Do you even care?

Well apparently my opinions on grammar and typing in public forums have bothered some people. I will be the first one to admit, I make typos, a lot of them. I get called on it at work more often than I would like. I do, however, think that being able to communicate correctly in written form is important, so I try to do so every time I type or write something. So, with that in mind, allow me to stir the pot a little more…

First, you are writing in a public forum, which is where one can express themselves however they see fit. Self expression is understood and I agree with the concept. What I do not understand is why people would want to express themselves in such a poor fashion by spelling incorrectly, typing with no punctuation, typing in all caps, or using silly-trendy-texting-shorthand. You do realize that your friends, your co-workers, your children, and even your employer or potential employer can and do read what you post? Do you care that you are leaving this kind of impression with them?

Second, good grammar and writing is a skill. As with any other skill, it must be practiced and honed. How do you expect to be able to consistently communicate well at your job or potential job if you are constantly using teeny-bopper-text shorthand with no punctuation? How is it going to affect your ability to get or maintain a job when you answer questions for an employer with something like: “u r goin 2 luv my sklz” out of reflex because that is primarily how you type?

This brings me to my third point. How is your child going to get anywhere in this world if they see how you write, think that it is OK, and then try to make it in the real world with that type of communication skill? Reading, grammar, and writing skills in schools are in decline nation wide and have been for a while partly due to this text shorthand nonsense. Children in China and Japan can compose in American English better than our own children. How is continuing to set this kind of bad example and allowing the children to continue to communicate in this broken, horrible text format helping our children?

Now, this and my other posts on this topic are not intended to target any one person or group. I am, however, expressing my frustration with this type of behavior. People continue to show their bad grammar for all to see, which shows that they are either uneducated or that they just don’t care about what others think about them. I can understand the latter and can sympathize to a degree, but when it comes expressing yourself in written form, the people that matter, like your employer, or your children, see these things that you type and post. When everyone can see these things you put out in public view, you are either giving the wrong impression, setting a bad example, or you just don’t care that you look ignorant. As for myself, I care. I want people to at least have the impression that I know how to communicate. I want my children to see that knowing how to communicate in written form is important, and that they should do so correctly. How about you… do you care?