I don't know about you, but even months after Truth Be Told, I'm still wondering why it was so offensive to Oliver that his father left USPS to work for FedEx. The obvious reason is the kink it created in the family line, having descended from a legacy of lifetime service to the age-old institution. But, as we've discussed, lineage, in the grand scheme of things, doesn't mean much. So what other possible explanation exists for Oliver's aversion to the rival delivery service, you ask? It's a matter of faith---plain and simple. If you remember from the pilot, one of the elements of mail delivery that seems to leave Oliver in awe is the amount of faith one exercises when sending a letter out into the world. |
For Oliver, tracking codes might as well be the breakdown of civilization and the beginning of anarchy. What faith is there to be exercised when you know your package will be delivered Tuesday at 3:41 pm?
Granted, USPS has package tracking, too. But letters are personal, they contain the very content of ones heart and soul. So when Papa O'Toole chose to forego that sacred trust and trade it in for anything else, it's no wonder Oliver felt betrayed.
What do you think, Postables? Think this sufficiently explains why Oliver finds FedEx so offensive? Let me know in the comments, and feel free to offer your own theories there, too!
Entertaining The Abstract,
~C