Post-Post Office or: How I Learned to Start Worrying and Appreciate the Post Office

In his book The Creation of the Media: Political Origins of Modern Communications Paul Starr discusses the importance of postal services as an element in the foundation of modern media and the dissemination of thought. Starr first mentions postal networks on page two, and for the rest of today's readings I couldn't shake the United States Post Office from my mind. As Starr discusses how the creation of the postal service enabled the growth and circulation of newspapers, I quickly began worrying about the decline of an institution that played an integral part in the formation of the United States. With every page, I became more and more concerned: "How could we let our postal service become unnecessary?" I began to wonder why the idea of the USPS wasn't emphasized more when I was growing up, and why the simple act of writing a letter and having it sent to whomever I wanted is not a simple act at all. It is amazing.

The telegraph networks live on in our wireless phone networks today; however, the postal service as it existed will one day be a thing of the past (barring any unforeseen collapse of contemporary society). I have to admit that I rarely send letters or even send packages through the postal service, so I am complicit in the degradation of the USPS. The use of email has become second nature and I wouldn’t dare forfeit the ability to correspond electronically; however, the spirit of that correspondence isn’t the same. It’s far easier to monitor electronic correspondence than it is to have someone sort through every letter and read its contents. I’m not disseminating anything that I need to be worried about, but the freedom inherent in sending a physical correspondence is irreplaceable.

As Starr moves beyond the introduction into his discussion of the beginnings of print and the first courier services in Europe (did anyone think of the muted post horn?), I was still drawn to the USPS and the affect it had on the development of the United States. I’m not trying to sound jingoistic, but government-sanctioned—yet free from censorship—postal service is genius. Not only was the flow of ideas facilitated that enabled the US to become a super power, but also the ramifications of such a service are widespread. Since the USPS helped the circulation of printed materials, it created a market for publications that wouldn’t have otherwise been created. I’m sure that there have been some awful publications that negatively affect the people’s perception of free speech; however, the positives that stem from easy access to printed materials far outweigh the negatives.
Even seemingly unrelated items are directly connected to the postal service. The privatization of printing and the freedom to disseminate publications set individuals on paths never conceived. Orville Wright was interested in printing and became fascinated with the mechanics of printing presses. He built his own printing press and began printing a variety of publications. It was this interest in printing presses and their complex mechanisms that eventually led to the development of heavier-than-air flying machines. This connection may seem like a stretch, but had the ability to freely print in the United States not existed, Orville Wright would not have had the initial experiences that helped him develop airplanes.

It is for this reason—among countless thousands—that I lament the decline of the USPS. It was instrumental in the growth of the United States and the diffusion of free thought. The postal service deserves a more elaborate sendoff than what it currently is receiving. I realize this now as I finish Starr’s first chapter, but I am not consoled by any ideas that might help the situation.