Language usage in debate

[andysocial]

<rant>
As I peruse random LJ users, often linked from another of my "friends", I notice something. Those who tend to espouse highly extreme viewpoints do so with very poor English skills. I'm willing to give a lot of slack to folks for whom English is not their primary language, of course, but a frightening number of Americans seem incapable of remembering something as simple as, "I before E except after C."

Honestly, if you're going to try to convince others (or the world at large) of the correctness of your views, doing so in language that would make a sixth-grade teacher cry is not a good way to do it. I have a very difficult time believing that you are capable of forming an informed opinion on a subject if you can't spell "which" for example. Since so few of these people will listen to opposing views, no matter how simply and logically explicated, I assume this rant will fall on deaf ears. So be it.
</rant>

Comments

[gullsgirl.livejournal.com]

I agree with you, but on the other hand when I am pissed and needing to vent, I type so fast that I could careless how I spell.

Now I'm just cranky.

[andysocial]

Or couldn't care less, even. :-)

I know, I allow typos to slip in on occasion (although I'm kind of anal about that normally), but the folks I'm talking about will have no fewer than 3 egregious spelling errors in a single sentence. When someone occasionally transposes friend into freind, that's understandable. It's when they spell field as feild, and which as wich, all the while proclaiming how "smart" they are that amuses me. When that same poor spelling (and usually an accompanying lack of proper capitalization and punctuation) is used to proclaim to the world that their viewpoint, no matter how far abeam, is the only correct one, you know you shouldn't even bother attempting conversation. Sometimes it's fun, though. :-)

[catherine.livejournal.com]

AMEN!

[bloojanuary.livejournal.com]

Double AMEN!

[ziegler.livejournal.com]

haha. i am guilty. again, another recourse to poor debate, ignoring the message because of the paper it was sent on.

i mispell alot of things... thats what editors are for. errors in grammar, diction, and semantics are quite forgivable....

errors in thought require opposition.

Forgetting one's roots

[andysocial]

Sadly for you, proper language usage is normally considered a prerequisite for any reasoned debate. Lincoln and Douglas did not offer each other half-formed sentences, for example. But, as I indicated in my original post, some people will refuse to listen to any opposing views.

[alparrott.livejournal.com]

So where does my division commander fit into all this?

[andysocial]

He's in a category all his own. All caps, no punctuation, abysmal spelling, sentences which have no point... That was a truly amazing email you shared with us, Aaron. :-)