Call Me Ishmael

“Call me Ishmael.”

And may I call you Ishmael, too, fellow performer. We are all together on this ride. But I am very concerned. We face a number of Captain Ahabs. I count them at 7 — and growing — and in a little over 48 hours, we shall see the result.

If you recall, the monomaniacal Ahab destroyed the Pequod, and Ishmael was the lone survivor.

#CallMeIshmael #CallYouIshmael #VoteYes

There is a fundamental misunderstanding that a no vote is a nifty little chance to “yes and” the terms of this negotiation. “Yes … we’ll take all those protections … and … we’ll also get these additional ones here on this new list of demands.”

A no vote will not position us to do that. There is no realistic path from a no vote to a significant improvement in our TV/film contract. On the other hand, a Yes vote locks in significant gains. I am sad and stressed these days because large losses (sadly, on the order of $100 million) are the most likely result from a no vote.

(Hey, if I’m proved wrong, I’ll gladly admit it! The leaders of the vote-no crew cannot say the same.)

And, to finish off this post, although the issues are extraordinarily serious, I hope there’s always room for a limerick:

The naysayers are at it again.
They say, “Nay, toss these gains in the bin.”
Although more’s desirous,
Let’s remember the virus,
And say, “Yay! Get these gains! Take the win!”