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Many people have learning disabilities though. I have Asperger's and it affects my spelling and communication online. Be kinder to those with learning differences.consider yourself lucky not to have such a condition.
Yep, they do.
I've taught special education, predominantly ASDs, and have actually had many students with Asperger's so skilled at spelling and written communication that they loved to do editing tasks. I would intentionally create assignments with typos, misspellings, and grammatical errors for one student, because he so loved to find and correct them.
The reality is, though (and this isn't just the case online, either), others won't necessarily know you have learning differences, unless you choose to disclose. And, even if they do, they may or may not particularly care one way or another. In life (not so much when posting on online forums for leisure), you would be expected to do what you need to to accommodate that deficit...for instance, if your job required managing any online media or content, you would be expected to see to it that your work was edited to ensure that errors didn't go live, etc. Now, you might choose specifically not to work in a setting or at a job where this is an issue, which is one way of getting around it.
But, as I always told my students, everyone has different skill sets...whether we have disabilities or not. When you have skill deficits that hamper you in some meaningful way, though, it's time to learn how to navigate around those so they don't limit you anymore than they have to.
But we are judged by what we present, and on a forum, what we present are our words. If they're not correct, we look less intelligent. Even if that's not the case. I also submit that, even if it doesn't make the writer come off as unintelligent, it does make the writer come off as sloppy and lacking an eye for detail.
And, as some have stated, the response to that may be, "Fine, I don't care if others write me off as less intelligent; I know I'm intelligent." That's fine. You aren't, then, one of the ones who would even care if "people on City-Data forums make a big deal out of spelling and grammer [sic]."
“When you judge others, you do not define them, you define yourself”
― Earl Nightingale
When I first started posting it was on an old Acer laptop someone gave me. It had an outdated browser, Unbuntu, Firefox and you couldn’t post YouTube or videos. It was brutal, notwithstanding the fact I was on the move with a job seven months a year. (That’s why a friend gave me the laptop)
I was already a person prone to mechanical errors since high school. (The writing lab lady told me I think faster than I can write.) Having said all that, it can make you mean poster when other posters think your errors are indicative of your intelligence. I still don’t care about mechanics, you can pay people to do that for you, and they are called editors.
And some people have no better rebuttal other than to criticize your mechanics.
It isn't just on this forum; but mostly every online posting group has some or many "grammar queens".
Puts one in mind of the old tale:
A young southern girl is very excited on moving in day as a freshman at a Eastern college.
Upon meeting her dorm roommate she inquires " Hi! Where y'all from"?
The cool Yankee girl responds coldly: "where I am from we do not end our sentences with prepositions".
The southern girl a bit caught off guard and offended thinks for a moment then responds: "I'm sorry" "Where y'all from; B***H"
Story has many variations but the point is while it may seem proper and or even the duty to for some persons to correct various grammar or other mistakes in English, it is quite rude and often offensive.
If speaking to one's own child or young family member that is one thing. This and or if the advice is solicited/known will be accepted in the spirit of which it is offered. However otherwise it comes across as smug, prissy and is bound to alienate. Indeed in the famous book "How To Win Friends and Influence People" the author expressly warns against correcting persons in public.
That's a pretty good one. People who really get annoyed about the whole grammar thing really act like they are better than everyone else.
On some level can sort of see why certain persons are being driven up the wall by bad English usage.
As one who had the benefit of the good education when grammar and overall English instruction was important it is painful sometimes to read certain things.
Cannot tell you how many cover letters, resumes, business communications and so forth arrive with glaring and huge errors in punctuation, grammar and overall English usage. Worse many seem to accept whatever MS Word or whatever software inserts via auto-correct as gospel.
Also as one who learned to type back in middle school (on an IBM Selectric) that talent has remained. However realize that skill is rarely taught today and or no one really bothers. So you get the gibberish many "hunt and peck" sorts put out because they do not know better. Personally find many smart phone keyboards irritating because they often do not follow the QWERTY layout one is used to.
Of course the larger picture is standards have dropped. I mean when you have a POTUS who couldn't pronounce the word nuclear correctly (GWB) to save his life what does that say?
While bad grammar and poor spelling may give me mild convulsions, I really don't see many posters correcting others on this forum. If anything, I'm impressed that more people aren't called out for their infractions. It's pretty rare to read any thread and make it more than 3 posts without coming across some type of mistake.
That being said, I don't make a habit of pointing out others' mistakes. I don't correct others' grammar when conversing, so I don't feel the need to correct written errors, either.
I think writing, proper writing, is becoming a lost art. Heck, there are people who can't read or write cursive.
Texting has gone a long way in tearing down this form of communication (I believe). From the abbreviated words and using numbers as letters (b4) to next to no punctuation, it carries over into areas other than one's phone.
While I don't think it's nice to correct people on forums or be mean about it, I can appreciate that it bothers people (it bothers me) and as someone upthread said - standards are lower.
People can barely point out anything anymore without being attacked somehow.
That's why I go to the "I Can't Take It Anymore" thread in the Writing forum.
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