Confession is good for the Hype. - - - - - - Part 15

[InCali]

The older I get, as a silver spoon brat, the more I realize just how out of touch I am financially with most people.

This comes partly in the form of not understanding at all what people’s hang-ups are with financial incentives (I just know that hearing complaining about it sounds like scratching on a chalkboard to me).

Whether that’s people who pay for the standard streaming service having to deal with commercials while those who pay more for the higher service don’t OR people complaining that those who pay for the DLC get more of the game than they do.

To me, one simply gets what they pay for and financial incentives are to boost a company’s profits (which business wise is common sense).

Basically due to my experiences it sounds at best like not understanding businesses are meant to earn a profit and at worse as envy. It’s just annoying to listen to and a massive disconnect. Largely stemming from economic class differences.

Well, I confess that it pisses me off when I pay for a streaming service and they charge extra for something they produced.

I don't mind PPV on my cable service.....in fact I appreciate it.

 

[Erzengel]

When it come to finances, I like to tell people:

View attachment 87816

But that’s just me.

 

[Lily Adler]

Why didn't Reed make a fireproof tux for Johnny?

 

[Cap2024]

Well, I confess that it pisses me off when I pay for a streaming service and they charge extra for something they produced.

I don't mind PPV on my cable service.....in fact I appreciate it.

Unsure what you could be referring to --

If it's per Black Widow or Cruella DeVille having same day releases that's because if they release it for free, everyone will stay home and watch it that way. Business wise companies can't do that or they will literally lose profit (which they need to stay afloat and continue producing more content). It also doesn't make sense to release it for under ten dollars since at home there would be many cases where many people would opt to watch it in groups - thus the need to make it more than the price of just one ticket.

Per commercials - the way I look at it is this, the company found a need to raise prices to bring in profit yet they also know that not everyone will pay as much as they're asking. Thus, the lower tier commercial plan is basically a compromise: "you can have it for less, but you also need to have commercials as those advertisers are footing part of the bill for you." It's a very understandable compromise. People oddly even whined that Disney Plus was released a lower priced option that had commercials since they believed that price should be for the non-commercial option instead.

As long as it's consumer and customer choice - I don't see any issue at all. These are businesses.

This is what I mentioned in the Disney Plus reference, when news first broke that there would be a cheaper plan (just with commercials) - people freaked out.

Disney Expects Most Disney+ Subscribers Will Take Its Cheaper Ad-Based Plan

Disney anticipates that over the long term, the majority of customers for Disney+ will pick the lower-cost, ad-supported plan.

variety.com

 

[Cap2024]

I find it's best to tell people to save money not to suck it up and spend more because you don't know people's financial situation. I also try not to overshare on things I do, purchase or experience, mostly cause I'm somewhat private but also, I don't want to feel I'm bragging.

Exactly - save money. Not everything is meant for everyone - not everything can be for everyone; one needs to choose what they want.

One recent instance that annoyed me is people being outraged and complaining that Insomniac dared to put out an expensive collector's edition with a statue for Spider-Man 2. Going as far as claiming and acting like the price for the game (not game and statue) was over $200. It's like these days no company can add financial incentives (a common business practice for every business) without people being outraged over it... it's just... odd. Why be disingenuous acting like the price for the game is $200 when in reality that is the price for the game and a statue. I just don't get it.

 

[Babillygunn]

Companies are free to add financial incentives. Companies are free to sell advertising spaces on their platforms. And consumers are free to complain about the marketing and the changing schematics. And you are free to look down on us plebeians and not pay attention to people when we yearn for the previous business models.

Also I’m free to pretend that I’m Ric Flair when I talk about finances

 

[Erzengel]

Why didn't Reed make a fireproof tux for Johnny?

But it wouldn't be Dolce.

 

[Cap2024]

Companies are free to add financial incentives. Companies are free to sell advertising spaces on their platforms. And consumers are free to complain about the marketing and the changing schematics. And you are free to look down on us plebeians and not pay attention to people when we yearn for the previous business models.

Also I’m free to pretend that I’m Ric Flair when I talk about finances

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People absolutely do have the ability to complain - just, as said, to me it's like listening to cats scratching on a chalk board. It comes across as envy to me.

I think what pushed me over the line is this -

During Covid so many people were screaming for film companies to release their theatrical films for no additional cost on their or other streaming platforms. Stating "you have the content, we're already paying for access to your video library and other new content, just give us your theatrical films for free!"

