Robert DuSold

ACTORS EQUITY RESPONSE TO THE LARGEST SLAUGHTER OF JEWS SINCE THE HOLOCAUST:

Silence.

Actors Equity has been quite busy getting quite political in the last few years.. in many ways as a diversion to dwindling jobs for members and the union’s lack of a coherent strategy in dealing with Covid, the proliferation of non union tours, and other disasters.

If we just enthusiastically celebrate Bisexuality Day!, we might not notice the desolate landscape of theater today, the coffers running low and jobs disappearing.

Personally, I prefer my union to be a union….with the sole purpose of securing employment, pensions, higher wages and health and safety concerns.

When I have my delightful first cup of coffee in the morning and machete through my e-mail spam jungle, I’d rather not have a union I’ve supported for 40 years tell me to be mad at Andrew Cuomo or Celebrate Mom!

Anyway, that ship sailed a while ago.. and now I expect my dues to be stirred into a delightful pot of politics, admonitions and good old fashioned virtue signaling… it‘s all very X.

I’ve been off that juice for over a year now….

Do you hear it? Can you hear the deafening silence from a union that’s just sold what’s left of it’s soul?

I can.

I’m not going to detail the heinous, barbaric evil unleashed on innocent Israeli babies, children, old people, men, women, soldiers and animals by a group of depraved insane people … calling them terrorists seems too nice.

There’s no two sides, no equivalence and no justification for comparison.

If any come to mind … a little reminder while you’re reading this… the Hamas terrorists would shoot you right between your startled eyes too.

And your kids.

They’d do the same fucking thing to any one of us who feel compelled to politicize unimaginable evil.

Their sole mission is to kill Jews. Worldwide. And gay people too.

That’s it.

So, if you don’t feel… feel… for your Jewish friends first, for the world and for humanity.. or right at this moment you’re doing a “yes, but…” you are playing a game to protect yourself.

Ignorance is the board game where the players always lose.

If you’re afraid to offend someone by standing against atrocities overtly or you choose silence, you are supporting terror.

I find the pushback and silence appalling.

Actors Equity is silent.

That, my friends is antisemitism.

Simply.

When the choice is obvious, and necessary…

It is wrong.

The leadership of Actors Equity.. and the WGA… who do nothing but demand support from their members, need to be held accountable.

Cuz they’re running scared at the moment.. which is predictable. They are political entities now, by their own design.

And I just got my last bill to support the silence.

The silent antisemitism.

And the din of homophobia.

Any dues paying member deserves an explanation.

Anyone who supports theater deserves an explanation.

kshindle@actorsequity.org

Executive Director

AVincent@actorsequity.org

AEA President:

Chair of National Public Policy

slabarr@actorsequity.org

Head of Communications

dlevy@actorsequity.org

Time to talk.

I’ll look forward to the email…..