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Print
Thisby Byron
Browne | |
Do
me a favor. Please. Print this article. Cut, copy, paste and print this paper
so that you can have it in your hands. Do it so that there will be a tangible,
palpable entity in your possession. Print this paper so that if and when someone
asks “Whatcha’ doin’?” you can raise and rustle the sheets and answer, “ Why,
I am reading, of course.” At that point you should watch for the quizzical look,
it is sure to follow.
Now you’re probably asking why. Why should you prefer
to take your reading from inked wood pulp rather than an electronic box? Why would
it matter to hold a paper product instead of staring blankly at a computer screen?
Because ink goes to paper as a boat goes to sea. Words are to be placed on parchment,
velum or papyrus just as peanut butter is to be placed on white bread and coupled
with jelly. In short, because of Tradition. Tradition- that handing down of established
customs and beliefs through the generations that forms the foundation of so many
of our actions and movements; that philosophy that gives purpose to our daily
lives. Tradition is that stalwart entity that has sustained us through troubles,
trials and tribulations, often giving each of us a reason to behave with dignity
and courage. Tradition has taken us to wars and rescued us from them. It has dictated
life’s course, at some time or another, for each and every one of us. It motivates,
emboldens, describes and explains. Tradition can determine such important issues
as where to go to college, if military service is the best way to serve one’s
country or whether to serve a homemade cranberry sauce at Thanksgiving dinner
or just plop out the canned version (bitter battles have been waged on this last
point). Nevertheless, the custom of reading from paper is as human as taking your
hunting lesson from the cave’s wall.
And yet, the tradition of reading
the printed word is dying a little each day as we suck up into our bedrooms and
offices accompanied by our computers with their all-encompassing wisdom, speed
and non-threatening, innocuous, non-judgmental anonymity. In fact, over these
last several years more and more of us have begun to read the news from the Internet
and, as a result, newspapers are fading away like so much printer’s ink. Sales
and circulations of newspapers are down nationwide to the point that several have
folded or, are near closing. The web-site (yes, I see the irony) newspaperdeathwatch.com
has been keeping a watchful eye on this business and the reports that it issues
daily color a grim canvas. The day that I read the site, it had listed nine newspapers
that had either become solely Internet “papers” or, become defunct altogether-
all within the past several months. Add to this that many university libraries
are digitizing their catalogues and that magazines, such as this one, are forced
to exist in the ether due to budget issues, and paper’s prognosis is not a healthy
one.
There is, of course, the reality that many newspapers and magazines
exist in both the physical and the electronic worlds. Hoorah, for having cake
with our pie! However, it is an honest effort to allow more of us the opportunity
access to news and letters. We all sleep a little deeper each night knowing that
our sophomores are, at least, reading something.
I have a friend
who insists, since his move to the Northwest, on writing letters on actual paper
with an ink pen. He even has the temerity to insist that I respond accordingly
and I oblige him. He refers to this method of communication as an “anachronism”.
I hope he is wrong but, I suspect he is on to something. So please, oblige me.
Do me this one favor. Print this article. And, when you’re done, leave it lying
around some place. Discard it carelessly like you used to do with that newspaper
or magazine. Leave it on the seat of the airplane or the bus. Strike a blow for
humanity and tradition. Then, go about your day with your fingertips stained,
proudly, black. Everyone will wonder just what it is you’ve been up to.
Copyright
Byron Browne
Notes
From Over Here
January 12, 2009 Column
Byron Browne can be reached at Byron.Browne@gmail.com
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