Not taking into account that box office typically impacts a studio's bottom line (therefore staffing), employee residuals (not to mention studios are still screwing over everyone who worked on a film when it comes to residuals and streaming; then they had the nerve to complain about Scarlett suing Disney when she was a freaking HERO for doing so (as that didn't impact just her but everyone across the line)), what sequels get made, and so on -

People just wanted (pardon my French) "free ****" - while not caring how that impacted people behind the scenes - dealing with listening to that **** for years is what did me in. People just want "free ****" while not caring how that impacts profit and therefore employees.

 

[Erzengel]

It's called entitlement and a lot of people have it regardless of their financial status.

 

[Cap2024]

It's called entitlement and a lot of people have it regardless of their financial status.

I call it selfishness pure and simple (with a dash of greed and perhaps envy (ie. they seem to view everyone in the film industry (or content creation industry overall) as being multi-millionaires when that's far from the case)) - wanting free things while acting like they don't care at all about how that impacts employees.

I hope it's more that these people simply can't understand how them wanting "free ****" impacts employees rather than just not caring.

 

[ComicChick]

I find it's best to tell people to save money not to suck it up and spend more because you don't know people's financial situation. I also try not to overshare on things I do, purchase or experience, mostly cause I'm somewhat private but also, I don't want to feel I'm bragging.

same

 

[ComicChick]

People just wanted (pardon my French) "free ****" - while not caring how that impacted people behind the scenes - dealing with listening to that **** for years is what did me in. People just want "free ****" while not caring how that impacts profit and therefore employees.

don't ever check out /ChoosingBeggars on Reddit. the audacity some people have is mindblowing. i check it out every now and then to get a solid reality check

Edit: I didn’t fully realize what we were talking about. I thought we were talking about entitlement in a completely different way

 

[Cap2024]

don't ever check out /ChoosingBeggars on Reddit. the audacity some people have is mindblowing. i check it out every now and then to get a solid reality check

I left social media entirely. This is the only site I turn to now. Just to ignore the whole running into Trump voters during the 2024 election cycle and everyone calling even my existence (queer) being shown in any form of media as "woke gay agenda" etc. Life has been a lot healthier since then.

 

[Babillygunn]

Wow. You guys surprise me on here. I have always thought that it is within the rights of the consumer to be able to complain about corporations raising prices while delivering diminished services. I never would have called such a thing selfish or entitled or $*** talking.

I also don’t think that the correlation between lost profits and lost wages/jobs for lower level employees are as straight a line as you guys make it out to be. There are way too many variables and there are corporate fat cats who are too willing to hurt the little man to bolster their own pockets. That’s why you have David Zaslav making $245 million in 2021 yet he lays off 200 WB employees who are line level employees. That’s more on the Board of Directors for paying him that salary than it is on consumers for simply complaining about the product that was being put out.

All that to say, I do agree that it is tiresome hearing people insult people in the entertainment industry, saying that they all “make too much money.” That’s just a right wing whistle for political envy.

 

[Cap2024]

Wow. You guys surprise me on here. I have always thought that it is within the rights of the consumer to be able to complain about corporations raising prices while delivering diminished services. I never would have called such a thing selfish or entitled or $*** talking.

I also don’t think that the correlation between lost profits and lost wages/jobs for lower level employees are as straight a line as you guys make it out to be. There are way too many variables and there are corporate fat cats who are too willing to hurt the little man to bolster their own pockets. That’s why you have David Zaslav making $245 million in 2021 yet he lays off 200 WB employees who are line level employees. That’s more on the Board of Directors for paying him that salary than it is on consumers for simply complaining about the product that was being put out.

All that to say, I do agree that it is tiresome hearing people insult people in the entertainment industry, saying that they all “make too much money.” That’s just a right wing whistle for political envy.

There's a difference between freedom of speech (people can say whatever they want) and others being able to call them out for it. It goes both ways.

Try having someone walk into the business you work in and then scream for handouts or to have what your company supplies for noticeably less and then complains when they don't get them. Whenever a company doesn't earn enough profits, it's always unfortunately bottom up rather than top down that typically suffers for it. There are many variables, but bottom up rather than top down is typically across the board.

What really especially irks me is people demanding for films to go to streaming when studios are known to screw us creatives over in terms of residuals when it is streaming related. Streaming and the way Warners is now both scare me.

Even screenwriters don't get paid what people think. Let's just say I sold a script, it aired on major television stations around the world (such as channel five) and I got paid.... between 10 and 20 thousand for it - with no residuals. While I'm lucky to be from a well-off family, what I make would still be considered "starving artist" territory. People have a really off view on how much people in the industry actually make. Branching off on my own, I'm hoping to get a much better deal the next time around. I can't say much more than that.

