Is The O mandatory reading…?
I’d argue that it is. Even if you agree with Isaac Laquedem that we ought to call it ‘the Whimperer’ instead (and I do.) Even if you agree with Worldwide Pablo when he says The O’s new weekly InPortland supplement is ‘underwhelming’ and that ‘no one’s biting.’ (I don’t agree - yet. I’m giving the baby a bit of time to grow up, is all.) And even if you agree with me (and a host of others) that Personal Style, Calendar Girl and other inane entities must end already (the world really isn’t suffering from underuse of exclamation points and valley-girl speak, you know.)
Sure, it may be bland, tasteless, and overly chewy at times (does everything have to be a multi-part series as part of the eternal quest for another Pulitzer?) Sure, many of its attempts to get hipper and more accessible seem akin to putting a red dress on a librarian and urging her to start ‘boogeying already, sister.’ (Horribly outdated stage direction purely intentional, I’ll have you know.)
BUT - I’d use the argument that fiber is occasionally good for you - even if it doesn’t taste that way. That ingesting it keeps the system moving, for better or worse. And it should be entirely possible to keep the parts you need and send the rest packing.
I’ve had this argument before with friends (and no, I’ve not used the fiber analogy. For better or worse, I’ve been saving it up for you…) - many who’ve moved here from elsewhere, taken one look at our local offering, and refused categorically to read it. Even though they’ve a) been seeking employment, b) pay taxes, c) send kids to school, or d) live in areas where it might be valuable to know what’s coming up.
And see, I just can’t buy that. I think that - no matter how much you hate the thing - you’re still obligated to read it from time to time. If you want to be more than just a casual or transitory resident of the community, that is.
Consider it one of those daily chores you take care of first thing in the morning. Consider it just another way to keep the system moving smoothly (or not-so-smoothly, if you actually bother to read Personal Style and/or Calendar Girl.)
But not consider it? I don’t think so…
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I’ve always hated Calendar Girl, and now I have to suffer the burden of being JEALOUS OF HER as well: her first novel was reviewed positively in the New York Times Book Review. Of all the nerve!
See, I give the writer behind CG the benefit of the doubt here - the persona is horrific, but for all we know? It’s what The O wants. And hey, a girl’s got to make a buck…
I don’t doubt that the author herself is competent - the book may be wonderfully-written, and the praise well-deserved. But it’s apples and oranges - a brilliant newspaper columnist does not a well-written book make (I’m thinking of Mitch Albom here, who I loved in the Free Press, even though I loathed the Morrie book & hear the new one was pablum) (and vice-versa, of course.) (could I use any more parentheses here? I think not…)
Betsy, I hear your point (and I read the O at least partly, most days)–but you can do an exemplary job of keeping up with Portland Metro happenings online. The first stop is obviously Portland Communique, but Jack Bog’s place and others are good at keeping up. NWCN.com isn’t bad for basic Northwest news, and the NWPortal provides a broad range of topics from the tri-state area.
Perhaps I just came from a town where the paper was even worse, but I was overjoyed to have a readable paper when I came back home. I have since discovered the O’s many flaws, but it’s still a reputable enough rag. My only point was that if you don’t want to read it, you really don’t HAVE to.
…just dow’t replace it with Fox News at 10, lest you think the entire area is one big cesspool of stabbings, meth labs and child molestations! :)
Sure, there are plenty of news sources available online - if you’re willing to do the legwork and/or take the time (many aren’t.) I think that’s too much work for the average short-attention-span newspaper-averse reader, frankly.
The point I’m trying to make here? I don’t think there’s a good excuse for a reasonably intelligent person who says he wants to be involved in the community to refuse to read The O ‘on principle because it’s a rag’ Especially when he’s going to opine heavily about the local political and economic scene, for example - with minimal consumption of local media sources, no less.