Writer’s strike video relies on tired old stereotypes
by Carmen Van Kerckhove
As many of you have probably heard, the Writers Guild of America has been on strike. As part of their campaign, they have put together a series of online videos feature A-list actors. Check out this one, starring Holly Hunter.
I’m left scratching my head, wondering what the heck this issue has to do with outsourcing to India? And why exactly does the writers guild need to mock one profession to make a case for fair compensation of their own work? (Thanks to Angie for the tip!)
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of
Cara wrote:
Sigh.
Posted 30 Nov 2007 at 2:31 pm ¶
FMJ wrote:
Ah the hypocrisy of Hollywood. After decades of moving film and tv productions to Canada & Australia to avoid paying higher costs here, suddenly this scare tactic is used by “United Hollywood”. Seriously, if all of Hollywood was outsourced it wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Posted 30 Nov 2007 at 2:43 pm ¶
Dennis wrote:
I’m left scratching my head, wondering what the heck this issue has to do with outsourcing to India?
Maybe you’re the one who’s blind? Ever think of that?
(To be perfectly clear, I’m being sarcastic.)
Posted 30 Nov 2007 at 3:50 pm ¶
Sherrie wrote:
Oh my goodness.
I was just shocked that his first line was “You want to renew your subscription?” This was just so overwhelmingly wrong. It plays off those fears of the “other” and the belief a minority will fill in if you strike. I really have no idea what this has to do with the writers strike.
Posted 30 Nov 2007 at 5:05 pm ¶
Thea wrote:
That video is so offensive. It’s most of all despicable that Hollywood writers, who’ve got to be some of the most successful writers in the English speaking world, are beating up on people who are far less privileged than they are, as a way to indicate that their privileges are being trampled.
Btw, I don’t know wtf “on the nose” means either.
Posted 30 Nov 2007 at 6:40 pm ¶
Elton wrote:
Here is the officially posted video where you can leave comments:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnURqEkAXk8
It seems a bit pathetic to set up a hypothetical scenario where a white actress is complaining about her outsourced script. It’s absurd, and the validity of the point is lost to me.
Here’s what would be better: Produce a series of shorts where actors of color re-enact actual scenes from actual films which are steeped in stereotypes and hypocrisy, and have them pretend to phone up the writers and ask them to explain their scripts. Now that would be making a point.
Posted 30 Nov 2007 at 8:01 pm ¶
dirkdiggler wrote:
it’s hard when they’re entitled little lives are put in jeopardy, in which case playing on prejudices and the fear of the other are perfectly okay. but it’s all right. because in a few weeks, they’ll hold a benefit for those people in india once someone tells them that’s the fashionable thing to do.
Posted 30 Nov 2007 at 10:00 pm ¶
Minotaar wrote:
Let these selfish strikers starve. Maybe they will be replaced by people who can actually write and are sensitive to problems in the real world, instead of their make believe garbage.
Posted 01 Dec 2007 at 3:13 pm ¶
michelle wrote:
The majority of the striking writers are not at all selfish, nor are they privledged. At all. The majority of the striking writers are struggling artists who are fighting for basic rights and fairness.
Also, the reason why productions go to Canada and Australia has nothing to do with the people who write the words. FMJ, what in the world are you talking about? It is the producers who want to cut costs any way they can, hence, productions going to Canada.
The ad is not saying that minorities are going to take over the jobs left vacant by striking workers or that we have to fear minorities.
The ad is highlighting the fact that the producers have little to no respect for writing as an art form. The producers seem to think ANYONE can write, and that writers are a dime a dozen. I think they were using the outsourcing analogy because in order to cut costs, corporations set up their customer serivce call centers in other countries. While I respect people who work in call centers, both here and abroad, I don’t think that it is something that people aspire to do as a lifelong job, or dream. Nor do I think that working in a call center is particularily creative, given that the corporations give the customer service providers VERY specific guidelines and protocols. The producers seem to see writing the same way, that they can hire a bunch of people, tell them what to write and how and save a bunch of money by not hiring people who are requesting fair compensation for their art.
Perhaps the analogy is unfortunate, given the fact that they use a person of color, but the analogy is fair.
On the nose means obvious, lacking nuance and subtleness.
Posted 01 Dec 2007 at 11:06 pm ¶
Jaye wrote:
God, I felt like I was watching some overly-stereotyped 1950’s garbage…like the asian guy in breakfast at tiffany’s…
He even had that sinister laugh…
And then when she had to tell him why she was calling, to discuss the seriousness and depth of the lines of the character of the film…the implication being…How could YOU, a man that comes from a 3rd world country, dealing with issues of poverty, political strife and the remnants of colonialism, possibly understanding the complex and profound topics to be found in this film??
I WAS on the side of the writer’s strike, just automatically, no questions asked…but after this little piece…I suddenly remembered that they’re responsible for the majority of the crap, brainlessness, and sexist and racist ideas and characters I see over and over on when I turn on the television…and they’re probably the reason why I’ve tried to stop watching TV…so why am I on their side? Cuz they’re obviously not on mine…
Posted 02 Dec 2007 at 11:22 pm ¶
SolShine7 wrote:
Yuck! I wish I could wash that stereotypical PSA promo out of my mind. I can’t stand how they just portrayed Indians.
