Upworthy’s book GOOD PEOPLE is coming this year — check it out!

Shop
 Explore 

usps

Culture

USPS announces 'The Giving Tree' stamp. Do they know what they've unleashed?

Eric Alper/USPS/Facebook

People have WILDLY different opinions on "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein.

I was excited to read "The Giving Tree" to my children when they were little. I'd read the Shel Silverstein classic so many times as a kid and remembered loving it. In my memory, it was a poetic story of a tree that gave selflessly, never expecting anything in return, and of the undying love she had for a little boy who eventually turned into an old man.

"And the tree was happy." It was sweet, I thought.

Then I read the book again as an adult and noticed some things I hadn't as a child. While I had focused on the generosity of the tree as a child, this time the boy-who-becomes-a-man stood out. Wow, what a selfish jerk he was. And the tree, while admirably willing to give selflessly, seemed a little too giving. Martyrdom for an important cause is one thing; sacrificing everything you are for a guy who uses you over and over and takes without any thought to your needs or well-being is entirely another.

I soon found out I wasn't alone in feeling conflicted about the story. In fact, "conflicted" is an understatement compared to what some people feel about it. Some say that it's the worst story they've ever read. Even some die-hard Shel Silverstein fans hate it. Others will defend it to their last breath as their favorite book of all time.

Publicist Eric Alper shared the news that U.S. Postal Service will be issuing a "The Giving Tree" forever stamp later this year, and the comments show how wildly people's opinions differ on this book.

Alper didn't share any commentary with the news. He just wrote, "The U.S. Postal Service will release a stamp to honor Shel Silverstein and his 'The Giving Tree' book in 2022."

But with the way people responded, you'd think he'd said, "Puppies are ugly and Paul Rudd is the devil."

People flooded the comments with their thoughts on the book, with many unleashing their fury over the book's premise:

"Ugh- this book keeps coming up! It’s a great representation of a manipulative, one-sided, narcissistic relationship. I can’t stand it."

"Nooooo! Not that! Anything but that! It's awful! A poor example! Bleah! Shel had so many great books. This is the only one I hate! I disagree with the modeling here. Very unhealthy! So sad."

"Hate that book. Teaches children how to not have boundaries. Love everything else by Uncle Shelby."

"Are you kidding me?!?! Let’s make a stamp celebrating how to be so selfish and keep taking until there’s nothing left to take. This was literally the worst children’s story ever written!!!!"

Others gave a bit less vehement responses, explaining exactly what their negative experiences with the book were:

"I picked this book up one day and started reading it to my kids, not knowing what I was getting into. And I found myself saying 'This boy is terrible!', after every page. And I looked at my kids and I said 'I love you, and I am so grateful for you, but you are going to grow up and take care of yourselves and you are not getting all my leaves.'"

"I do not understand why people love this book. On one side of the relationship there’s a someone who takes and takes and is perfectly happy for the tree to give all of itself while giving absolutely nothing in return. On the other side there’s the tree who literally destroys itself and only finds self-worth in sacrifice. It’s sickening."

Lovers of the book spoke their minds as well, sharing their perspectives that the book is about unconditional love:

"I am so excited about this stamp. As a kindergarten teacher, I read to my class several times every year. We would all have tears in our eyes by the end of the book!"

"All you haters have missed the point. The tree represents the parents. They give all they have to give for their children's success, and are brought the greatest joy and pain watching them grow and leave them."

"I love this book so much. As soon as I became a mom I understood exactly what was going on here. I’d give every last ounce of me to make my kiddo happy."

"This book is about sacrifice, and how the tree embodies nothing but love for the little boy. My 'Giving Tree' was my daddy, not because of financial reasons, but for his unwavering love for me."

"Wow! The comments are heartbreaking. This book is about unconditional love. I guess that’s been cancelled."

Interestingly, some people shared that they love the book precisely because of the problematic relationship they see in it:

"I love this book because it teaches a person what happens if he/she remains in an unhealthy relationship. In the end, both are sad."

