Southpark: Internet Theoretical Dollars

Trey Parker and Matt Stone were nice enough to the Writer’s Guild of America to leave a short waiting period after the end of the writer’s strike to riff on the Hollywood standoff. “Southpark” Episode 1204, “Canada On Strike” mirrors the union action with the entire country of Canada picketing until it gains the appreciation of the rest of the world. When asked for what it wants? The WGA: World Canadian Bureau demands: “Money. Those Internet dollars.”

The boys post a music video on YouToob and go to what looks like an employment office to collect their money. In the waiting room, they encounter many Internet sensations including Tay Zonday, the Numa Numa guy, and the sneezing baby panda. They were all waiting for their millions in Internet theoretical dollars.

What moral does “Southpark” leave you with? Kyle said, “We thought we could make money on the Internet. But, while the Internet is new and exciting for creative people, it hasn’t matured as a distribution mechanism to the extent that warrants a trade of real and immediate income opportunities for the promise of future online revenue. It will be a few years before digital media distribution on the Internet can be monetized to an extent that necessitates content producers to forego their fair value in more traditional media.”

Meanwhile at Canada’s victory party, Terrance and Phillip, Canada’s comic TV duo, point out the cost of the strike to writers, uh Canadians.