I'm in support of the current Hollywood Writers Strike.

I'm not a big union supporter overall, but when they're fighting for a fair deal, it's hard not to be behind the WGA on this. I was shocked to learn that writers typically receive no part of Internet re-airings of media and that their DVD residuals are so small and haven't been negotiated since the VHS days.

The whole TV & Movie entertainment system has always seemed a bit crooked to me, the way they wash their money through separate companies for each type of media that they reproduce the original work on. I really don't understand how they get away with paying people differently whether its broadcast, in theatres, on tape, on DVD or streamed across the web.

I understand there must be a lot of complexities involved in the earnings of media once you involve the numerous licensing deals... like, how much does an actor get paid for their likeness on an action figure? Should that be included in the overall earnings of a film so maybe the foley guy sees a piece of that (although I doubt the foley guy gets residuals, but it's just an example)? It's confusing, for sure, but I'm also pretty convinced that the major corporations and networks use / abuse that confusion to their financial advantage.

The last major strike, if anyone recalls, was a complete disaster for TV viewers because it so deeply affected the quality of scripted TV shows for years and years.