"Maybe I’m alone in this but I always read it as a cautionary tale. Be careful how much you take from someone, someday you’ll learn that you’ve taken too much."

"I don’t hate this book. It is a cautionary tale. Teach your child that taking, taking, taking all the time will destroy the giver. (and the taker will lose their friend) Teach your child that while giving is good, too much is not healthy. Teach your child boundaries!!"

"I kinda noticed as a child, the person was kinda greedy and only visited when he wanted to take. As an adult leaving a narcissistic marriage, boom! Whoa! Good book tho. I'd honestly use this book to teach about it and how it's nice to give, but have boundaries."

One thing is certain: The book still has us talking after 57 years.

Perhaps the mark of a brilliant book isn't in teaching a clear lesson but in getting people talking. Different people take different things from stories, and good literature prompts discussion over those perspectives. It's not as often that we get this kind of debate out of a seemingly simple children's book, but Shel Silverstein had a way of tapping into adult complexity while writing for children, and he's certainly done it with "The Giving Tree."

Good for USPS for honoring Silverstein and his work with a stamp—and good luck with the can of worms it opened by choosing to do it with this particular book.

From Your Site Articles

Related Articles Around the Web

culture

Heroes

America's favorite mail carrier has a an election message for us all

PACRONYM/Twitter

As the election approaches and millions of Americans prepare to send in their ballots by mail, people might be worried about how it's going to go. Between the president's constant drum-beating about fraud with mail-in ballots (which experts still say is not the major concern that he claims it is) and the administration's ongoing attacks on the United States Postal Service, it's an understandable concern.

But never fear—America's favorite mail carrier, Newman, is here. And he has an important message for all of us regarding the postal service and the election, and a message for President Trump regarding his tax returns.

— (@)

It's silly, of course. And thank goodness, because if we don't have something light to laugh at when it comes to the insanity of our current situation, we'll cry.

The battle over mail-in voting has raged for months, as it became clear early on in the pandemic that voting by mail would be safer than people physically going to the polls. While some states have had universal mail-in voting for many years without issue, other states have had to figure out the best way to orchestrate a larger-than-normal number of people wanting to send in ballots.

I live in Washington, a state that has had universal mail-in voting for a decade. And it's awesome. Our ballots are sent directly to our home address a few weeks before any election. We fill them out at home, sign our name on the included envelope—which will be checked against our signature on our voter registration file upon receipt—and either send them back by mail or drop it in a ballot drop box. The ballot drop box in our town is on a one-way street where you can drive right up to it, just like a mailbox. It's so easy. And since Washington ranks #2 in the nation for electoral integrity according to Harvard University's Electoral Integrity Project, it's clearly safe and secure. Every Washingtonian I know is quite happy with this system.

That doesn't mean there won't be issues in other states—today there was a report of a computer snafu in Ohio that resulted in nearly 50,000 wrong ballots being sent out—but I'm confident that those issues will be worked out in the end. People will use such stories to make outrageous claims about cheating and fraud and rigged elections, but we have to expect that there will be some hiccups in the voting process this year. We are, after all, in the middle of a pandemic. What would be helpful is if we had a president who would instill confidence in our bipartisan electoral boards and commissions to swiftly identify and rectify any issue that arise, rather than sow chaos and confusion and doubt in our country's ability to run a fair election.

— (@)

It's not as if there have not been computer glitches or human errors in every single election that's ever been held in this country. There is also occasional incidents of fraud or cheating, but every study done on that topic has come to the same conclusion—voter fraud is extremely rare. (Voter suppression is not, however—a whole other story for a whole other article.)

Thanks, Newman, for the comic relief as we wind our way through the final weeks before election day.

Go to showuptovote.com for info on how to vote in your area.

