Don't Blame Me
There's a warning before a lot of DVDs start to play. You've probably seen it hundreds of times, and ignore it along with the piracy warning:
"The views expressed in this DVD's commentary reflect those of the individuals expressing them, and not those of Twentieth Century Fox or its subsidiaries."
What does this imply? It says that the production or distribution company (in this case, Twentieth Century Fox) is keeping the film and its makers at arms length. It says, "We could care less about this movie, but it sounded profitable on paper, so we made it and hoped that people would pay for it."
It makes production companies sound like moneymen. Yes, I know that's what they're supposed to be, but it's disconcerting that they seem to care so little about what they're making, so long as it makes money. It's like an asset manager choosing stocks and saying, "Look, if the CEO says something offensive in the company's biennial statement, it's not my fault."
He's right; it's not his fault. Most of us know that. But a few people will hear something offensive in the commentary on a DVD, and they'll be offended enough to get angry at the studio that produced the film. The warning on the DVD won't prevent that from happening.
What it does offer is deniability. When the attorney wield their billable hours, it offers a place to hide. And deep down, I know why the warning is there: their lawyers made 'em do it. If the assistant director says something in the commentary that could be construed as anti-Semitic, for example, well, that could result in a lawsuit. I get it.
But when people talk about "evil corporations", they're alluding to the "Don't blame me" mentality, and the tendency of larger organizations to shoulder off responsibility when they lose control of what their employees are doing in the trenches. That's not just the case with movie studios, but with any large company that's grown past it ability to manage its own workforce.
A large part of what instills trust, and what makes people like you, is the ability on your part to accept some blame. If you're a company, that's part of what we pay you for.
"The views expressed in this DVD's commentary reflect those of the individuals expressing them, and not those of Twentieth Century Fox or its subsidiaries."
What does this imply? It says that the production or distribution company (in this case, Twentieth Century Fox) is keeping the film and its makers at arms length. It says, "We could care less about this movie, but it sounded profitable on paper, so we made it and hoped that people would pay for it."
It makes production companies sound like moneymen. Yes, I know that's what they're supposed to be, but it's disconcerting that they seem to care so little about what they're making, so long as it makes money. It's like an asset manager choosing stocks and saying, "Look, if the CEO says something offensive in the company's biennial statement, it's not my fault."
He's right; it's not his fault. Most of us know that. But a few people will hear something offensive in the commentary on a DVD, and they'll be offended enough to get angry at the studio that produced the film. The warning on the DVD won't prevent that from happening.
What it does offer is deniability. When the attorney wield their billable hours, it offers a place to hide. And deep down, I know why the warning is there: their lawyers made 'em do it. If the assistant director says something in the commentary that could be construed as anti-Semitic, for example, well, that could result in a lawsuit. I get it.
But when people talk about "evil corporations", they're alluding to the "Don't blame me" mentality, and the tendency of larger organizations to shoulder off responsibility when they lose control of what their employees are doing in the trenches. That's not just the case with movie studios, but with any large company that's grown past it ability to manage its own workforce.
A large part of what instills trust, and what makes people like you, is the ability on your part to accept some blame. If you're a company, that's part of what we pay you for.