ONE has to feel for the DMV rules of the road booklet- yes, the one which we have to read before ticking boxes on a sheet of paper and being honoured with a driving permit. There are books that people read for pleasure, for professional growth, or simply with urgency because they have to. But this one, I have seen people read only when they have nothing to do- absolutely nothing. When you don't have an impending deadline, don't have anything fun to do, or everyone else is busy with their own thing, that's when you read the DMV book. Sure, you can argue that people read the DMV book to pass the test when they really need a license, which would push it into the third category mentioned above. Even so, it tends to receive the least amount of dedicated mind power. I don't think that there any piece of literature that gets the sort of casual treatment that this does. We even begin with the assumption that we are going to pass the test, eventually at least. After all, they let you take the written test something like three times for ten bucks- utter disgrace.
The poor thing doesn't even have a price attached to it- you can download it for free. Just imagine the abuse- get it for free, give it lowest priority, and have no fear of treating it casually, for there is always next time. I don't have any quarrels with the present setup, but I pity the book, especially if it has feelings.
An amusing thought: will there be a day when people pre-order their rules of the road, rush into bookstores to get them, and perhaps try and be the first ones to finish?
