Let Them Eat Croissants

Writers in Hollywood and New York are on strike. Evidently, all of America will be faced with reruns, more reality shows, and potentially even dumber scripts as management and performers try their hand at scriptwriting, Can it get any worse, really?

For the most part, I watch no more television than I am forced to when stuck in a waitingroom at the doctor's office or tire store. But you would have to be on a desert island (one with no satellite service) to avoid seeing or hearing the drivel that passes for entertainment these days.

I had to laugh yesterday when, listening to the radio news, I heard an item about the strike complete with audio of the poor picketing writers, chanting in front of some studio:

"What do we want? More money! When do we want it? Now!"

""On Strike. Shut 'em down. Hollywood's a union town!" and "Are you ready to fight? Damn right!"

Jeepers creepers. No wonder their shows are so bad.They have to drag out forty year old slogans from the Vietnam era. Perhaps they feel the obligation to follow the strike to the letter and not even write any new slogans for themselves.

Next I expect to hear:

"Hey, hey. Ho, ho. Without us, there's no show!"

Or even:

"Two, four, six, eight. Writers make your shows great!"

It's difficult to take them seriously. Most of them are making good money, even for California. When I think of effective strikers, I don't picture skinny mocha extra shot latte-drinking, Gucci-wearing, botoxed Hollywood types. I picture Martin Luther King leading a group of black activists. I picture nitty-gritty workers, jeans (Levis, that is), flannel shirts, walking the lines in rain, snow, sleet, or hail. While the weather in New York can get a little uncomfortable, I feel no pity for those pacing in front of Paramount Studios, and other palm tree laden areas.

The late-night talk shows will feel the brunt of the strike first. I guess famed "funny men" Leno, O'Brien, and Letterman aren't really funny enough to fuel their time on air. The real surprise for me was that "The View" has writers. I thought that those women made up their wisecracks and assinine comments on their own. Also, news writers are on strike. Maybe now, for a change, when we watch/hear the news shows we can just get the facts. We can form our own opinions - without a union.

Let them stay on strike. Let them drink lattes. Let them eat croissants.