I REALLY hope my “Seduction of the Innocent” comes in the mail today. Clocking in at $116.51, it is, by far, the most expensive book I have ever bought. I know you’re thinking, “Will, you are such a moron!” Well, yes I am. I’m sick and I need help. I feel that there should be support groups for people like me. But no, it’s not drugs or alcohol that are destroying me. It’s eBay. Who’d have known that a service created to help Pez collectors would turn into such a world power?!!! I wish I had NetNanny just to block out that website. Parents are concerned about porn and violence on the net, but eBay’s just as bad. It’s like armchair gambling, and it’s impossible to stop. I sit there thinking of it like the stock market: “Oh, it’s not real money.” But it is! It’s very real. Sometimes I get so bored that I just start bidding on auctions that are almost ended, not really even wanting the item. I just like the competitiveness of the bidding war. I really need help! But for those of you who are uninformed, this particular book was a good deal because it normally goes for about $800. Yes, I said EIGHT HUNDRED. No, the pages are not made out of gold, but the book played a very important role in the matter of censorship. Dr. Fredric Wertham wrote it in 1954, citing comic book stories that were believed to be corrupting the youth of America. The matter eventually found its way to the Senate floor, and a ratings system was adopted for comic books. In addition, several comic publishers were forced out of business due to their publishing of “inappropriate material”. The book has been out of print since 1957, and I vowed to own a copy before I died. So, this eBay victory is bittersweet: while I’m glad I finally acquired a copy of the book (or will, as soon as it arrives), I’m also expecting to be hit by a truck any day now.
