“Guest post”

As a rule I don’t print anyone else’s writing on my blog; no quotes, no guest posts, but today I’m going to break from that tradition with an anonymous piece of writing. Quite a few years ago I had a work-from-home part-time job grading “practice” SAT essays for a test prep company. (Side note: I didn’t get this job because my own SAT scores had been so fabulous – they weren’t – but because I did very well in college and had a number of writing credits, primarily in local newspapers, to demonstrate my writing skill.) Most of the student writing I saw was unremarkable. I saved this short piece, part of a response to a question I no longer recall exactly (something about various individuals’ worth to society), not for its writing per se but because I thought it was a stitch, too good not to now share. I give you “Ben’s” words:

Secondly, a toy factory assembly man could be considered invaluable because he puts together a lot of toys every day, but the man could be a sleazy bachelor who goes home every night and drinks. There’s a good chance he doesn’t have kids, because he wouldn’t be able to afford them. So, in fact, the man could do nothing for nobody and still be considered full of worth because he produces a lot of toys.