share and show your support if you can!"
"From one guild to another, wishing all my WGA friends the best today. All we ever want is what's fair, and it always seems like that's the last thing managers and studios want to provide."
Why Are Writers Striking?
Let's drop some facts about why so many of our TV programs and films will suffer now that writers are officially on strike!
They wanted proper compensation for the changing landscape of media. Writers Guild of America laid out in a statement.
"Driven largely by the shift to streaming, writers find their work devalued in every part of the business. While company profits have remained high and spending on content has grown, writers are falling behind."
The continued. "The companies have used the transition to streaming to cut writer pay and separate writing from production, worsening working conditions for series writers at all levels." They want to eliminate this "gig economy" that has been created and go back to full-time careers.
Writers feel devalued by companies offering up gigs and not working.
"From their refusal to guarantee any level of weekly employment in episodic television, to the creation of a "day rate" in comedy variety, to their stonewalling on free work for screenwriters and AI for all writers, they have closed the door on their labor force and opened the door to writing as an entirely freelance profession. This membership could ever contemplate no such deal."
Check out the WGA website for more information about the writer's strike.
