USPS Is a ‘Prostitute’ for Selling Harry Potter Stamps, Says Former Postmaster General
A former Postmaster General dramatically resigned his position on a committee that decides what should be printed on postage stamps, because he cannot stand by while his beloved institution whores itself out by selling stamps with “pretty and popular culture subjects,” like Harry Potter.
“The stamp program should celebrate the things that are great about the United States and serve as a medium to communicate those things to a worldwide audience,” Benjamin F. Bailar wrote in a letter to the current Postmaster General, published by the Washington Post. “To prostitute that goal in the pursuit of possibly illusory profits does not make sense to me.”
Bailar, who formerly sat on the illustrious and “secretive” Citizens’ Advisory Stamp Committee, argued that stamps should celebrate the cultural icons of America — such as presidents, eagles, historical figures, mountains majesty, fruited plains, etc. — but has, in recent years, forgone celebrating America’s heritage in lieu of “artists and designers.”
And, yes, the committee actually has it out for Harry Potter, saying that they were not consulted by the USPS when they published a book of Forever Stamps featuring the British fantasy characters as portrayed on film. (Also, they’re British, which is totally un-American.)
“While they may support a drive to ‘sell the product’ with abundance of pretty and popular culture subjects, the result is a program that lacks gravitas,” he continued, adding that maybe the committee should be abolished. “Certainly the USPS does not need an expensive committee to know what will sell.”
Currently, the prostitutes at the United States Postal Service sell Forever Stamps with Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, and the March on Washington. This Friday, the USPS will reveal its latest sellout: a stamp commemorating Janis Joplin, well-known for being a massive corporate commodity.
[The Washington Post]
[Image via USPS]
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