I'm perhaps not the best person to speak on this matter, because I am in the entertainment industry myself. I believe that Stalin said "Give them bread and circuses." Although the entertainment industry is a complete luxury, it also serves as a major distraction that takes our mind off the issues of the day. Even important social commentary that finds voice through the top tier of entertainment options either gets passed over on our way to the next joke, song or scene, or gets lost in a thicket of other ideas and images that take the edge off the salient point. I heard a newscaster tell of the editorial rules governing their delivery of "truth". They said, "Whenever the camera is on me, I cannot say anything incriminating about anyone. As soon as we go to cutaway shots of fires, disasters or mayhem, I can name names and tell the more of the truth. This one disclosure speaks volumes about the entertainment value of news. If we think that there is a place to find unvarnished truth, chances are we have not yet found it. some of us are finding that the only real truth lies somewhere outside our created world of smoke and mirrors.
I have found a way to support myself on less and less income as the economy has slid into the doldrums, but the entertainment industry is still going great guns as if there no tomorrow. Of course, there have been some changes over time. I heard a recent estimate from a touring company that each semi costs about $100,000 per year to lease and operate. The days of the twenty six truck show are probably gone for good. One recent addition to the tour packages that we see coming through our mid-sized city is the "sponsorship". It seems that there is no end to products that can benefit from being placed next to the names of stars. I'm still waiting for a grunge band to show up sponsored by Unilever or a death metal show sponsored by Mormons, but oddly enough, sugary sweet treat companies love to sponsor country artists and the logos of multinational corporate brands are on the offing at the majority of shows. a friend recently said after a week-long gig that he had an uncanny urge to buy Geico insurance, eat Snickers bars and wash them down with Pepsi after a recent gig for which hundreds of yards of banners bearing those corporate logos were put up because the show was to be televised.
Little serious consideration is given to our crippling problems while we are being entertained. I think the last time I saw an attempt being made to get people involved in solving problems while entertaining them was in the eighties during and after a concert by Steve Miller. One might also include such megastar studded shows as Farm Aid or periodic concerts that seek to raise funds for discreet concerns, such as the concert for Eritrea, but the overarching problems of class, hate and war are often avoided like the plague. In fact the wrapping of performers in the flag has become a completely acceptable way to boost market share, although the very things that our flag represents can be disposed of as quickly as our attention turns to the exit signs when the show is over. Now that corporations are assumed to have "free speech", the problem will only get worse. Many in the entertainment industry realize that most of our days are spent making silk purses out of sow's ears, but the fascination people have with fame comes at a desperate price.
Remember last year? Remember how bad things were? Right now, things are even worse. If we keep on this same track, we cannot expect change to come. Insanity, it is said, is trying the same thing over and over again while hoping that the outcome will be different. If that is true, humans must be insane. The changes that are coming need to be drastic and quick if we are to have a chance at survival. According to the U.S. Census, median incomes range from under $38,000 in Arkansas to nearly $67,000 in New Hampshire can there really be justification for salaries of over a million dollars per year? The Forbes listing of the 400 richest people in America (the poorest of which still has a net worth of over one billion dollars) came out recently and many have sliced and diced the numbers in a variety of ways. The most telling way that I found to decipher the meaning behind the madness is to divide the median income into the net worth of the ultra wealthy that are listed by Forbes.Keep in mind that the top echelons of the ultra wealthy are worth over twenty times as much as the bottom tier, but to keep the numbers workable, I figured how long it would take the median wage earner to amass the fortunes that are enumerated for those at the bottom of the list. To make a billion dollars at the median income of folks from New Hampshire would take 14,925 years. For those unlucky enough to be from Arkansas, it will take quite a bit longer, 26,315 years. Keep in mind, this is only going to allow you into the billionaire club if you spend no money that whole time, or get really lucky with investments. There are quite a few younger folks entering the realm of the ultra rich, but let us say that the net worth grew over a fifty year lifespan, which a few of the old timers on the list have had. In this scenario, these folks making it to just one billion dollars of net worth are making as much as 298.5 "average" folks from New Hampshire, or as much as 526.3 "median income" people from Arkansas.
