I'm not Picking Teams Either

I'm not picking teams either.

I have not had the pleasure of the Suzanne Collins books, yet. The previous post by fellow Word Nerd is enough for me to add them to the To-Be-Read list.

But what about the way the world boils itself down to the 60 second sound bite of "For me or against me?" I blame the ubiquitous adage for its beginnings in the school yard -- look at some popular kiddie lit like "How to Eat Fried Worms." Four boys, two teams -- and one that's willing to eat worms in order to win a bet. It's not even about the money. It's about us versus them.

Or what about the classic Winnie the Pooh tales? It's Pooh versus the Bees who have his honey.

The idea of them versus us is breed into our story telling at the earliest of ages. And while it's great for the marketers and politicians of the world, the Reader should stand up for herself and demand better.

The sound bite should be about the love of a boy for his bear, growing up and the changes, what happens when government overreaches its power. Demand more.

I'm with the Word Nerd on this. Readers, post your favorite story in the comments. Challenge us to create a better tag line that still fits the 60-second sound bite.