I just found an article on Backstage (which I found quite interesting that they posted this) about how contrary to what the Writer’s Guild has done, the 3 actor’s unions (SAG, AFTRA, and AEA) are not taking any sort of stance on the Occupy Wall Street Movement. Each Union stated their views of individual freedom and expression, and that their main concern was supporting and looking out for union members, no matter what. “Although AFTRA has not endorsed the Occupy Wall Street protests, we are supportive of the AFL-CIO’s work on the underlying issues related to jobs and the economy,” said Tom Carpenter, AFRTA’s PR director. And although I do really support and agree with the Occupy Wall Street movement on a personal level, I do have to say that I really appreciate what the actor unions are doing. I know, I KNOW many actors, theatre people, and performs fall under the 99% category, and probably make up the majority of each of these unions, but I really like that the unions are keeping their image open to both sides alike. I sometimes (well, a lot of the time) feel like “AGH! NO ONE UNDERSTANDS ME AND MY COMMUNITY AND WHAT WE DO,” and I think that these unions taking a neutral stance really opens up people’s minds to the thought that everything theatre and tv can be more than just crackpot liberal. It is the individual’s right and responsibility to express themselves, not a union’s. And thank god these unions still believe and practice that. Can you imagine being a part of some union and having them endorse and support something you totally TOTALLY don’t believe in? Regardless of the cause, I think a neutral stance is a very, very smart thing to do.
http://www.backstage.com/bso/content_display/news-and-features/e3if315d8d581fbd92cc657d5fa55ceb6d9
