Today I am angry. Extremely angry. And that is an understatement about the how angry I am.
When we got home from school, I sent Ethan to the mailbox to gather the mail and bring it to me. I was happily sorting it into piles- garbage (which was most of it), stuff for Jess, a card from Mom and Dad (thanks), no bills (wonderful) and a magazine addressed to Trevor.
My first thought was "why have they started putting his Marine magazine in a plastic bag?" Then I turned it over. Then I got mad. Then I called Trevor and I didn't care that he was in California at training. I calmly asked him if he had subscribed to this particular magazine. One that uses a bunny as a symbol. He said no, he had no idea why it would be addressed to him or come to our house. I informed him that I would be calling the company and cancelling it. Fine with him.
Just opening the magazine to find their phone number made me feel dirty. There was a double page ad insert inside. I pulled it out and wrapped it around the cover. It could have been comical if I had not been so disgusted. Jess was laughing at the way I was trying to hold the magazine closed and thumb through just the bottom of the pages looking for the phone number.
I finally found it and called. The lady that answered my call was quite nice, but I think a bit delusional. First I asked for the account to be cancelled. She looked it up. Actually she tried to look it up using several different methods- name, address, zip code, account number on the address label. Then we went through it all again. And again. There was no account to cancell. The magazine had never been ordered! Now I was no longer mad, but angry.
Then she told me that they often send out complimentary copies. Now my anger was outrage. I told her that I did not find it complimentary at all, but a denigration and filth. She replied with, "Whatever." Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you, the cover was not covered in any way shape or form except by a clear plastic bag. And the 8x10 glossy on the front cover left nothing to the imagination. According to the law, having that where underage children can see it is considered child abuse- and this company was sending it through the mail! If I had not been home, it would have sat on my table, been shuffled and moved and probably viewed!
I politely, through clenched teeth so I could remain polite, asked her how to be assured that this would never come to my home again. She told me to call the post office and request that anything of this nature be returned without delivery.
So I called the post office and was informed that they do not do that because if there is ever a substitute deliverer, they would just deliver the mail and not return something. So, I was to put the magazine back in the plastic cover and write "Did not order, return to sender" and put it back out in my mail box. So, I did.
But I left the two page ad wrapped around the cover.
Oh, and Ethan didn't even look at what he was bringing in, he just grabbed it and handed it to me. Thank goodness
Indeed.
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9 comments:
Shocking!!!!!!!!!!!
Here is Germany those magazines and many like them are sold at every garage or magazine/book shop for everyone to see, they think by putting them up high the kids wont see it...
I mentioned this to my husband and he said someone was probably playing a joke (a sick one) on your son and ordered the complimentary copy for him. I can't imagine those magazines just being sent out randomoly
That's what I thought too; someone was playing a sick little joke. Sorry this happened. I would have been just beyond furious!
Nope, not a sick joke unless you count the company as playing a sick joke. When I called the post office she indicated that mine was not the only phone call she had taken. This is blatant and I am beyond outraged. If you know me well, you know that I have fought the pornography movement for the last 25 years. I can see that it is time to step up my efforts and what I do. I will fight against this with my dying breath.
Sad but true. When I was in College, our apartment at BYU used to get one of those about three times a month. The first time i got it I felt exactly the same way. Filthy. After that we all knew what to do with the black plastic wraped magazines. We threw them away.
The people who traffic in that stuff are just amazing!
Uh, with two sons in the military, I can't believe it hasn't happened sooner. The military isn't exactly...a "virtue only" zone.
Tawnya- I know. Even though the military isn't a virtue only zone, and we have had other things happen, they can usually be avoided or sidestepped. This, however, was a blatant attack by the company. I probably would have been only mad and disgusted and not so outraged if it hadn't come in the clear wrapped in all it's glory.
Ok, I started this response to Tawnya and it got long and so I decided to turn it into a response post. That will be coming later this evening.
I'm so sorry about this, Sandra! To have something like that come into your home, that you've kept a sanctuary, and then to have it invaded like that, it's just wrong.
I understand that there are those who like to indulge in porn, and they have that right. But they should exercise that right elsewhere from those of us who are exercising our right not to indulge. It should never be placed where just anyone can see it.
I've been getting a weekly subscription to a business magazine that I don't recall signing up for. And my daughter once got a mysterious subscription to Entertainment Weekly. Both were annoying. But this--outrageous! I would be irate as well.
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