From Your Site Articles

Related Articles Around the Web

election 2020

Democracy

Of all things, the freaking postal service should not be a partisan fight

Canva, Geoff Bennett/Twitter

Is anyone else tired of every single issue in the United States being manipulated and molded into a partisan football?

I've long agreed with George Washington's assessment that partisan fighting was our republic's "worst enemy," but I didn't anticipate that it would ever get this ridiculous. It's virtually impossible to voice an opinion on any subject without being placed into one of two distinct categories—left/liberal/Democrat or right/conservative/Republican—by hoards of people. It happens constantly on articles I write, though I've never once declared any allegiance to (or even preference for) a political party, I have voted for candidates from different parties for different positions, and I openly reject all narratives that force people into ideological boxes.

But I guarantee, because I am speaking in defense of the USPS in this piece, people in the comments are going to accuse me of being a "shill" for the Democratic party or being paid to push a "leftist agenda." This is what we've come to. Supporting the freaking post office—a long-standing institution universally beloved and relied upon by people of all political persuasions—is now a hotly debated partisan political stance.

No. I refuse to accept it.

We all know that the USPS has struggled with budget shortfalls, in part to a pension prefunding requirement from Congress, and that there is ongoing internal debate over how it should be run. The nature of the USPS is odd in that it isn't a business in the way we think of business, but rather an independent branch of the government—but one that isn't funded by the taxpayers. It's all a bit confusing and weird in the way it functions, but the bottom line—especially at the moment—is that it's a vital service for millions of Americans. In fact, the Postal Reorganization Act passed in 1971 states it plainly: "The United States Postal Service shall be operated as a basic and fundamental service provided to the people by the Government of the United States."

The USPS was designed to be a non-partisan, non-profit public service provided by the government, though it isn't funded by the government. If it's struggling, why are we not bending over backwards to bail it out? Especially during a pandemic and an election year, when it's arguably more vital than ever?

Using taxpayer money, the U.S. has bailed out for-profit banks and we've bailed out for-profit car companies. Why have we done that? Because banks hold people's money—kind of important—and car companies employ a lot of people—also kind of important. Banks and car companies are big corporations that people tend to hate on principle, but we've bailed them out because so many of us rely on them.

In light of that fact, why not bail out the one service that 91% of Americans actually approve of? We live in a country where a huge portion of people hate the government in general, and yet the USPS is ranked as people's favorite government agency. And people literally rely on it for all kinds of things, not the least of which is medications.

NBC White House correspondent Geoff Bennett compiled a list of veterans he's heard from who are struggling with the massive slow down in USPS delivery.

Indiana: An Air Force veteran and former U.S. Secret Service agent had to drive two hours round-trip to pick up lif… https://t.co/VMlnRlhb0Z
— Geoff Bennett (@Geoff Bennett) 1597618827.0

Missouri: A Vietnam veteran, 100% oxygen dependent, had to wait a week for inhalers and oral medications. He lives… https://t.co/kqOlWmWMz7
— Geoff Bennett (@Geoff Bennett) 1597629725.0

So veterans and seniors and people who are disabled are being actively hurt by the slow-but-not-really-that-slow destruction of the USPS. Sure, there are reforms that need to take place in the running of the postal service to make it financially stable. But literally everything is turned upside down right now. This is not the time to make sweeping changes or cut overtime or dismantle sorting machines or remove mailboxes. How are any people okay with this?

It's not like there's nothing to be done. Again, we've bailed out far more problematic entities than the freaking post office. And the government is supposed to do the bidding of the people—that's literally the foundation of our republic. If 9 out of 10 of us approve of a service that nearly 100% of Americans use, there should be no question or debate about doing whatever it takes to keep it up and running. People need to be able to mail in absentee ballots during the pandemic and ensure they arrive on time.

The USPS handles all manner of private, secure documents, such as our drivers licenses, passports, credit cards, checks, etc. handles. It also moves 15 billion pieces of mail from Thanksgiving to New Year's in order to get people's holiday cards and present to them in a timely manner. All of a sudden now, in an election year, in a pandemic, we're going to act like they couldn't handle the entire election safely and securely?

