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December Commentary from George Spiro Dibie Why Should We Care? “No
man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent
… never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.” Our 75th anniversary celebration was a great success. Some 1,500 people attended the opening of our national headquarters in Los Angeles, including several congressmen who promised to help stem the tide of runaway production. We need all of the help we can get. The corporate conglomerates are calling the shots at the highest levels in government. Their assault on the middle class is taking a terrible toll. Three million middle class jobs were exported during the past three years. Millions of other Americans lost their savings because of dishonest stock manipulations. The conglomerates are also rolling back health care and other benefits for tens of millions of Americans. I have a special place in my heart for our neighbors who are walking picket lines in front of Vons and Albertsons supermarkets. The conglomerates want to slash their pay and health care benefits. They claim they can’t compete with discount chains. No wonder. Wal-Mart averages paying clerks around $6 an hour and stocks its shelves with goods made in autocratic third world countries, often by children working for a pittance in awful conditions. They hire illegal aliens as janitors and pay them less than minimum wage. Why should we care about the plight of supermarket checkers? Martin Niemoller answered that question when he addressed the U.S. Congress in 1946: “When Hitler attacked the Jews, I was not a Jew, therefore I was not concerned. And when Hitler attacked the Catholics, I was not a Catholic, and therefore I was not concerned. And when Hitler attacked the unions, I was not a member of the unions and I was not concerned. Then, Hitler attacked me and the Protestant church … and there was nobody left to be concerned.” U.S. troops rescued Neimoller from a concentration camp in 1944 only days before the Nazis planned to kill him. If he were alive today, I believe Martin Niemoller would be walking on the picket line with the supermarket checkers. These are very troubling times. Our sons and daughters, nephews and nieces, neighbors and friends are fighting for democracy in Iraq, while our government is using the misnamed Patriot’s Act to undermine our inalienable civil rights. We can pretend that the attack on the middle class and on our civil rights aren’t our problem. But, the reality is that John Donne was right. The bell is tolling for us. I would be remiss if I didn’t congratulate the editor and staff of our award-winning magazine. It is one of the best “how to” magazines in our industry and a priceless resource for all of our members. Every month, the world’s most talented filmmakers share insights and knowledge about how they created powerful and memorable images. That’s just part of the role our magazine plays. Michael Goi, ASC got it right when he said, “ICG Magazine is how the rest of the world sees us.” Our magazine is read by many producers, directors, assistant directors and other filmmakers. It is also used as a text at cinema schools, and as a reference by critics and journalists. ICG Magazine is also the keeper of our heritage. If you want to know how Charles Lang, Jr. ASC filmed A Farewell to Arms in 1933, chances are you can find the answers to your questions in our magazine library. During a recent negotiation with a major studio, they questioned our jurisdiction in a particular area and claimed it was never our role. They quickly conceded after we proved our case by showing them old issues of ICG Magazine. A member recently asked me what it cost to publish ICG Magazine? I told him it cost the price of a cup of café latte per member a month. What a great investment! Happy 75th anniversary, ICG Magazine! As always, I look forward to your comments and suggestions. Please e-mail them to me. George Spiro Dibie, ASC
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