It's not that I'm a raging "Reader's Digest" fan. My mother signed me up for a gift subscription when I moved out, and she's renewed the subscription every year. And so, every month, it gets sent to me.
I doubt very much that the magazine is conscious of what drove my mother to send me a subscription. For my part, I scarcely think of what actions follow this decision: the invoicing, the postage, the sorting, the department budgets fueled and funded by other subscriptions and sales, and the advertising that depends on those other numbers to succeed. Nor do I imagine the magazine is aware of its reception, that my daughter often has been the first to see it, first to remove its plastic wrapper, first to read whatever section appeals to her.
I just open the mailbox,and there it is, a fading relic of American right-of-center values, an unstated reminder that mom cares and is staying connected with us. Sent as ordered, and duly received to fulfil its purpose.
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