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Harlan Ellison On The Writers’ Strike Settlement
The author and screen writer Harlan Ellison is extremely passionately protective of his work. He has taken legal action and in some cases won copyright infringement cases to protect his right to creative ownership of his works. Ellison is a professional writer who has written scripts for the original television series Star Trek and Outer Limits. He was also creative consultant for such popular science fiction television programs as The New Twilight Zone and Babylon5.
Harlan Ellison in his own words:
“HARLAN ELLISON – Wednesday, February 13 2008 22:49:43 *
*
YOU HAVE MY PERMISSION TO RE-POST THIS ANYWHERE:
Creds: got here in 1962, written for just about everybody, won the
Writers Guild Award four times for solo work, sat on the WGAw Board
twice, worked on negotiating committees, and was out on the picket lines
with my NICK COUNTER SLEEPS WITH THE FISHE$$$ sign. You may have heard
my name. I am a Union guy, I am a Guild guy, I am loyal. I fuckin’ LOVE
the Guild.
And I voted NO on accepting this deal.
My reasons are good, and they are plentiful; Patric Verrone will be
saddened by what I am about to say; long-time friends will shake their
heads; but this I say without equivocation…
THEY BEAT US LIKE A YELLOW DOG. IT IS A SHIT DEAL. We finally got a
timorous generation that has never had to strike, to get their asses out
there, and we had to put up with the usual cowardly spineless babbling
horse’s asses who kept mumbling “lessgo bac’ta work” over and over, as
if it would make them one iota a better writer. But after months on the
line, and them finally bouncing that pus-sucking dipthong Nick Counter,
we rushed headlong into a shabby, scabrous, underfed shovelfulla shit
clutched to the affections of toss-in-the-towel summer soldiers
trembling before the Awe of the Alliance.
My Guild did what it did in 1988. It trembled and sold us out. It gave
away the EXACT co-terminus expiration date with SAG for some bullshit
short-line substitute; it got us no more control of our words; it
sneak-abandoned the animator and reality beanfield hands before anyone
even forced it on them; it made nice so no one would think we were
meanies; it let the Alliance play us like the village idiot. The WGAw
folded like a Texaco Road Map from back in the day.
And I am ashamed of this Guild, as I was when Shavelson was the prexy,
and we wasted our efforts and lost out on technology that we had to
strike for THIS time. 17 days of streaming tv!!!????? Geezus, you
bleating wimps, why not just turn over your old granny for gang-rape?
You deserve all the opprobrium you get. While this nutty festschrift of
demented pleasure at being allowed to go back to work in the rice paddy
is filling your cowardly hearts with joy and relief that the grips and
the staff at the Ivy and street sweepers won’t be saying nasty shit
behind your back, remember this:
You are their bitches. They outslugged you, outthought you,
outmaneuvered you; and in the end you ripped off your pants, painted yer
asses blue, and said yes sir, may I have another.
Please excuse my temerity. I’m just a sad old man who has fallen among
Quislings, Turncoats, Hacks and Cowards.
I must go now to whoops. My gorge has become buoyant.
Respectfully, Yr. Pal, Harlan Ellison”
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