Fraters Libertas

Stribless In St. Louis Park

Jim drops an e-mail to explain how he learned to quit worrying and love not subscribing to the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

Interesting. I know more and more people who are saying the same thing. My brother, a "reasonable" right of center guy expressed a completely unexpected contempt for the Strib. Said he wouldn't even look at it.

I have to wonder if my experience is being repeated? I mean, isn't this affecting their bottom line?

I gave up the Strib a few years ago. Apparently I was more cranky then because I was so happy to call and tell them that I was not re-subscribing.

I still don't subscribe but nowadays I can actually read the darn thing (at work) and smirk. Sort of on the order of Elvis Costello's line "I used to be disgusted, and now I try to be amused".

You get over the "loss". The first few Sundays were a bit of a bother - especially for my wife who really only looked at the ads anyway. But that goes away; what you don't know you're missing, you don't miss. Every so often, like for the monster ad orgy in the Thanksgiving issue, I might pick up a copy. But then maybe not. The Strib has no place in the household anymore.

Sidebar: back when I was cranky and we used to get calls from the Strib to re-subscribe, my wife hit on a great idea. She simply tells the Nice Person that we can't subscribe to the Strib for medical reasons: my husband's blood pressure gets dangerously high. The script used by the Nice Person has no option for this response and they simply pause and say goodbye.

That's a great point. I wonder how many readers have ended up in an early grave due to the cumulative effects of the daily stress of reading the Star Tribune.

The secret to a longer, happier life?
Take it from me, this ain't no fib
Eliminate the source of stress and strife
Make the call today, drop the Strib

(With apologies to all those with a hint of actual poetic talent)