January 23rd, 2009: "A Public Downsizing"

[Citi]

Artur seems to be doing well at his company. Actually now that I think about it I haven't been reading any downsizing reports from pharmaceutical companies like Pharmateque.

In reality, we all know how many jobs have been lost over the last few years. Every day there are new reports of this company cutting thousands of jobs and that company cutting thousands of jobs. It's disheartening to say the least. I know our new President has only been on the job a matter of hours but when you see these news stories it's hard to not look back at the folks slipping away to Crawford and wonder what they were doing the last eight years. That anger tends to get in the way of any hope I may have for the future.

And despite some chowder heads suggesting that the video game industry is recession proof I have to say that of all the industries laying people off I think the gaming industry is one of the hardest hit. At the very least it tends to be a lot more public.

As a part of the entertainment industry, gaming company project managers and CEOs sometime achieve a near "rock star" status within the fan base. Take Cliffy "B" for instance. Creator of the oft maligned, tragically broken and highly successful "Gears of War" series. Usually obnoxious nicknames are relegated to the music industry but here we have a man whose fan base has grown comfortable referring to him by the same name his cabin mates at Camp Wannahumpa probably used when he was a kid.

This public spotlight, plus the fact that almost everyone working for the gaming industry is a huge nerd (and I say that with envy) means that when a gaming company starts having financial problems; everyone hears about it.

By comparison, when Warner Brothers cuts its staff you don't have grips and best boys bemoaning their job loss on the internet (or maybe you do and I'm not reading the right message boards). But in the gaming industry, every ugly little detail comes out

And speaking of the movie industry: what the hell? I know "The Dark Knight" was a "superhero, comic book movie" or whatever but it was an awesome achievement in scripting and film making; not to mention pacing and acting and special effects and everything else. From what I've seen of these supposed Oscar votes it seems like the only way to get a nomination for acting in a comic book movie is if you off yourself shortly thereafter. Benjamin fudgeing Buttons? "Oh Brad Pitt he's so dreamy." Give me a break people. If you all want to do Shakespeare in the park and kiss F. Scott Fitzgerald's ass then so be it. They are your awards and you can give them to anyone you want. But don't think that those of us with a brain in our heads don't know that your reasoning is pretentious not to mention preposterous. This sort of nonsense makes me firmly believe that had Heath Ledger not done himself in he wouldn't have gotten nominated at all. And that's some serious snobbery because the man "WAS' the Joker. He inhabited that role in a way actors aspire to their entire lives.

I just hope 30 years from now when people are still looking back at "Knight" as the classic it is someone looks up the Oscar nominations and says "Benjamin Buttons? What the hell is a Benjamin Buttons?"

It occurs to me that I forgot to give you a quote yesterday. Sorry. Here's a good one for the weekend. If you have a chance you should check out the whole song; lyrical genius. The first time I heard it I had to go look up misanthrope. A song that teaches you new words is often a good sign in my opinion.

See you back here Monday. Have a good one.

Good Morning Mr. Misanthrope
I sure do hope
You remember our terms

Good Morning! By Duncan Sheik off the album "Daylight"