I have been reading Reader’s Digest since the late 1940s. I even read it through the 60s and 70s when I was a long-haired, dope-smoking, free-love and nickel-beer advocating hippie bum. Maybe that was nickel-love and free-beer, I don’t recall. I read it now, when I am a card-carrying member of the AARP.
I never knew it was part of a right wing plot to turn me into a Republican Fundie.
[hijack]
Please please can I have the old NG’s? I adore National Geographic. I collect past issues and currently have all the volumes from 1956 to 1967. I also have 1996 to the current month; I’ve been subscribing since I was 15.
Why do I keep them? I can always grab a copy and read a great article. There’s an awesome one from 1998 about Venice, Italy. There’s a series from 1968 about a 16 year-old-boy who sailed around the world. I am currently mesmerized by the series about J. Michael Fay, who is hiking across the middle of Africa in his “MegaTransect.” I am continually entertained by these stories, partially because I am an Athropology/English major. My biggest dream is to write for National Geographic.[/hijack]
Oh yeah, I hate Reader’s Digest. One awful night I ended up staying at an acquaintance’s house (she was driving me home from school and we had to stay overnight to avoid a snowstorm). All she had to read was RD. I read about six straight through in two hours and promptly vowed to never, ever read it again.
Oh, I love that.
UTNE.
Say it: UTNE.
I’m sure it’s a great magazine, but… UTNE. 
I’m not talking about old Reader’s Digests. I’m talking about old issues of Time, Newsweek, National Geographic, History Today, things like that. That have articles on current events.
Does RD have a right-wing bias?
Oh, yes.
An example: It was the Digest that nationally ‘broke’ the Willie Horton saga back in the '88 campaign (Bush I v. Dukakis), conveniently leaving out the fact that the law that enabled the whole thing was pushed into being by a prior Republican governor.
On the other hand, I knew that Oliver North’s political career was in the shitter when the Digest wrote an article slamming HIM. Ouch, that must have hurt.
Oliver North deserves to have his career put in the shitter, the bastard. YOu know, he’s pretty much banned in most of Central America-especially Costa Rica? They’re extremely democratic, peaceful (don’t even have an army, for crying out loud), and Ollie is forbidden ever to set foot there?
Ha ha!
Nacho4Sara sez:
Just thought you might be interested to know that he co-wrote a book about his experience: Dove. Very beautiful book.
Reader’s Digest? Waiting room material. Only.
What do you mean that The Onion is not a real newspaper? So you’re saying that O.J. still hasn’t found the real killer?
Another thing about reading old magazines is seeing that if they make predictions about the future, like what politicians are likely to be frontrunners next time, etc etc.
Like, a 1980 issue of TIME had a picture of Janet Reno. And everyone calls her ugly-she didn’t look ugly at all! A bit plain, perhaps-no makeup, simple hair. But just mousy-like she could fix herself up. And it just cracks me up at some of the things people say, to see them proven wrong!
What drives me insane about Reader’s Digest is the freaking sweepstakes’ promotions. They spent a fortune sending me weekly mailings about cars, boats, bazillions of dollars that I was going to win, win, win if I only 1) took the silver key from the cover letter and affixed it to the silver square on the sweepstakes entry form; 2) checked the box that says, "Re-new my subscription for 35 years or until I die, whichever is later; and 3) agreed to preview their new record “Best of Mantovani” at no charge. (After which time I would receive “Best of” albums monthly.)
BTW, I used to temp at RD when I lived in NY. Great people to work. The people were very gracious and welcoming. FWIW.
Has anyone here considered the fact that one of The Onion staff writers could very well have written that letter to RD?