You can see why the fiddling is so important. Few would stand for being at the bottom of such a system, but by hook or by crook, the wealthy get more and those of us who try to keep our heads above water are left to fend for ourselves. at this very moment I am writing to you from a home that is owned by the bank, leased to me for two and a half times market value and if I find a way to keep my head above water for twenty more years, they will let me have it. My entire net worth was tied to this house and several years ago, I lost 1/3 of the value right off the top. The "money" was all on paper, but I went from a participant in the economy to sitting on the sidelines almost overnight. Now I am spending more time and money just staying even which leaves nothing for investment or savings. If I knew how to play an instrument, at least I would have something to do other than write about it.
I have found a way to support myself on less and less income as the economy has slid into the doldrums, but the entertainment industry is still going great guns as if there no tomorrow. Of course, there have been some changes over time. I heard a recent estimate from a touring company that each semi costs about $100,000 per year to lease and operate. The days of the twenty six truck show are probably gone for good. One recent addition to the tour packages that we see coming through our mid-sized city is the "sponsorship". It seems that there is no end to products that can benefit from being placed next to the names of stars. I'm still waiting for a grunge band to show up sponsored by Unilever or a death metal show sponsored by Mormons, but oddly enough, sugary sweet treat companies love to sponsor country artists and the logos of multinational corporate brands are on the offing at the majority of shows. a friend recently said after a week-long gig that he had an uncanny urge to buy Geico insurance, eat Snickers bars and wash them down with Pepsi after a recent gig for which hundreds of yards of banners bearing those corporate logos were put up because the show was to be televised.
Little serious consideration is given to our crippling problems while we are being entertained. I think the last time I saw an attempt being made to get people involved in solving problems while entertaining them was in the eighties during and after a concert by Steve Miller. One might also include such megastar studded shows as Farm Aid or periodic concerts that seek to raise funds for discreet concerns, such as the concert for Eritrea, but the overarching problems of class, hate and war are often avoided like the plague. In fact the wrapping of performers in the flag has become a completely acceptable way to boost market share, although the very things that our flag represents can be disposed of as quickly as our attention turns to the exit signs when the show is over. Now that corporations are assumed to have "free speech", the problem will only get worse. Many in the entertainment industry realize that most of our days are spent making silk purses out of sow's ears, but the fascination people have with fame comes at a desperate price.
Remember last year? Remember how bad things were? Right now, things are even worse. If we keep on this same track, we cannot expect change to come. Insanity, it is said, is trying the same thing over and over again while hoping that the outcome will be different. If that is true, humans must be insane. The changes that are coming need to be drastic and quick if we are to have a chance at survival. According to the U.S. Census, median incomes range from under $38,000 in Arkansas to nearly $67,000 in New Hampshire can there really be justification for salaries of over a million dollars per year? The Forbes listing of the 400 richest people in America (the poorest of which still has a net worth of over one billion dollars) came out recently and many have sliced and diced the numbers in a variety of ways. The most telling way that I found to decipher the meaning behind the madness is to divide the median income into the net worth of the ultra wealthy that are listed by Forbes.Keep in mind that the top echelons of the ultra wealthy are worth over twenty times as much as the bottom tier, but to keep the numbers workable, I figured how long it would take the median wage earner to amass the fortunes that are enumerated for those at the bottom of the list. To make a billion dollars at the median income of folks from New Hampshire would take 14,925 years. For those unlucky enough to be from Arkansas, it will take quite a bit longer, 26,315 years. Keep in mind, this is only going to allow you into the billionaire club if you spend no money that whole time, or get really lucky with investments. There are quite a few younger folks entering the realm of the ultra rich, but let us say that the net worth grew over a fifty year lifespan, which a few of the old timers on the list have had. In this scenario, these folks making it to just one billion dollars of net worth are making as much as 298.5 "average" folks from New Hampshire, or as much as 526.3 "median income" people from Arkansas.
You can see why the fiddling is so important. Few would stand for being at the bottom of such a system, but by hook or by crook, the wealthy get more and those of us who try to keep our heads above water are left to fend for ourselves. at this very moment I am writing to you from a home that is owned by the bank, leased to me for two and a half times market value and if I find a way to keep my head above water for twenty more years, they will let me have it. My entire net worth was tied to this house and several years ago, I lost 1/3 of the value right off the top. The "money" was all on paper, but I went from a participant in the economy to sitting on the sidelines almost overnight. Now I am spending more time and money just staying even which leaves nothing for investment or savings. If I knew how to play an instrument, at least I would have something to do other than write about it.
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