OT My postings

[Runscott]

Old guys - it's only going to get worse. Kids have more important things to do in their lives than worry about rules, and I mean ANY rules. It could be partly a function of where I live, but the kids I know (and by 'kids', I mean anyone under 30) are only interested in playing video games, drinking and smoking. I know plenty of really intelligent young people who didn't think getting a high school degree was very important. It's cool to be a slacker. From where I am sitting right at this moment, I can look out the window and see 'cool kids' and homeless people. In many cases it's the same people, just on different parts of the same path.

In our generation this attitude generally only lasted through high school, then we had to go get a job. It was a cultural thing, and it protected us.

But back to the topic. English is devolving. Oral language started off purely as a means of communication. Written language gave it rules and thus permanence. Our youth have a distaste for rules. Any method that communicates a thought is now acceptable.

Fight dullardness: Read, write letters, do math in your head.

[wazoo]

Originally Posted by Runscott

Old guys - it's only going to get worse. Kids have more important things to do in their lives than worry about rules, and I mean ANY rules. It could be partly a function of where I live, but the kids I know (and by 'kids', I mean anyone under 30) are only interested in playing video games, drinking and smoking. I know plenty of really intelligent young people who didn't think getting a high school degree was very important. It's cool to be a slacker. From where I am sitting right at this moment, I can look out the window and see 'cool kids' and homeless people. In many cases it's the same people, just on different parts of the same path.

In our generation this attitude generally only lasted through high school, then we had to go get a job. It was a cultural thing, and it protected us.

But back to the topic. English is devolving. Oral language started off purely as a means of communication. Written language gave it rules and thus permanence. Our youth have a distaste for rules. Any method that communicates a thought is now acceptable.

Fight dullardness: Read, write letters, do math in your head.

I'm in 10th grade and I proofread all my posts

[EvilKing00]

Originally Posted by wazoo

I'm in 10th grade and I proofread all my posts

Can you proof read mine too plz?

[drc]

As a former literature major and encyclopedia writer, my philosophy is if you understand what the person means, that's the majority of communication. I do 'speak proper,' but don't go all school teacher about a teenager using the word ain't because I, and everyone else, know what the kid means.

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by drc

As a former literature major and encyclopedia writer, my philosophy is if you understand what the person means, that's the majority of communication. I do 'speak proper,' but don't go all school teacher about a teenager using the word ain't because I, and everyone else, know what the kid means.

...or when they drop the 'F' bomb repeatedly in public, or even at the dinner table when visiting their grandparents. They are just communicating - no biggy.

[drc]

Forgive Scott. He lives in Belltown. On my side of town, the kids don't even know what is the F-bomb.

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by drc

Forgive Scott. He lives in Belltown. On my side of town, the kids don't even know what is the F-bomb.

I was complaining to a friend of mine about the nasty language I hear around Belltown, and he told me that I was getting old, reminding me that my parents probably felt the same way about the language that my generation used. The main difference is that I was still held accountable and got to taste quite a bit of the old ivory bar.

[tschock]

Kids (those under 30 and a gross generalization) have always had a dislike for rules. The problem today is that adults (those over 30 and another gross generalization) don't hold anyone accountable for breaking the rules, in all aspects of society. Lack of grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc are just endemic of the larger problem.

I am not the best speller, and at times have problems with grammar, but I try to proofread what I say as my job requires a good deal of technical accuracy. And to try and convey what I actually MEAN so that others can understand. My errors I catch myself doing these days are usually typing the wrong words (such as "there" instead of "they") because my brain is usually ahead of my fingers, which are many times on "auto pilot" when typing.

I myself, as others have pointed out, usually just gloss over a post/comment that isn't clear and I don't give it a second look. My feeling is that I'm not going to spend more effort in trying to understand what someone wrote than the effort they put into what they wrote in the first place.

[byrone]

Originally Posted by drc

Forgive Scott. He lives in Belltown. On my side of town, the kids don't even know what is the F-bomb.

Trivia question

Do you know who coined the word "F-Bomb"?

[cyseymour]

Originally Posted by drc

As a former literature major and encyclopedia writer, my philosophy is if you understand what the person means, that's the majority of communication. I do 'speak proper,' but don't go all school teacher about a teenager using the word ain't because I, and everyone else, know what the kid means.

"Ain't" is slang, not a misspelling persay. But there is a difference between written and spoken communication, or what is considered appropriate in one environment vs. another.

I would say that in the Net54 environment, it is generally casual, and misspellings are made and accepted, but there is a general expectation that the poster at least makes an effort.

[barrysloate]

per se

[frankbmd]

+1

The 'marm