Through with Drew? Let People Right Their Wrongs
Before anger overtakes you, let me back up. When, despite ongoing union strikes, she decided to bring her talk show back, Drew Barrymore didn’t only make me mad. She disappointed me in a way I didn’t think possible from someone I don’t personally know. Her decision betrayed the very people she claimed influenced her decision. To see such an affluent but also seemingly down-to-earth celebrity make such a short-sighted decision? It was gross. I chalked it up to, “No matter how nice someone seems, you don’t know them if you don’t know them.” And although she eventually made the right call, reversing her decision to return before the Hollywood strikes end, the damage she did isn’t automatically undone.
The Fremdschämen is Real
Barrymore’s cringeworthy announcement serves as a good, if not unpleasant, reminder: a person is not their persona. Maybe she’s nice, maybe she’s not. The reality is, like all humans, she’s probably both, and I have no way of knowing which way she typically leans. Though it may not be unusual to feel a connection to those we like in the public eye, it’s a superficial connection at best.
She could be selfishly thinking about her own success. It’s possible she was thinking her show would get canceled, and everyone would be out of a job before the strikes resolve. Perhaps she is thinking about the non-striking workers struggling to pay their bills. Maybe she is thinking she could truly bring the show back without violating the terms of the strikes. Being wrong isn’t the same as being an asshole.
At the end of the day, I want to give people the benefit of the doubt without letting naivety lead to poor decisions. It’s not an easy balance to strike, particularly when emotions and stakes are high. And as a Ranty Em-rule-of-thumb, I want to figure out what to do to get to the best possible outcome. While I am by no means an expert on the WGA or SAG-AFTRA strikes, fighting for fair compensation and reasonable working conditions is a fight worth supporting. And if one group is struggling to make a livable wage and the opposing group has $500 million yachts, I’m inclined to side with the former. And if you’re calling me a “damn socialist” for that, then I hope an orca makes friends with your ridiculous boat.
When You’ve Closed the Sale, Stop Selling
The backlash against Barrymore (and subsequently Bill Maher) was swift and ubiquitous. She issued a terrible apology, doubled down, and reversed course, supplementing with a better apology, all within a week. As per usual, online commenters were cruel, some staying on topic, others getting pointlessly personal. Generally speaking, I’m not a fan of public shaming, and it’s something I have written about and will likely continue to write about. This is not to say I don’t think bad behavior should be called out. I do. It was. And hey, it worked! Drew Barrymore righted her wrong. Whether she did it because she better understood the implications of her initial decision or because people were mean, her critics wanted her to reconsider, and she did (soon followed by Bill Maher). So we’re good, right?
Not exactly.
Because her actions seem so incongruous with her persona, a rift formed. Trust broke. She should know better. Maybe she’s not who we thought she was. As I said in the beginning, reversing her decision doesn’t automatically undo the damage. It’s reasonable to be guarded and expect her to prove she understands that she was subverting the effectiveness of the strike she claimed to support. However, to do so, we must pause. The online outrage targeting her hasn’t stopped. And to what end? To vent? To shame her into oblivion?
To those she betrayed, it may feel justified to continue targeting her. It may even feel innocuous. It’s anonymous, afterall. And while I appreciate the well-founded anger strike supports have, continuing to berate Barrymore is counterproductive. It could backfire. For whatever her reasons, she did the right thing. When you close the sale, stop selling.
Perfection Isn’t the Only Enemy of Progress
This will not be the last labor dispute to face the Writer’s Guild of America. It certainly won’t be the last in Hollywood. Recently, Marvel’s visual effects workers voted to unionize. Overall, U.S. unionization is on the rise. Fights for workers rights are difficult, and the odds are often in favor of those with power. So if someone like Drew Barrymore continues to be the target of online venom, even after she’s righted her wrong, why would she listen to the critics in the future? If you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t, then you’re probably just going to rely on your gut… which in these situations, is notoriously unreliable.
Moreover, isn’t this what the unions want from the studios? Let’s face it: studio executives aren’t going to have an Ebenezer Scrooge-like conscious awakening. These are the same execs who allegedly stated their plans to “starve out” union members so they’ll “think twice about striking” in the future. And given the Tim Gurners of the world – millionaires who claim poverty is caused by too much avocado toast and who want unemployment to skyrocket so that workers will be grateful for the crumbs employers will offer – I’m unwilling to blindly assume the best about the studio executives and their intentions. Benefit of the doubt sans naivety, remember.
If studio executives are to return to the negotiating table in good faith, it’s going to be financially motivated. The fact that Drew Barrymore was pressured into postponing her show’s return demonstrates what works. But continuing to attack her sends a different message to her and to studios. Instead of highlighting the victory, it undermines the movement and its goals. There is a lot of space between welcoming Barrymore back with open arms and firing relentless vitriol in her direction. May I recommend a strong, silent side-eye? Or perhaps embrace your inner Maya-Rudolph-as-Kamala-Harris-skeptic?
Prioritize Outcomes over Outrage
Once again, I’m not here to diminish the justified anger strike supporters feel toward Drew Barrymore or Bill Maher. As a recovering online rage addict, I know how alluring it is to stay mad and to vent it out into the ether. Of course, I also know how ineffective it is. And when we’re talking about fighting against exploitation and for the right to earn a livable wage, effectiveness trumps instant gratification. Drew Barrymore is not done with her apology tour, but she’s off to a good start. When future negotiations approach, I have no doubt she will remember what prompted her to adjust her behavior – and how people reacted to that change.
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