Bookmark or Dog Ear?

I'm in the midst of preparing lesson plans for next week for my freshman composition class. Okay, actually I'm writing this instead of preparing lesson plans because I'm procrastinating, which is something I do well.

It's the beginning of the semester and I want to start them thinking about thinking, and thinking about seeing, and thinking about what things mean. And I don't know why, but my mind started wandering and I wondered what it says about a person if, when reading a book, they use a book mark versus dog earring the page to mark their place, and although it may sound kind of silly on the surface, I think it gets at a deeper philosophical question about how people view and value books.

Do book-markers have a deeper reverence or respect for books, or even property in general? Or are they just neatniks? Are they organized and uptight about having things just so? Are they squeamish about marring the perfection of art? Do they want to preserve the book in its like-new condition for as long as possible so they'll be able to enjoy it that much longer? Do book-markers also leave the dust jacket on the book as they read it and then organize their books in alphabetical order on perfectly dusted shelves? Are book-markers more considerate? Are they honoring and valuing books more by using book marks?

Are dog-earrers rebels who couldn't care less about the value of the book itself and so have no problem with vandalizing its pages? By folding the corners are they torturing the pages of books the way Sid tortures toys? Do they toss dust jackets carelessly aside and then shelve their books willy-nilly in no reasonable order? Maybe even leaving them in piles or boxes? (gasp!) Or by dog-earring are they getting down and dirty and showing their love for reading. Are books meant to be used and loved or revered and put on a pedestal?

I'll confess, I'm a dog-earrer. I do try not to dog-ear library books because they don't belong to me, and I do that not out of respect for the book itself but out of respect for the fact that I don't own it. My own books, though, I dog-ear like there's no tomorrow. Why?  Because bookmarks fall out. And because a dog-ear is a built-in bookmark. And because it's no big deal. I think, like a cozy blanket or your favorite jammies, books are meant to be loved and used and appreciated. Just like stuffed animals are meant to be snuggled and squeezed and loved, not collected on a shelf. To me, a book with lots of dog-ears and a ratty binding, and maybe fingerprints inside shows that it's adored, well-read, and loved. I write in my books, make notes, highlight my favorite stuff. I read them over and over. I don't shelve alphabetically, I toss aside dust covers, and I have piles of books everywhere. In my house, books are part of the family, not a collection that shouldn't be touched.

So I'm taking a poll. Where do you stand on the book mark vs dog-ear issue? You see over there on the right? There's a little poll. Click your preference. And maybe leave me a comment...