The recent Writers’ Guild Strike recently joined by the Screen Actors’ Guild is a nice laboratory for humor in the wild. Before I get into the humorous signs that you see, let me just express my support of both unions. The creativity that writers and actors bring to our lives is unmatched. The entertainment industry makes a lot money and it seems reasonable to give people not just a living wage, but a wage that allows folks to thrive.
Humor’s power to make points and make them memorable has long been noted. Rhetoricians since at least the time of Plato have commented on the power of humor to win an audience. Cicero, the famous Roman orator and lawyer, wrote on the power of humor and what sorts are more effective and when you can use humor to maximum effect. The Earl of Shaftesbury was an ardent fan of humor and thought it was not only helpful in discourse, but also as a route to self-knowledge.
The humor in the picket signs casts quite a range. Some of it is quippy in nature as in the one asking about writer costing $10. It’s a nice reference to a TV show that writers and actors now on strike worked for. There are direct shots at CEO’s and the “work” they do. There’s even a clever reference to the famous movie Jaws.
One thing that I find interesting is and is a testament to the organizers, is that they created a generic strike sign and then allowed the individual space to write in their own message. This encourages creativity, makes people more engaged, and allows space for humor of all sorts. The organizers really hit it out of the part with that one.
You might not find yourself in a picket line anytime soon, but don’t let that discourage you from finding ways to be creative or use humor to convey your message. If you use humor to help you get your message across, it will be all the more effective and memorable.
Hard times create great humor. Bless the WGA and SAG-AFTRA!