19 September 2017

Not Making a Fool of Yourself

This is a general note for creators, fans, and everyone else connected to the arts and entertainment industry.

Don't make a fool of yourself by believing one side of the story's public statements without checking the other position(s) when there's a public ownership or rights dispute… especially when the other side(s) has/have opposed those statements in public (such as court filings). Even if your own financial interests are in one side being "right"; even if one side is being painted as utterly evil by pseudonymous sources, or even well-respected sources; even, and perhaps especially, if one side plays either the poverty card or the vulnerable elder card. You will discover that much of the time — most of the time is not far off — Things Are Not What They Seem, and there's a textbook case of Seller's Remorse buried in there somewhere that will quite probably change your mind somewhat (even if only to "everybody screwed up").

If you're going to nonetheless go ahead with supporting one side despite the murkiness of the situation, at least name the other side correctly in your publicity and fundraising campaigns. Which, of course, requires actually reading the documents in question, which is just too damned much effort for some people. No matter what, though, don't trust anyone in the arts and entertainment industry at their word when they make public claims of either untold riches or profound poverty — look at the documents. And if the party making an emotional appeal over money can't or won't cough up the documents to support its own claims, think again.

<SARCASM> This has nothing whatsoever to do with any of several matters pending and/or recently adjudged in California and New York courts and arbitrations that you may have seen in the news. Nope: There's no relationship to specific matters at all. And I'd certainly never make statements like this from a position of actually knowing much about the relevant facts in some or all of those matters, because that would imply I have no respect for some of the parties and/or their lawyers. </SARCASM>