I love my language, so please do not butcher it.

[wednes]

I had two lame Lj arguments this week which deal with two topics, spelling things wrong on purpose to be "cute" and fanfic. I ended up confirming that even though there has not been an official precident set, that fanfic is a violation of copyright. Later, I learned that when you write the word "Internet" as in "there are a lot of idiots on the Internet" that you are supposed to capitalize it.

Am I the last person on Earth to learn this?

Why is it a proper noun anyway?
Did someone name it? I wasn't aware that they did.

The first silly conversation started at mock_the_stupid where someone said her Dad was stupid for not knowing the difference between Harry Potter and LotR. Here's a hint, one you could fall asleep during and just wake up for the fight scenes; and the other is wicked awesome. *wink* It's a JOKE! Whenever you look at me like that...it's a Joke!!!
This led to a whole discussion about fanfic. My anti-fanfic stance is well known. I would kick the ass of someone who made Sadie a reborn Christian or a vegan; because that's just not who she is. I always say fanfic is masturbation for writers. And I stand by that. It might not all be ridiculous and horrifying...but either way I don't want to know about it. As it happens, several people got all defensive about their right to make Snape hump Hermione or Tom Welling or whatever the hell these kids write about. Like how dare I suggest that fanfic is lame and how flattered they would be if someone stole their characters and posted a bunch of piss-poor shit about them.
I will quantify that by saying that if children are writing fanfic as opposed to writing nothing, then that's cool. Kids (under say, 15) can write whatever the hell they want. Then, it's time to get serious.

Then some girly chick wrote the phrase "CAWSE you know you want to" in a LOST comm. I just couldn't let that go. And it turned into a huge discussion where some jackass went through my comments with a red pen and chastized me for not capitalizing Internet. Of course, not knowing something odd like that (at least, I think it's odd) isn't really the same as misspelling something on purpose and then defending it saying "that's how I say it." I will never understand the way teenagers on the internet hold onto their "right" to present themselves like morons. Are we really at the end of an age where people know how to spell, type and punctuate? Again, I'm not talking about a lack of education or even sheer stupidity. I'm talking about a willful disregard and apathy in public correspondences.

I am aware that plenty of Internet slang exists (I can deal with things like "teh" and "pwned" if I must) and is generally accepted most places. But is it really acceptable to just make up whatever the hell spelling you feel like, not put spaces after a typed period (that's a dot, kids), or a comma, and never use the shift key once?!?

Comments

[cmdavi-70.livejournal.com]

I see a lot of writing online in which no capitalization occurs, not a single word. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a pet peeve, as I really don't care that much. I'm just wondering why people whould be that lazy about something so simple.

[wednes.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I guess in large part it's the apathy that bugs me. And then people say they "don't have time" to do it properly, as if that extra keystroke is really infringing on their afternoon.

[klynnfrost.livejournal.com]

I just learned about the "Internet" v. "internet" in my computer class, but would not have known about it otherwise. I see what you're saying about the other stuff. I mean, I know that I slaughter my posts with mispellings and lack of caps, etc. Most of the time it is because I am in a hurry and know that my friends will get my jist regardless.

I realize that what I am describing is different from "CAWSE" but I think they tie together. Through talking to other students in writing classes the common factors we've discussed are that it's as if teachers started putting this emphasis on casual writing just to get kids to write, and threw the whold proper grammer thing out (or put less emphasis on it). It all reminds me of middle school journal writing - it didn't matter what we wrote, or how abstract it was, just if we did it at all. It seems to exemplify a lowering of the standards of education.

Even, when I was trying to apply for the Honors Program, I found out that the school has been lowering it's minimum requirements to join over time. True that it made me feel that joining was more attainable, and I was willing to work more for it, but I think it does a diservice to the kids that put me to shame. Then, sometimes I wonder if those kids would bother with applying to a school like Eastern, anyway. I guess, to surmize, you're reminding me of a trend I've noticed but am probably not informed enough to really comment on.

