When “1080p” means more to people than “ISBN” does, anything that gets people away from the TV and reading again is great, even if it is Harry Potter or Twilight. Despite the cookie-cutter, fifth grade reading level trash that Dan Brown and others make millions off of is no substitute for the genre redefining wordsmith of Hemingway or Hunter S. Thompson, anyone who gets people reading is begrudgingly laudable in my book, as much as it pains me. After all, the passive entertainment of watching television is not nearly as intellectually stimulating as active participation, imagination, and direct interaction with a text. Some even go as far as to say that words have a life of their own and metaphysically perhaps even more so. Great words travel through time and space giving life eternal to the genius of authors who assembled them previously. However, even words have feelings, and there comes a time when measured in whole their value to literacy and intellectualism is so low that they can’t justify the collateral damage to the environment their publishment would incur. Upon this abuse, words must come together in representation of the letters they contain and the meaning they refer to, put their proverbial “feet” down, and state, “We’re not gonna take it.” This is when words go on strike.

CNN reported today that Sarah Palin could currently be in talks with various publishers regarding a book deal surrounding her personal experience during the 2008 Presidential Campaign that would total more than $7 million. The thought of Sarah Palin authoring anything other than a resignation address from politics is nauseating. The thought that millions of people might be inclined to read about her “personal experience” is further sickening. Worse yet, the thought that the ultra right wing fundamentalist base that she apparently appealed to while derailing John McCain’s bid for the Presidency might further be ‘ignited’ in what unfortunately will only be a metaphorical sense is absolutely mind bottling. This is when words go on strike.

Honestly, what value could possibly be found in her political experience, let alone her personal experience? I was pretty confident, albeit incorrectly, that after the election Sarah Palin would fade away for at least four years. It seemed likely that with her “intellectual shortcomings” so clearly being brought to light, in a way that had MRIs everywhere jealous, the American people would be insulted by her further meddling in their daily lives. Now, in what can only be described as a further attempt to undermine the intellectual stimulation that Barack Obama, Harry Potter and Edward have worked so hard to create within the American mind, she wants to hunt down literacy, all the while abusing another natural resource, and subsequently contributing to global warming, an issue she smugly denies existence to.

This is when words go on strike.

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