Every morning, The New York Times and The Indianapolis Star land on my driveway. Most mornings, I move them, unopened, directly to the recycling bin.
It’s not that I don’t keep up on the news. Many mornings, I’ve been online and read The Times, The Star, The Washington Post and several blogs and news feeds long before the printed papers arrive. I also check these sites several times each day, so much of what appears in print is old news, anyway.
So why subscribe? It’s not coupons or classifieds; I don’t use them. Maybe it’s nostalgia. I used to deliver the paper. I liked the smell, the ink stains, being first to know the news. Perhaps it’s romanticism. My late wife was a newspaper journalist. That’s how we met. Or maybe my paid subscription is a vote of support for the people who still report, photograph, edit, print and deliver the news. I believe in what they do and the value they bring.
On the other hand, I’m more informed than ever through online content. The images look great on my computer. There’s video and sound if I want them, too. And I don’t have to kill any trees.
So whaddaya say, dear bloggers? Should I cancel the print subscriptions and go entirely electronic?
Co-workers find all kinds of things to be resentful about: He has the best stapler. She has the biggest office. He’s hungover every Friday.
But nothing breeds more resentment than co-workers’ kids. Colleagues who have children miss work all the time, due to sick babies, day care disasters, school closings, parent-teacher meetings, soccer practice, orthodontist appointments and on and on. And even when parents are at work, they’re on the phone–with teachers, babysitters, camp counselors, grandparents.
Meanwhile, non-parent co-workers quietly seethe, “He leaves at 5 o’clock on the dot to pick up his kids, so I’m stuck working late,” and “I’ll never act like that when I have kids.” People with kids often get paid more—through salary and/or benefits—and they aren’t considered rude when they answer their cell phones during meetings. And freebies are routinely offered to parents first—“for the kids.”
Is it fair? No. But someday, you’ll either be a parent, or you’ll need one of those former kids to be a well-behaved adult, to work alongside you or push your wheelchair in the old-folks home. And then you’ll be glad that colleagues with kids got a little leeway to attend to those children.
Or will you?
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