[wednes.livejournal.com]

I am certainly guilty of massive typos when I type in my own jounral. Generally, I try to be more careful when posting in a public forum or in comms. That's not a big deal.

But the deliberate, intentional butchering of the language, and/or a profound apathy toward making even the attempt at proper English...well, it just turns my stomach. I don't even know why it bothers me so much...I guess just because I write. Plus, it's always these dumbass, American Idol loving, know nothing teenagers who are all bitchy and sarcastic about their right to act like imbeciles.

[groovesinorbit]

I'm a culprit of the spelling things wrong on purpose crime. Mainly because on lj I see myself having a conversation with folks, and I'm going for that feel. Depends on the situation, and I'd never type that way in a more serious venue, or if the subject matter didn't warrant it. But, if all I see of another person's writing is continual slang, misspellings, and bad grammar, I don't think much of their writing ability.

I totally agree with you on fanfic. Bleah.

[wednes.livejournal.com]

I do use silly Internet jargon from time to time.

BuT I wud NVr tipe LeiK tHis.

[nokturnalia.livejournal.com]

Spelling things wrong on purpose can be so attractive to me, if it's done with style. Especially things like "i told myself i was strong enough that i had plenty of blood to give and each elbow cradled a needle but listless and faint ain't no way to live". ;-)

[pyrafire.livejournal.com]

Honestly, there are some things that I just rebel against on purpose, but other than that, I try to use correct grammar and punctuation. CAWSE is irritating, but I, for instance, have no plans to start capitalizing 'internet.' I also refuse to say, "It is I," instead of "It's me," on the phone or when I knock on a door. There are certain colloquialisms that are just, in my opinion, acceptable, regardless of what my ninth grade grammar teacher says.

[wednes.livejournal.com]

That's true. They even officially changed the standing on double negatives, admitting that it expresses a strong desire to negate. I don't use it, but now I have to let it go because it's technically acceptable. When I was little there was no such word as "okay." O.K. was considered a casual abbreviation; but unacceptable for formal writing.

I do use words like "gonna" or "wanna" in my writing, just because it's important to the casual feel of a character.

[jere7my.livejournal.com]

Even more technically, it's "Internet" (no "the"), just like ARPAnet and Usenet: "I posted to Internet last night." But that was thirty years ago; usage has shifted to the point where nobody but pedantic geeks insist that it be capitalized.

I pretty much agree about fanfic, insofar as I Just Don't Get It and would be upset if someone bent my characters that way.

[wednes.livejournal.com]

So rather than being uninformed, I've really just avoided being a pendantic geek? That's the best news I've heard all day. ;=}

[madush69.livejournal.com]

Grammar stuff fascinates me. I'm always correcting my mom for a few things that she neverr fixes. She says, "WHen are you going to come visit your Dad and I?" I tell her it's "...dad and me."
She says that's not the way they taught it at St. CEcelia's.
I then explain that "Dad and I are coming to visit." works, much like "I am coming to visit." I also point out that she wouldn't say, "When are you coming to visit I?"

She says that I make no sense.
I am very scared to ever have my Mom meet Cathy's super facy, highly educated, near-genius-level parents.

[madush69.livejournal.com]

fancy

[wednes.livejournal.com]

Are they in MENSA? I missed MENSA by 1.5 percentile points.

[uterdic.livejournal.com]

FYI you are absolutely correct in your grammar in your comment above. You can tell your mom that she is wrong with all the confidence in the world.

so much I could reply about

[anathon.livejournal.com]

Yeah the whole fanfic thing...not interested. It is strange to me that people would be interested in reading about the sexual relationship between a middle aged or older and a preteen or early teen. I am not saying I cannot tolerate age difference. Just saying that there it is odd to me.

And the whole spelling things wrong on purpose is a double edged sword for me. I have a difficult time conveying tone and sarcasm in writing on the Internet so sometimes that requires me to me adjust spelling. But blatant disregard for all spelling to be trendy or "original" does not make sense to me. I saw "groce" being used for gross. This was probably the most annoying for me.

