Tyrone spoke thus: My father and the folks he knew in the civil service included linguists and scholars who always knew and could correct anything you said. These effin idiots get so deeply involved in words that the average retard could understand what someone said and these goons would correct every single spoken word but somehow lose the the actual drift by overadresssing the issue. I think most normal people know what I mean.
Perhaps the most disturbing post I read in the entire thread. Worth responding to, I'd say.
Tyrone, the anger you feel toward your father (effin idiot) and the linguist goons makes me very sad. Very sad.
If you were constantly berated for errors by your dad I think that is poor parenting. I have 7 kids who know how to speak and spell and I never berated them. I just tried to set an example which they might find useful.
Attacking your self-esteem with spelling diatribes is not what I was about. No way. It has now been blown out of original proportion.
What I lament is the not caring enough attitude. I never expected to run into cares enough to detest people attitude.
This is scary. As you correctly identified, some sources manipulate words to destructive ends. I agree with you in this:
Words can be played with, and thats exactly what the watchtower society does.
The Watchtower uses words and their "meanings" to manipulate and control people for lamentably illicit motives. I abhor this because I was manipulated and controlled. But, I don't blame the "words", I blame the motives and the dishonesty behind the motives.
I have always detested, and have no desire to learn one iota of grammar. It is boring, and as is commonly said " Anal Retentive.'
This floors me! It is more anger than common sense. You are burning down the barn to get rid of a few scraggly rats! Obsessing over spelling is anal, but; holding oneself to some modest standard of checking before posting is not. That is all I call for. Just give it a quick look. I make plenty of inadvertent errors. But, that is after checking!
In most cases if something sounds right, 98% of the time, it is right! I beleive that language should flow like water and if you start to analize it, you are killling the flow of natural thought. Ideas flow, words flow. It is beautiful. Leave it alone and let your analyitical mind absorb the flow and the jist of thought rather than the spelling and grammatical correctness of meanings which your over active mind might wish to compound and add meaning to which there is none.
You might be surprised to hear I think I detect a real love for language and self-expression here! With only one cautionary caveat I agree with you!
CREATIVE language (like painting with words) is poetic, dynamic and organic. It should NOT be parsed for obsessive stringency! I wish we had more expostulations of pure creative energy here on JWD. I applaud your passion and I embrace your core objection. I only wish you could separate the detestation from the objectifications.
Being free to break rules is a mighty power. Few brandish the sword of this freedom without spilling a lot of innocent blood.
Beware!
