OK, I just have to get this off my chest.
“Fuming” doesn’t even begin to cover it.
I get this call from some young administrative assistant type, working for some administrative type who is too important to place his own phone calls and run his own errands. He wants a two-year subscription to the Winters Express. We get everything all set up, and then the young administrative type tells me, “Oh, by the way, I just moved to Winters and have been getting the Express for weeks now, and I’d like to cancel it.”
Oh, I say… do you want a subscription of your own?
“No, I just want to cancel it. I don’t want it.”
You mean, not even for free? Until whoever’s subscription that was runs out?
“No, I’m a young person. I’m in my 20’s,” he says with a chuckle. “I get my information from the internet.”
There is no chuckling on my end of the phone. I inform him that he’s speaking with the editor, and I think it’s a shame that he’s not interested in what goes on in his own town, particularly if he’s new here. And, I remind him, most of what’s in the Express isn’t available online.
“Yeah, still not interested.”
A beat of silence on my end, and I’m in such a foul mood already, I’m just struggling with the urge not to tell him to tell his boss that his asshole employee isn’t interested in what’s going on in his own town, and when he can rectify that, or just fire the pompous little jerk, THEN I’ll give him a subscription. I mostly wanted to crawl through the phone line and shove a nice rolled-up newspaper where the sun don’t shine and shriek, “YOU WANT TO GET YOUR NEWS THIS WAY, OR FOR FREE ON YOUR DRIVEWAY???”
But I didn’t. Because I’m a nice person. Or so I’d have you believe.
But if you are one of those people who don’t care what happens in your own town, and think you’re just too – chuckle – young and hip to find out? Screw you. Just SCREW YOU. Too cool for your community? You are one of the many things that’s wrong with this country.
Does the paper come for free? What a jerk? Or will he just read his Boss’ copy?
It was a paper being thrown at his residence after someone else moved out. He could have had the remainder of the subscription.
Most of your post, I agree with. He does sound like an arrogant and ignorant fool. However, the last paragraph caused a little twitch of frustration. I wish people would stop stereotyping young people as not giving a crap about anything. Ever considered that the community is just outdated if it’s not holding a young person’s interest? We’re not what’s wrong with this country, other people’s attitudes to us are.
Fair enough. However… how is a young person to know if the community is outdated, or the activities aren’t interested if s/he doesn’t even take the time to find out what’s going on?
Yes, it is sad that the younger folks aren’t interested in reading newspapers. True they can get news online – and so do I – but if they took the time to read their local papers, they’d find gems they cannot find anywhere else: the guy who lived on the corner in the neighborhood you were growing up in just celebrated his 100th birthday, the mayor’s kid got stopped for a speeding ticket, your old girlfriend got engaged, the kid down the block made an outstanding shot and the basketball team won the game, there’s a reunion, a festival, all kinds of local events one can attend, obituaries, weddings, births. You going to find those things online? Only if the local paper posts them.
Well, you just hit it right on the head… the 20-somethings are missing out on the joy of connectivity. The only connectivity is in the cell phones in their hands. I think you just inspired me to take this blog and turn it into a column!