Re: so much I could reply about

[wednes.livejournal.com]

Groce?!?

Oh man...

[loverunway.livejournal.com]

Wow I never knew someone who was sad enough to write about their arguments in a entry. O yer I'm some teenage chick. Yer that's me! Well i've been called worse. Just cawse I say cawse doesn't give you a right to talk about me in your LJ. Woah I made up a word, more creative than you.

[wednes.livejournal.com]

Um...hello and welcome. I guess I must have really shaken you if you've taken the time to come here and comment. Of course, no one would have known I was talking about you if you hadn't come here to identify yourself. Nice job. You're quite a brainy one, aren't you?

[uterdic.livejournal.com]

Darling, you really shouldn't get into this with those of us who are the friends of Wednes. We are a clever bunch and would bury you in any argument you started here. I'm just giving you a heads up. I hope you have a lovely day.

[itches]

On the subject of fan fiction; what is your opinion of it, if it only has original characters?

[wednes.livejournal.com]

You mean it just borrows elements like settings or "the one ring" or whatever? I don't know...I think all originality is best. But if you feel so passionately about one certain aspect of someone's else's story then I suppose you should follow up on it. I guess I'd need to see an example in order to give a better answer.

[x-bubbly-b-x.livejournal.com]

i don't atually think it is worth writing an entry about someone writing "CAWSE". I don't think the user was trying to be cute as you said, it was simply a matter of first instinct when writing the word.

[wednes.livejournal.com]

Well thank you for popping by to tell me what you think I should or shouldn't put in my journal. Shall I pop by your journal and point out whatever I don't like? Actually, I don't have that kind of time.

And to be clear, the post isn't "about" some moron who goes out of her way to spell incorrectly; it's about the two things I learned today (well, yesterday now) as a result of those interactions.

[klynnfrost.livejournal.com]

Popcorn anyone?

[wednes.livejournal.com]

LOL

[(Anonymous)]

I found it odd that Internet is capitalized too. But I noticed it when I started checking my posts on Word. See Word is capitalized too.

wtf is teh!! That's whta happens when I'm typing too fast and I type 'the' wrong. See, I do it with 'what' too.
wtf is 'pwned' Some weird way of typing 'pawned'?

I expect that these children will either never grow out of this and it will be a way to distinguish when someone is old. Like 'Hey you kids!! Get off my lawn!!' But online. It will be a way for the younger crowd to know when they are dealing with someone born before 1985. Or, they will out grow it and it will persist as a perpetual generational gap. Most kids below teenage level will type like idiots, and when they get older they will grow out of it.

[wednes.livejournal.com]

As far as I can tell, "teh" and "pwned" are typos that people now use intentionally...and somewhat ironically.

But I agree. I do feel like the *shakes fist* type because I'm so serious about grammar and at least trying to spell correctly.

[nate101000.livejournal.com]

I made that typo because my right hand is faster than my left. When someone types the word 'rights', their right hand types the letters i and h, and their left hand types the letters r, g, t, and s. Because I'm right handed, often my right hand types faster than my left. Which sometimes causes me to transpose two letters. Indeed transposing two letters and typing the letter beside the one intended are the two most common typos. In polite society it?s considered petty to criticize someone for minor typos in a casual forum such as LJ.

Perhaps you would be more comfortable if I wrote this like an imbecile.

I maid that typo cuz my rite hand is fastr than my left. When sumwon typs the word ?rights?, ther right hand typs the letrs i and h, and ther left hand typs the letrs r, g, t, and s. Cuz im right handed, ofen my right hand typs fastr than my left. Wich sumtims cawses me to transpos 2 letrs. Indeed transposing 2 letrs and typing the letr bside the 1 intendd are the 2 most comon typos. In polit sosioty its considerd pety 2 kritisiz sumwon for mior typos in a casual forum such as LJ.