Posted 03 Dec 2007 at 4:16 am ¶
Jay wrote:
Perhaps the analogy is unfortunate, given the fact that they use a person of color, but the analogy is fair.
No, the analogy is unfortunate because they almost never use people of colour except when they need some form of ‘other’. Maybe when they actually start thinking of us as human beings, then we can start talking.
Posted 04 Dec 2007 at 12:25 pm ¶
arcanu wrote:
Michelle-
As an Indian-American and a Bangalore native I think you’ve missed the point. A person like me would have supported your cause. However, an offensive ad like this makes me want to actively support those on the other side of the table. What is so offensive is not simply that a minority is used. Its offensive because an Indian person is negatively caricatured to suit the Guild’s purposes even though people in Bangalore don’t have a stake in this conflict. It is a cheap shot. Now I not only doubt the writers’ cause but also their talent and sense of humor. If writers’ believe that they deserve respect and support for their craft then they have to show that same type of respect to others who are seeking to make a decent living.
Posted 04 Dec 2007 at 9:52 pm ¶
michelle wrote:
The point that some of you are missing is that there are writers of color who are walking the picket lines and who are fighting for their rights. Why do all of you assume that all the writers are white? Or that the people behind the ad are all White? And as people of color you can’t support the cause of the writers because of this ad? There are many people of color who are behind the scenes, doing their best to make and create lasting change. If the strike is succesful, I would hazard to say that writers will have a lot more power to put quality shows on TV, shows that begin to properly address the issues that affect POC.
I did not miss the point at all Arcanu. I even acknowledged that using a person of color was wrong, given how hard it is to get it “right” (We have had many convos here about comedy and how hard it is to be a POC and not be offended by most of the content of film and TV). However, there is merit in the point making reference to call centers and the play on words between “scripts” and “scripts”.
I just don’t see how he was being made fun of, nor how they put down his profession. They didn’t make him look like an idiot, quite the contrary, he knew his job, he just didn’t know what she was talking about because it wasn’t his job, not because he was from India, not because he from a non-Western world, not because he was “other” but because he was not a writer.
I am not in the WGA, but I can’t abide comments like “let selfish writers starve” and people blithely saying that people’s “entitled little lives are put in jeopardy”. Especially here, where we always encourage each other not to talk in such sweeping, uninformed generalizations. There are people who are walking picket lines who are simply trying to eke out a relatively meager existence by doing what they love.
Posted 05 Dec 2007 at 4:20 am ¶
Jaye wrote:
I also have to say I’m not surprised that it was Holly Hunter in this ad. I’m not sure whether this is racist…but I’ve seen the commercials for some show she has, and in the ad, she runs over a black man and I think she kills him. Then one time I was flipping channels, and her show was on, and she was confronting some African-American gang members, and came off as tough and as “winning” the confrontation.
Now, I could see it in a feminist way, of a woman taking on some violent men and holding her own. But coupled with the ad where she ran over a person of color, I didn’t see it in a feminist way, I saw it as vaguely racist. I haven’t watched the show for longer than two minutes, because I do regard it as having racist overtones (so if I’m wrong about my assessment, please correct me). But that was my feeling regarding the show, and therefore Ms. Hunter. And that’s why when I saw that she was part of this ad, I kind of wasn’t surprised. A lot of speculation on my part, but also I’m pretty sure I would never see Andre 3000 (who appeared in another WGA video) in an ad like this, and I think that says a lot about whether it’s racist or not.
Posted 05 Dec 2007 at 10:38 am ¶
JeffG wrote:
From the beginning I’ve been behind the writers on this issue, and still am. However, that video was completely and utterly offensive, particularly to me because I work in IT and have worked with agents in Bangalore and other places overseas. Sure, there are a few idiots and people who do it for a buck, but what do you expect when a company ships work overseas and pays people half or less than what their American and/or European colleagues make?
To their benefit, Mr. Bangalore sounded more intelligent than the woman calling him, like he was used to this sort of irate garbage.
I’m still behind the writers, because the are being treated unfairly, but to turn around and demean another person who takes similar crap…well, I guess it’s just the American way.
Bangalore IT: “We do all this work, support these systems and prevent all of your outsourced cheap servers from failing, and you treat us like crap because of an accent! Without us you would run your budget and your operation into the ground, what gives?”
Writers: “We write all these scripts so all your reality TV doesn’t run your ratings into the ground, and when your show fails due to your overpriced production crew and overhyped actors, you blame us! Without us your networks would grind to a halt and you’d have nothing but “Survivor: Fallout Shelter” or “Schmoozing with the los…erm, stars” running 24/7! What gives?”
Anyone see a corollary?
Posted 14 Dec 2007 at 7:20 pm ¶
Michelle wrote:
I definately see the corollary. My only issue was that we not throw the babies out with the bath water. There are many writer’s of color who are walking the pickett lines, hoping for their opportunities to make change. We can’t make blanket statements that are unfair and untrue. Not that you did that Mr. JeffG. I thought your comments were very thoughtful.
Posted 14 Dec 2007 at 8:14 pm ¶