Congress, please just do whatever needs to be done. You have my blessing to throw as many tax dollars at the USPS as is necessary to make sure this vital service operates at full capacity through the election. Voting by mail doesn't favor either party—everyone has the same opportunity to vote—so there's no reason for this to be a partisan fight. I live in a state that's had universal mail-in voting for more than a decade. We have a Republican Secretary of State (the position that runs the elections). We are ranked #2 in the nation for electoral integrity. There's nothing partisan or fraudulent about mail-in voting.

Ensuring that voters can safely vote so that we can have a functioning republic is something every American should be fighting for—and right now, that means fighting for the postal service.

From Your Site Articles

Related Articles Around the Web

democracy

Democracy

An 11-yr-old's daily tic-tac-toe game with her mail carrier is quietly a metaphor for America in 2020

Upworthy/Instagram, Photo by Pope Moysuh on Unsplash

The United States Postal Service has dutifully delivered mail to Americans from deep in the heart of Manhattan to deep in the heart of the rural Midwest for nearly five decades as an official entity and centuries longer than that as a service. Even as electronic communications has taken the place of handwritten letters, most of us still rely on the regularity of mail delivery as part of our daily routine.

Even this 11-year-old knows she can count on USPS delivery, as evidenced by the tic-tac-toe game she started with her delivery person. She taped the "board" to the inside of the lid and takes turns with the mail carrier each time the mail gets delivered.

"My 11 y/o daughter had insisted on checking the mail the last couple of days," wrote BallCoach79. "Today, I checked it. This is what I found."

See on Instagram

The image is sweet. But it's also an opportunity to talk about the dire situation the USPS is currently facing—one that could drastically impact the integrity of our upcoming election.

With the coronavirus pandemic showing no signs of slowing down in the U.S., and with far too many Americans refusing to take the necessary steps to mitigating it, our fall is not looking too promising. The pandemic lull that was expected during the summer months hasn't happened, and there was already a second wave predicted as we move into the autumn months. It's quite likely that Election Day on November 3rd will coincide with an extremely dangerous time to go to the polls in person, which means millions of Americans will want to or need to vote by mail.

Despite the fearmongering from certain factions, including the president, voting by mail can be done safely and securely. Several states have voted entirely by mail for many years without any major issues. In fact, Washington state which has allowed all voters to vote by mail since 2005, and the state is ranked second in the nation for electoral integrity.

But voting by mail will only work if our mail system works. And right now, USPS is being effectively destroyed not only by the decreased business mail due to the pandemic, but also by a uniquely weighty congressional mandate to prefund all of its employee pensions, ongoing budget deficits, and demonizing attacks by the president of the United States.

The postal service is something we all take for granted. Because it's always been reliable, we assume it will just always be there. But it's in real danger of running out of money and having to shut down, which would be devastating to our elections, not to mention the other personal and business disruptions it would cause.

We can all help. Here's how:

1. Sign a petition to send to Congress and the U.S. Treasury here.

2. You can also sign a petition by texting USPS to 50409.

2. Help the USPS directly by buying stamps here. (Sales of postage and products is 100% how the USPS is funded. Despite being overseen by the government, no taxpayer funds go to funding it.)

3. No, you can't donate directly to the USPS. Seriously, commit to writing some old-fashioned letters to your loved ones and buy stamps. (Bonus: Buying a bunch of "Forever" stamps now will save you money down the road, since they never expire. And there are tons of cool designs to choose from.)

Also, make sure your order a mail-in ballot now if your state requires you to do that, and send it in at least two full weeks before election day.

.@USPS says you should give mail in ballots at least 14 days round trip. No guarantees. So if you plan to vote by… https://t.co/EVFmT1DdzF
— Tony Dokoupil (@Tony Dokoupil) 1595626031.0

Let's all show the USPS some love, both by being kind to our individual mail carriers and by supporting the work they do. The best support we can give is making sure this long-standing institution survives these tough times.

