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April Zhang
April Zhang

Opinion | Why striking Hollywood writers and actors should read Karl Marx’s Communist Manifesto

  • It would enable them to better understand that attacking the means of production – AI, in their case – does not help their cause
  • They need to focus on the relations of production and the capitalists in control: the production companies

Reading Time:3 minutes
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Members of the Hollywood actors’ union are seen at a picket line near an image of “Don’t Forget the Lyrics” host Niecy Nash outside Fox Studios on the first day of the actors’ strike on July 14 in Los Angeles, California. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
April Zhang
If Hollywood writers and actors could overcome their fear of communism and pick up a copy of The Communist Manifesto, they would have a better understanding of their situation.
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Americans have long regarded communism as the antithesis to democracy and American values. Decades were spent trying to eradicate communism at home. In the past few years, a new “red scare” has gripped the country due to China’s military and economic rise.
A recent opinion piece in The Wall Street Journal reflects how communism is received. Some teachers don’t want to teach communism for fear of subjecting Asian-American students to anti-Asian sentiment. After all, four out of the five remaining communist states are Asian – China, North Korea, Laos and Vietnam. The writer criticises these teachers and suggests that they focus on the crimes communists have committed.

Although communism left a blood trail, no one understands industrial strikes better than Karl Marx. The Communist Manifesto can still lend a theoretical understanding to what Hollywood writers and actors are fighting for.

Since May, Hollywood writers have been on strike. They were joined by actors earlier this month. It’s the first time in 63 years that writers and actors have walked out simultaneously to protect their rights. And their demands share similarities.
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Apart from pay disputes, writers and actors demand that artificial intelligence (AI) should not be used to replace them. Writers want AI such as ChatGPT to be used only as a research tool, not to write original scripts. Actors do not want their likenesses made available to AI without their consent or compensation.
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