Why I’m Not Here For Unpaid Internships
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Summer movie news is usually dominated by talk of the latest blockbuster or trailer for the next great Oscar contender, but just this past week news broke that could have profound impact on more than just films. Via The New York Times, a judge has ruled in favor of the two unpaid Black Swan interns who sued Fox Searchlight for compensation. I’ve seen many opinions regarding the case over these here interwebs ranging from those who think this is a good thing to those who bemoan the case. Therefore, it is only fitting that I throw my hat in the ring.
As the title of this post states, I am not here for unpaid internships so count me in the number of people who are happy this case went as it did. Now I must say that before we get to deep in this, that I’m totally okay with unpaid internships equaling college credit. At least that way you are getting some value above just experience.
There wouldn’t be an issue with unpaid internships/apprenticeships if they offered tangible plans towards getting real world experience. On paper, these are a good way to get into something on the ground floor, but when you look at what’s being offered, it just doesn’t seem to be worth it. Take a gander at the tasks these two film interns had:
…the interns took lunch orders, answered phones, arranged other employees’ travel plans, tracked purchase orders, took out the trash and assembled office furniture…
So…what about that is anything relating to actual film work? That’s standard assistant work that could be done ANYWHERE. There’s nothing in this that is specific to a film set, no practical experience other than showing someone you can do menial tasks well.
But many will say, oh if you love something you’ll do it for free. Um, no sirs and ma’ams that’s not how it works. This saying is simple a metaphor for how if you enjoy something you’ll get a positive trade off. The concept of an unpaid internship in any economic climate is something that is preposterous and apprenticeships, like the word lady, are remnants of another time. I love to write, and I’m currntly doing it for free, but I have a job so I can eat and pay my damn bills. The notion that because someone isn’t willing to do a JOB for free means they don’t want it bad enough is a crock of shit. If something you are working for is turning a profit then you deserve to be paid. Simple as that.
The bigger issue regarding unpaid internships is that they systematically perpetuate classism and privilege. Many of these unpaid internships are in locations where the average rent of a one bedroom apartment is easily $1800 and up. Now with that knowledge, why on God’s green earth would you think it is 1. okay to work for free with that kind of life facing you and 2. that this would allow anyone other than people with wealth or connections to prosper? Not everyone has a couch of a family member, or the ability to stay on their parents dime while working, or more importantly, come from a community that sees this as an option.
It’s no secret that the writing and film industries are lacking for diversity, and this is one of the reasons why. Minority communities, traditionally, don’t have a ton of wealth, and growing up many are told that they need to get a job as early as high school. When it comes higher education especially, the cost of said education compounds exponentially on the minority community. The concept of pursuing something with no tangible money making prospects at the end is rarely brought up. And this is not a “Oh Black people aren’t encouraging their kids to pursue their dreams” thing. This is a practical and frankly imperative life lesson that in this world minorities have to deal with all the time.
Unlike our white counterparts, the second a minority is unemployed they become a statistic that reaches further than just the unemployment line. There’s so much extra baggage that comes with struggling with finances as a minority that the majority (white people) will NEVER have to deal with. As great as my parents are and they are great (they paid for my entire college education at Georgia Tech and extremely supportive of my life choices), moving back home to work for NO MONEY, using their electricity and water, eating their food would put me right in line with the worst stereotypes about Black people. They would much rather me foster my creative side, as I have, alongside working a job.
Pivoting this back from race, I was listening to the fantastic Girl on Guy podcast that Aisha Tyler does and she had Baratunde Thurston on episode 42 and they talked about a concept I think is applicable to this discussion. Baratunde spoke at length about how after graduating from Harvard with a degree in Philosophy he faced questions from his family regarding the vocational applicability of his degree for the job market. Degrees in the arts come with high tuition, large amounts of debt and lower job prospects, so the fact that one would have to take an unpaid internship to get their foot in the door is a system that’s setting people up for failure.
Looking at the future, I find myself really invested in this issue. As many of you who follow my blog or Twitter feed know, I will be attending film school at Loyola Marymount University. In order to do that, I will have to quit my job as a engineer for a well respected company, move across the country to a place where the rent for a one bedroom apartment is $300-$600 more a month than I currently pay, and I will have to take out a loan to pay for it. So the prospects of having to deal with all of that (plus a lot more) and be told just to get into the industry I have to work hard without achieving funds is a pill that I don’t know how I feel about swallowing. But that is something I’ll tackle when I get to it, it’s just good to see that maybe one day slaving away at a film set will come with a check every two weeks.
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