Sunday, October 25, 2009

FAT JACK'S PRIVATE PROTEST

Every morning I walk into my yard with the soft glow of orange plastic softly pulsating in my yard. For months now the Springfield News-Leader has been giving me their newspaper for free every single day. I don't subscribe and have no plans to start. Most of the time, I pick it up and throw it away. There's just nothing there I'm interested in. I don't even enjoy the opinions page anymore. It's all the same:

  • Everyone should submit to the power of mainstream views of Christ (and the rebuttals)
  • Gays are evil and deserve no rights (and the rebuttal)
  • All must claim "Merry Christmas" or face the wrath of God (and the rebuttal)
  • Muslims are all evil, bloodthirsty troglodytes (and the rebuttal)

It was interesting at first, but then the same old arguments from the same old people got too mundane for me. I want more. Forget the trolls who post there.

Right now I have an entire week's worth of newspapers cluttering my yard and I have no idea why. I get my news from the Internet and TV and no longer mess with the local newspaper. Sadly, it seems disconnected from me. And I don't think the editors and publishers care one bit what I think. I'm going to put on my shoes, pick up all those papers before some criminal thinks I'm on vacation, and throw them in the trash unread.

I guess I look at it as my own personal protest against an antiquated, disconnected community newspaper that no longer meets my needs as a community member. I'll just get my news elsewhere.To be honest, it makes me sad that I feel this way.

3 comments:

Busplunge said...

The PvtRN and I made the opposite decision.
We renewed our subscription because we enjoy the physical act of reading the SN-L while we drink our coffee.
Heck, we been doing that ever since we got married almost 40 years ago--I bring her coffee and the paper. Her father did the same for her mother.

Maybe I ought to blog about it?

I sent in my check to Don Wyatt for a year's worth of paper last August adn the check still hasn't cleared the bank. I sent him an email in early September asking if he recieved my letter. I didn't receive a reply.

I got another bill in the mail so I resent my email.

A couple of days ago I got a call from the marketing deparment. I told them the tale adn he got back to me saying that there are seasoned professionals at the paper and if a letter came with a check in it they would have taken care of it.

I remember when the paper called me 'gruff and arrogant'.

oh well.

Jason Rohrblogger said...

The other side of the Freedom-of-speech coin is that you do not have to read speech you don't like. They are free to print it: you are free to ignore it. Good for you. I always respect the folks who have the good sense to TURN OFF the television if they don't like what they are seeing...

Granny said...

Jack, I quit reading in SN-L online months ago. What on earth has happened to this former newspaper? It used to cover the community fairly well, but now it's a scatter-shot summary of ramblings of nut cases. Totally useless for real information about Springfield.