Essays · 1 min read

The Show Goes On

Celebrating Progress. Demanding Accountability

has a spot-on take in the above post. Today is a day for celebrating (reservedly, since we still need to see the AMPTP deal on Tuesday, and SAG-AFTRA needs to finalize their contract with the studios. So yay! But with the caveat that we aren't quite done yet).

In response to what was written above, now is the time to be honest about another big problem connected to the strike and a host of other problems we face, not only in the entertainment industry but also in the country — lack of accountability.

The people who are the cause of most problems — in Hollywood and America — never seem to shoulder the blame for their failures and the calamities they cause. They never take accountability for their own actions. But it also seems as if we, the people (or in the case of Hollywood, the writers, actors, directors, and crew who make the movies and shows), are unwilling or unable to hold those responsible to account. And I don’t buy the idea we don’t know who those folks are. Nor am I referring to some scapegoat fall guy or girl who goes down in place of those truly responsible. I'm talking about the abject failure of leadership that has taken the Entertainment industry from being America's most significant cultural export and a cornerstone of American life, into a bad punchline in a worse joke. As Rushfield points out, there are people responsible, and they should bear the consequences of their mistakes. However, today is a day to celebrate. To stick with the VE Day analogy, the war crimes tribunals will have to come later if they ever do (I have my doubts).

For now, onwards and upwards. Let's see the deal, and then let's get back to work...

…amd maybe make some shows and movies that the audience actually wants to see. If we do that, then the box office, the subscriptions, and the awards show ratings will follow."

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