The TV actress said she would "happily" take a pay cut if it meant more people could afford to see her on stage.
I notice that nowhere does it say "she happily volunteered to do this for the Proletariat at minimum wage".
"Oh, la, it's so horrible making a living wage. Sure, I would work for less, if I had to. Oh, sorry, got to go, my Blackberry is calling me. We'll chat later about my pay ..."
What crap.
This self-congratulatory blather is more elitist than "give me £50 for a ticket." I've never paid that much for one. Not even the Phantom of the Opera production in Toronto. She's totally living in a financial disconnect with reality.
Sure, I know that theater tickets go for $100 (£50), which is probably cheap in some locations. I've seen great theater in Lansing & East Lansing. Paying $100 presumes that I want to go see some big-name production. Because I, as a connesieur of theater couldn't possibly be bored with the mundane production of Laundry and Bourbon by some Lansing theater group. And the production of Jesus Christ Superstar at Lansing Community College couldn't possibly have been better than the off-Broadway production in the big professional auditorium, could it? [well, parts were] Even the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, which is big-time, only charged $45 or $50 for great seats. I think we paid $30 for good ones.
And then she - and the rest of the throw $100 at a theater ticket crowd - can go pat themselves on the back for being One Of the People when they deign to visit one of the little theaters with such quaint productions.
It's not the price of a ticket. I don't care if you pay $250. I suppose it's possible that I might drop a hundred dollars for one, but I really can't imagine doing so. To see the Red Wings in the playoffs at The Joe? Hell, yes, I'd pay $100. But no one is expecting Chris Osgood to suddenly say "I'd take a pay cut if it meant making hockey more accessible".
It's the self-righteous superiority of "well, I would ..." Who the hell wants to make lower wages? I'm not taking a pay cut so that some company can make workplace safety "more accessible" and "less elitist". I'm sure KAS isn't going to take a pay cut so that some movie studio can make their tickets more accessible. By what? "I'll pay him $7.25/hr, and then we can charge $8.99999999999999999999999, rather than $9?"
The only people who prattle on about "elitistism" are either the elitists themselves, who don't want to be painted as such, or run-down disenfranchised marxists who are pissed that capitalism seems to work.
Exclusion Principle
2 days ago
1 comment:
Here's another tidbit to get your goat:
I heard at the Southdale bus stop today that the drivers are voting on a new contract today. If they reject it, they're talking about striking in a month. The last time they walked out, it was for 45 days and ruined my life the entire time.
So, I've never understood why bus drivers and mechanics aren't in the same situation as cops and firefighters, i.e. considered essential workers and therefore not allowed to strike. And in 2004, when they settled and I got a look at the agreement, I was shocked by the things they had been complaining about -- health care costs when their premiums were far less than $100 per month, for example. Geez, I wonder what they'd do if they joined the rest of us in paying far more than that for health insurance premiums. I sometimes think unions create an insulated and isolated community that loses sight of how their actions affect others. Sure, we all want a living wage, but not at the expense of someone else's living wage which is what happens when bus drivers strike. So for that reason, I view the drivers as being selfish and arrogant when they get going about union vs. management, contract disputes and strikes.
There was a TV reporter and cameraman at the Southdale bus stop interviewing bus riders for the evening news and that's how I found out about the situation. I told the reporter that I don't own a car so bus service is absolutely crucial for me.
But I think the drivers/mechanics will be shooting themselves in the foot if they decide to strike because with the price of gas what it is, more people ride the bus and therefore more people will be pissed off at them.
I really, really hope they don't strike.
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