As social media breaks into splinters and conditions deteriorate in general, I want to ask once again for your support. A lot of what I detail in this article has already taken place in academia, which was at the forefront of this new, exploitative push, and having left the halls of higher education to provide analysis and work to find solutions, I rely on DISPATCHES FROM A COLLAPSING STATE,
Thank you for always being able to get to the heart of the matter. The powers that be are always trying to whittle away at our freedom and ability to control what happens in our lives. The pursuit of wealth for wealth’s sake has placed a cumbersome burden on all of us. It’s terrifying. Do folks realize how much they’re giving up to satisfy the Masters’ lust for domination?
Jul 14, 2023·edited Jul 14, 2023Liked by Jared Yates Sexton
I always assumed this was how the capitalists talked about us behind our backs, but it's still chilling to see it put down in print.
And the role that Wall Street plays in this is important, we're always hearing about how they put "short-term profits" above all else, it's always about juicing the stock price for the next Quarter, no matter how that hurts the business' long-term prospects. But there's ONE special case where Wall Street is willing to take the long-term view, and that's when there's a union to be broken.
They are attacking “while we are sleeping”. And everybody is sleeping right now, as they are laser-focused on their screens while being oblivious to everything that is going on around them irl. Reality. What a concept.
So...what the fuck are we supposed to do about it?
Does anyone give a shit that I had my rent raised by $100 a month, which makes me wonder how I'm going to survive? Or should I care about Hollywood writers who churn out tons of crap and make more money than I ever made in my life? Probably not. I also don't give a dead rat's ass about social media. If you quit academia for Substack and need money, that's on you. Jared, you're a good writer, but your choices are your choices.
I’m sorry about your rent being raised, truly, that sucks. But why admonish hard-working writers who provide laughter or entertainment or a little escape from the drudgery that we all experience? And the fact that the studios are predicting they’ll lose their apartments and homes by October should be your first clue that these people aren’t “raking in the big bucks” and are maybe just poor working stiffs trying to survive and make a life for themselves and their families just like you and I.
Yes, exactly, we hear "actor" and think Tom Cruise, but most working actors make almost nothing from their work, even while the series they star in are hugely profitable to the studios that produce them:
"Kimiko Glenn, who played Brook Soso, posted a video to Instagram in which she opened a Sag-Aftra foreign-royalty statement and, despite starring on a huge, award-winning series that helped pave the way for the current glut of streaming originals, discovered she had been paid just $27.30"
Thank you for always being able to get to the heart of the matter. The powers that be are always trying to whittle away at our freedom and ability to control what happens in our lives. The pursuit of wealth for wealth’s sake has placed a cumbersome burden on all of us. It’s terrifying. Do folks realize how much they’re giving up to satisfy the Masters’ lust for domination?
I always assumed this was how the capitalists talked about us behind our backs, but it's still chilling to see it put down in print.
And the role that Wall Street plays in this is important, we're always hearing about how they put "short-term profits" above all else, it's always about juicing the stock price for the next Quarter, no matter how that hurts the business' long-term prospects. But there's ONE special case where Wall Street is willing to take the long-term view, and that's when there's a union to be broken.
You said it, man!
They are attacking “while we are sleeping”. And everybody is sleeping right now, as they are laser-focused on their screens while being oblivious to everything that is going on around them irl. Reality. What a concept.
So...what the fuck are we supposed to do about it?
Does anyone give a shit that I had my rent raised by $100 a month, which makes me wonder how I'm going to survive? Or should I care about Hollywood writers who churn out tons of crap and make more money than I ever made in my life? Probably not. I also don't give a dead rat's ass about social media. If you quit academia for Substack and need money, that's on you. Jared, you're a good writer, but your choices are your choices.
First of all, I’m sorry about your rent. That’s really hard and unfair.
I’m sorry about your rent being raised, truly, that sucks. But why admonish hard-working writers who provide laughter or entertainment or a little escape from the drudgery that we all experience? And the fact that the studios are predicting they’ll lose their apartments and homes by October should be your first clue that these people aren’t “raking in the big bucks” and are maybe just poor working stiffs trying to survive and make a life for themselves and their families just like you and I.
Yes, exactly, we hear "actor" and think Tom Cruise, but most working actors make almost nothing from their work, even while the series they star in are hugely profitable to the studios that produce them:
"Kimiko Glenn, who played Brook Soso, posted a video to Instagram in which she opened a Sag-Aftra foreign-royalty statement and, despite starring on a huge, award-winning series that helped pave the way for the current glut of streaming originals, discovered she had been paid just $27.30"
https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/jul/17/actors-strike-streaming-1-cent-paycheque