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Other People's Money
Thank you for having me. Oh no I”m fine, I don”t need a glass of water. Yes, thank you, I would love to sit. I would love to sit across from you, entertainment industry businessman, as you proceed to assume that I know nothing about how things are in reality versus the illusion that studios create in terms of Box Office and Success and Profit. Will you please shut up now so that we can get down to brass--What an odd pause. Oh I see, I”m supposed to ask you a question so that you can continue expounding upon Movie Making 101. Best think quickly--What are your ideas on where distribution is heading? And don”t forget to tell me what the future of the theaters is! And if you don”t wax on about new media, I think I”ll just die! And by "OPM" you mean”? Ah. I'm with you. Yes, yes, because I asked you to clarify a slang acronym that you said so fast it might have been a Naughty By Nature song, I must be a juvenile idiot: Thank you for not using big words from this point forward.
I”m far from genius when it comes to economics and business, but let”s say I have a working knowledge that I keep to myself, even when the person talking at me is wrong about what they are talking at me about. Should I stop the conversation then and force them to allow me to demonstrate via Google why, in all their infinite knowledge, they are barely scraping the surface of the beast they so willingly serve?
I would of course be referring the person to experts on the matter, which is always better than attempting to regurgitate what I”ve internalized from those sources. But what good would that do? Either they know the reality and are keeping it to themselves, which makes them a particular brand of deceiver, or they don”t know and therefore are uninformed and a tool, or they don”t think it is worth discussing with me, which means there”s no point in continuing in the first place. Certainly I don”t mind demonstrating that I am not dim or that I have no desire to blissfully avoid knowing where the money comes from and what unwise evils I might be perpetuating simply by participation, but this is a new level of insult that occurs post demonstration of proficiency. So it is an insult: The only other explanation is that quite a number of important men in media who think a whole lot of themselves also happen to be literally deaf in addition to the metaphorical deafness they practice in the arena of right and wrong as they go about presenting themselves as model citizens.
Dear Sir, if you think I don”t understand hedge funds, tax shelters or other ways, past and present, studios finance films, or how the six companies controlling movies actually make profit, or you think I don”t know what vertical integration is or the history of Rupert Murdoch”s media tyranny or how distribution costs break down, then to you I say, “Child, please.” I learned the vertical integration that is media conglomerates first hand, and, also, I know how to read. Plus, I have access to the Internet. And did I mention that I know how to read?
Didn”t you see that movie Erin Brockovich? It”s kind of like that, except less boob-tastic. It”s amazing how anyone can learn anything real quick nowadays. Even “just another starving artist”s. What”s more remarkable, however, is the ability for us to unlearn just as much, no matter the amount of time and money you put into training us up via billboards and TV spots.
Anyway, I don”t know why you think I”m the inferior asshole between the two of us: I”m not the one who gave Uwe Boll a career.
Audience, I have a fear of saying things that are limited in view or not researched enough: Mostly because I don”t want to be spewing out falsities and thus become that which I greatly dislike. I cannot research everything in the world in great depth however (although I break myself trying), nor can I be an expert on everything in the human constructed realm. I endeavor to be responsible and do admit when I”ve made a mistake, and always am game to explore the possibilities of truth and viable theories. There is always more to learn and unlearn. Yet once you see the big picture and as much of the crannies and specificities and know quite a bit, you may as well think aloud when fitting. Thus, I may begin to run my mouth more often. I do hope you”re as curious as I am, or else we are all in great trouble. Please do not allow your having read this or applauded the satire on The Daily Show or complained to your friends about product placement placate you into doing nothing.
la,
la,
la...
Yes, I posted an entry.
But don”t get used to anything.
Update
Well, no one will accuse me of not being timely: "Plan Would Ease Limits on Media Owners" (NY Times)
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