From Your Site Articles

Related Articles Around the Web

united states

Well Being

11-yr-old letter writer receives hundreds of personal notes from grateful postal workers

Hugh Weber/Twitter

While the 245-year old U.S. postal service battles for its survival, a story of the power of a personal letter is showing us why we cannot let it fail. Not only does USPS provide mail services to rural areas that otherwise wouldn't have anyone to deliver mail or packages, but it serves the public with diligence and heart.

A story shared by a dad of a daughter who loves to write and send letters has tugged at people's heartstrings on social media. Graphic designer Hugh Weber wrote on Twitter:

"Emerson, my 11 year old, is on a bit of a wild ride with the @USPS and our local mail carrier, Doug.

And, I think there's a deeper message to it all.

First, the backstory...

Em has a serious letter writing habit. She maintains active correspondence with over a dozen of her favorite people… https://t.co/xataPtIIhE
— Hugh Weber (@Hugh Weber) 1588463161.0

Em has a serious letter writing habit. She maintains active correspondence with over a dozen of her favorite people. And, if you've been the lucky recipient of one of Em's hand decorated letters and envelopes, then you have a pretty good idea of the joy they bring.

A letter from Emerson is likely to include some art, a joke or two, a mention of her younger brother, confessions of her love for Taylor Swift and enough questions to guarantee a response.

So, when she decided to thank our mail carrier for the service he provides us, she left nothing out. In went Taylor Swift, in went the little brother, in went the jokes.

Q: Why do you never see elephants hiding in trees?
A: Because they're really good at it.

Em wrote, "I'm Emerson. You may know me as the person that lives here that writes a lot of letters & decorated the envelopes. Well, I wanted to thank you for taking my letters and delivering them. You are very important to me. I make people happy with my letters, but you do too."

She continued, "The reason you are very important in my life is because I don't have a phone so how else am I supposed to stay in touch with my friends? You make it possible!"

She put it in the box, smiled when he took it & that was enough. The next day a package arrived with some stamps… https://t.co/cQiofKPG4K
— Hugh Weber (@Hugh Weber) 1588563271.0

She put it in the box, smiled when he took it & that was enough.

The next day a package arrived with some stamps & two letters. Doug had shared Em's letter with his supervisor, Sara, and they both wanted to share how touched they were by her note.

Sara said that, as an essential worker, Doug might not be able to maintain regular correspondence, but she sure could. Em started writing that very afternoon.

This is when things get interesting. The next week, we got a letter address to “Mr and Mrs Weber.” It seems that Sa… https://t.co/JdfxxUvCA9
— Hugh Weber (@Hugh Weber) 1588563274.0

This is when things get interesting. The next week, we got a letter address to 'Mr and Mrs Weber.' It seems that Sara had shared Em's note as a 'Token of Thanks' in the internal newsletter for the Western US and there were some postal folks that wanted to thank her.

Today, we saw Doug getting out of the truck with two BOXES of letters from around the country. We snapped a quick photo through the door as he and Emerson met for the first time. It was a beautiful moment on silent reciprocity.

These letters are so deeply human. They are filled with family, pets, hobbies, community and an overwhelming sense… https://t.co/bl1kjo2ema
— Hugh Weber (@Hugh Weber) 1588570474.0

These letters are so deeply human. They are filled with family, pets, hobbies, community and an overwhelming sense of kindness.

Because Em was fully vulnerable, they were too.

Em shared jokes, so they shared jokes.

Em share her brother, so every gift that was sent came in duplicate.

Em shared @taylorswift13 and it turns out that the US Postal service is filled with lots of undercover Swifties.

One maintenance manager from Minnesota wanted to inspire her to start collecting stamps so he sent along two stamps of his own from the bulletin board in his office to start her collection.

