tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11645472.post-1136935643107851972006-01-10T14:53:00.000-08:002006-01-10T15:27:23.120-08:00Well, it's a new year and so far so good. Cherokee & I have a new house, I've had a couple voiceover gigs already, <a href="http://www.storyactor.blogspot.com">StoryActor</a> is back in fine fettle it appears, and perhaps we'll see more opportunities this year for employment.<br /><br />I've been reading a book lately called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/103-8924985-8857464?url=index%3Dblended&amp;field-keywords=what%27s+the+matter+with+kansas%3F&Go.x=0&amp;amp;amp;Go.y=0&amp;Go=Go">"What's the Matter With Kansas?"</a> and it's really been occupying my thoughts a lot lately. It's about the NeoCon revolution within the Republican party, and it's written by a Kansas native who sees in his home state a microcosm for what's been happening (and even what will happen) nationally. I don't really want to get into politics too much here, but I do see some parallels between what's been happening politically in our nation and what's been happening within the Screen Actors Guild. In both instances there is a very vocal minority that manages to effectively exert its will, often (it might be argued) to their own detriment and to the detriment of the body at large.<br /><br />And so you get, for instance, Kansans who are losing their union jobs to union-busting efforts, free trade agreements, and shady corporate maneuvers, but they'll vote FOR a candidate who is anti-union, supports free trade agreements, etc. because that candidate takes a particular stance on a "moral issue" they agree with (e.g., Roe v. Wade). Similarly, in SAG you see some really angry, angry people who will fight tooth and nail to prevent consolidation with AFTRA, a renewal of the Agency Franchise Agreement, or any collective bargaining agreement that is not a total 100% victory for the Guild, and they (all of them, as near as I can tell) consider their efforts at undermining the majority as something of a moral obligation.<br /><br />I'm not sure what, if anything, to say about this observation, but it's disturbing to me and it's been on my mind, so I thought I ought to write it down somewhere. Here, for instance.Evannoreply@blogger.com