Adding: if anyone's wondering, a major industry editor also worked on it. I'll say one of his credits includes an installment in a very well-known family "horror" oriented animated film (ex: Hotel Transylvania) that was widely released in theaters sometime over the last ten years. Even at that level - payment isn't what people expect.

 

[Babillygunn]

There's a difference between freedom of speech (people can say whatever they want) and others being able to call them out for it. It goes both ways.

Try having someone walk into the business you work in and then scream for handouts or to have what your company supplies for noticeably less and then complains when they don't get them. Whenever a company doesn't earn enough profits, it's always unfortunately bottom up rather than top down that typically suffers for it. There are many variables, but bottom up rather than top down is typically across the board.

What really especially irks me is people demanding for films to go to streaming when studios are known to screw us creatives over in terms of residuals when it is streaming related. Streaming and the way Warners is now both scare me.

Even screenwriters don't get paid what people think. Let's just say I sold a script, it aired on major television stations around the world (such as channel five) and I got paid.... between 10 and 20 thousand for it - with no residuals. While I'm lucky to be from a well-off family, what I make would still be considered "starving artist" territory. People have a really off view on how much people in the industry actually make. Branching off on my own, I'm hoping to get a much better deal the next time around. I can't say much more than that.

Yeah. We won’t reach an accord on this discussion.

I don’t know how a thread about confessions turned into people thinking that consumers shouldn’t complain when they are charged more and get less. They should just suck it up and say “thank you” to the corporate fat cats who would screw over screenwriters and actors and various other low level employees regardless of whether they were making profits or not.

Anyway, this discussion is not going anywhere so

I’m out!


But a confession on the way out the door:
I once peed in a coworker’s office plant while working on a weekend.

 

[Cap2024]

Yeah. We won’t reach an accord on this discussion.

I don’t know how a thread about confessions turned into people thinking that consumers shouldn’t complain when they are charged more and get less. They should just suck it up and say “thank you” to the corporate fat cats who would screw over screenwriters and actors and various other low level employees regardless of whether they were making profits or not.

Anyway, this discussion is not going anywhere so
View attachment 87909
I’m out!


But a confession on the way out the door:
I once peed in a coworker’s office plant while working on a weekend.

Not just regardless, when there's less profits - the ones who feel the brunt first is always bottom up. It's basically nearly impossible to "stick it to the man" as "the man" rarely gets hurt rather he just takes it out on everyone else.

I can say I'm relieved I'm not the only one on my side of this "debate" though on here or anywhere (I initially thought I would be and therefore confessing a rare viewpoint towards customers (ie. the customer isn't always right)).

 

[Babillygunn]

Back to what’s important:

 

[Cap2024]

Back to what’s important:

View attachment 87923

You did? How do you know where I live? (sarcasm)

 

[InCali]

I confess that when I started to read the latest posts on this thread that my eyes glazed over, I took a few shots of whiskey, and....................

 

[ComicChick]

I confess it infuriates me how much ignorance some of my relatives post on social media. Just complete fake trash they think it true from shoddy websites and how it’s 100% truth no matter how easily you can refute it.

I also confess I’m so disappointed I allowed myself to get pulled into an argument over one of the topics tonight.
I guess I should’ve posted this in the I Hate Everything thread instead.

 

[Lily Adler]

I confess I want to start a meme where we randomly redo TV openings with the Perfect Strangers theme.

 

[Erzengel]

I confess I want to start a meme where we randomly redo TV openings with the Perfect Strangers theme.

There's currently a meme that you can put any 80s & 90s sitcom opening to the end of credits of Predator.

 

[Hobgoblin]

I want to donate some letters that a friend of mine sent me from when he served in Iraq. The local historical society would like them but he warned me against publishing anything that he said. Insurgents look for any information regarding soldiers and their families. Granted the letters are nearly twenty years old but it’s a risk, especially regarding some of the things he said.

 

[InCali]

I confess it infuriates me how much ignorance some of my relatives post on social media. Just complete fake trash they think it true from shoddy websites and how it’s 100% truth no matter how easily you can refute it.

I also confess I’m so disappointed I allowed myself to get pulled into an argument over one of the topics tonight.
I guess I should’ve posted this in the I Hate Everything thread instead.

“Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.”​

― Mark Twain

We, however, are not onlookers