And, they sent stamps to be used as well. Stamps for her to write back. Stamps for her to write others. Stamps, sta… https://t.co/elMKbrnHKC
— Hugh Weber (@Hugh Weber) 1588570480.0

And, they sent stamps to be used as well. Stamps for her to write back. Stamps for her to write others. Stamps, stamps, stamps. (218 by Em's count.)

But, there was something more in these letters. People felt seen - some for the first time in a long time.

"I work alone in a small rural post office..."
"My kids all live far away..."
"Not a lot of people think about how hard we work..."

One wrote,
"I can't tell you how much it means to read your letter..."

Another,
"I have a son in Kuwait and if you have a second to send him a letter he would love it."

And another,
"I know you can't write back to all of us, but maybe I can drop you a line from time to time?"

With dozens of new pen pals, Em did what she does best. She wrote the dad. She wrote his son. She assured the sec… https://t.co/i38vfOYQSn
— Hugh Weber (@Hugh Weber) 1588570483.0

With dozens of new pen pals, Em did what she does best.

She wrote the dad.
She wrote his son.
She assured the secret swifties not to be embarrassed because her dad likes TSwift, too.
She acknowledged that there WERE a lot of letter but that she had time.
She sees them all.

I'm not sharing this because I'm a proud dad. I'm sharing it because it is relatively easy, if we take the time, to give others the one thing they need to be well - human connection.

I have a friend that says we all just want to be seen, known and loved.

Em does this boldly.

It's #MentalHealthAwareness month and I want to be bold and brave like Em.

We're all in a moment of physical isolation that is amplifying a real epidemic of loneliness, anxiety and depression. I've been feeling it personally since long before we locked our front door.

In the second week of quarantine, I responded to hundreds of DMs from creatives who are feeling this disconnect in a significant way. I heard from college students to senior executives who personally and professionally are stressed, worried and/or afraid.

Two weeks ago, I personally started working with a @talkspace therapist for the 1st time.

For years I've travelled the country talking about relationships of influence, but I've used that travel as an excuse not to seek the support I know I need. This pause gave me time to act.

I have incredible family & friends, but the truth is that I needed more. And, sending texts via an app has been the small step I needed.

Moral of the story: it's the small things that matter most, friends.

Send a letter.
Make a call.
Practice self care.
Take a step of boldness.
For yourself or for others.

And, thank your mail carrier (from an appropriate distance.) They are working extremely hard to keep us all connected.

And, if any of you are feeling isolated, anxious, scared or depressed, those feelings are valid. I'm feeling them, too.

And, I'm here if you need me."

What a beautiful example of humans reaching out and touching other human hearts in simple yet profound ways. In a time when we are more physically isolated than ever, seeing these sincere efforts to connect are truly hopeful. And at a time when the postal service needs support, what a lovely illustration of why it's worth saving.

To support USPS, you can buy stamps on their website. ("Forever" stamps will always work for sending a letter, even if stamp prices go up. Stock up and send grandma or an old friend a card or letter in the mail. You know they'll love it.)

From Your Site Articles

Related Articles Around the Web

uplifting

usps

USPS announces 'The Giving Tree' stamp. Do they know what they've unleashed?

One thing is certain: The book still has us talking after 57 years.

America's favorite mail carrier has a an election message for us all

Of all things, the freaking postal service should not be a partisan fight

An 11-yr-old's daily tic-tac-toe game with her mail carrier is quietly a metaphor for America in 2020

11-yr-old letter writer receives hundreds of personal notes from grateful postal workers

Professional baby namer lists the top girl names from the 80s that 'did not age well'

Woman who refuses to communicate information to mother-in-law gets brilliant response

Doctor finally settles the debate of morning vs. nighttime showers

People can't get enough of this epic dance routine to "Somebody That I Used to Know"

Wife has the perfect response when husband introduces her to coworkers as 'The Housewife'

15 tweets that only married people will understand