From The Sublime...

Having gotten rather 'out there' in my previous blog today, let me bring things rather back to earth, by listing some of the far-from-funny spellings that people these days get up to in their comments on the Internet.  Reflecting the abysmal level of education that has been going on in this country, for, really, long enough.

The thinking of our educators 'these days' must be that 'close is good enough' - that we don't really have to know the detail of things.  And thus, quite possibly, why more Americans haven't bothered to find out for themselves, for example, the definition of a 'natural born' citizen.  Which actually is a big deal.  Clarity on that matter could have prevented an ineligible candidate for making it to the office of the president of the United States - and not just once, but for a follow-up term as well; and prevented the fundamental change in direction that said person took the country.  I refer, of course, to -

oh well.  But you would know the answer to that.  Wouldn't you...

Anyway; here's a brief list of the clankers that I have across very recently on the Internet.*

* '...collapsing under its own wait.'

* '...have lost there common sense.'

(And more in the 'their/there/they're' conundrum for some people:)

* 'Their either for freedom or..'.

* 'They need to live in they're own land with they're own ideology.'

(Back to the general sad situation:)

* '...count the ballads.'  (Not in talking about song collections.)

*  'a bull work against evil.'

* '...aloud it to happen.'

* 'political pastime of divide and concur...'

* 'wall la!' (for voila!)

(And a biggie for many people:)

* '...having sworn and oath to the Constitution...'

* '...the ladder will probably apply.'   (For what - work??)

And to bring this brief example to a halt:

* 'It is time to grow up and except the president.'

I agree with what you intended to say, dear dumbed-down American.


The bottom line:

Details matter.  For examples.  a) A violet flame is not the same as a violent flame.  And speaking of violence: b) Something isn't 'hate speech' or a 'hate crime' unless it's engaged in in a hateful, over-the-top, violent way.  You can't outlaw things spoken just because you think they 'may' lead to violence.  That's a mark of despotism.  It may go down in a dictatorship like Red China.  It should have no place in a Western country, that has a legacy of free principles.

I repeat, to underline the point:

Details matter.

--

*  I have gone through a number of multiple-page listings of these sorts of things in the backs of my notebooks over the past several years, since beginning to keep such lists, from having more time in my retirement years to do so.
   And don't talk to me about 'spelling Nazis'.  This is, actually, a very serious subject.  If you aren't trained to notice the detail of things, as in learning well how to spell, your mind is kept from being 'sharpened,' and thus you are being kept in a sort of prison cell; the better to control you with, my dear.  By people who would just love to have Power Over Others.  Or POO for short.  And want you to think that everything is relative, that there are no absolutes, so 'don't sweat the details'.
   Just leave those to them.