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Rose
Yes, but you have to bring your own tiara. The board is on a budget until the new fiscal year.
Is the spread of spelling errors good for modern literary accessability?
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I hate that sentence so much. It's like, learn the difference between the contraction and the second-person possessive. It just makes me want to :explode:
Yay, I'm a princess.
figmentPez
Staff member
Bad spelling didn't hold back Shakespeare.
The man added 1,700 words to the English language, but couldn't even spell his own name consistently.
The man added 1,700 words to the English language, but couldn't even spell his own name consistently.
Those inane shows about ICE ROAD TRUCKERS and LUMBERJACKS. The History Channel used to show a lot more intelligent stuff like Civil War Journal, The Real West, and In Search of History. Even their endless World War Two programming had some redeeming qualities to it. The Learning Channel only shows stuff like A Baby Story and A Wedding Story now. As for A&E, that network sold its soul to populism. They used to produce Horatio Hornblower and movies like The Lost Battalion. Now it's just reality shows and biographies of celebrities who aren't even dead yet.
This is an age where the dirty masses are dictating what's cool and what's not. You know we've hit a cultural low point when millions flock to Michael Bay films but don't even know who Michael Curtiz was. I am disposed towards giving them a right good thrashing with my swagger stick. Elitism isn't always a bad thing. Perhaps we need more elitism to put these troglodytes in their place. In short, fuck the uncultured philistines who cannot be bothered to use decent English because they wouldn't know high culture if it painted itself purple and danced naked on top of a harpsichord, singing "High culture is here again!"
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Soliloquy
I think that wanting people to spell things correctly is similar to wanting people to dress nice on certain occasions. The rules of spelling and the rules of fashion are similarly arbitrary, but the fact that you took the time to obey them show people that you actually care, and therefore might be worth paying attention to.
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nufan
Keep your pants on Allen, I know the difference. I mistyped it once and you're frothing. 
Yay I can do it!
And to correct you... nah I won't do it
Yay I can do it!And to correct you... nah I won't do it
yes, never correct the princess. If you do, :raspberry:
Actual thoughts on grammar, spelling, and text speak:
Actual thoughts on grammar, spelling, and text speak:
As long as people can understand what it is you're saying, I don't think it matters that much. Sure, there are situations that call for more formal language, so it's best to be formal. In casual conversation, language shouldn't really be a hindrance to getting your point across. No need for all your t's to be crossed and your i's to be dotted.
Only text speak in the proper channels for it, and if you deviate too hard from grammar and spelling, then your language can really get in the way of meaning. So use it when texting, and don't abbreviate everything.
Only text speak in the proper channels for it, and if you deviate too hard from grammar and spelling, then your language can really get in the way of meaning. So use it when texting, and don't abbreviate everything.
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Reboneer
I don't. Pretty much every phone these days has predictive text, so talking like a retard is no faster, and often actually slower. The only advantage might be for trying to cram really long messages into however many characters... but by that stage, you may as well just call the person, it'll be quicker.
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Chazwozel
Oh God! Nightmares from my Chaucer class in undergrad! A POX ON YOU WOMAN. A POX I SAY!
Actually... I really enjoyed that class...
ElJuski
Staff member
Those inane shows about ICE ROAD TRUCKERS and LUMBERJACKS. The History Channel used to show a lot more intelligent stuff like Civil War Journal, The Real West, and In Search of History. Even their endless World War Two programming had some redeeming qualities to it. The Learning Channel only shows stuff like A Baby Story and A Wedding Story now. As for A&E, that network sold its soul to populism. They used to produce Horatio Hornblower and movies like The Lost Battalion. Now it's just reality shows and biographies of celebrities who aren't even dead yet.
This is an age where the dirty masses are dictating what's cool and what's not. You know we've hit a cultural low point when millions flock to Michael Bay films but don't even know who Michael Curtiz was. I am disposed towards giving them a right good thrashing with my swagger stick. Elitism isn't always a bad thing. Perhaps we need more elitism to put these troglodytes in their place. In short, fuck the uncultured philistines who cannot be bothered to use decent English because they wouldn't know high culture if it painted itself purple and danced naked on top of a harpsichord, singing "High culture is here again!"[/QUOTE]
Holy shit you just came off like a pompous fuckhead. You know, there's interesting merit to shows like ICEROAD TRUCKERS even though it may be catering to something more "low brow". Stop pretending like you're better than everybody because you have some knowledge and academic eagerness shoved up your ass.
It is quite possible to enjoy the less intellectual bits of life and still be an intelligent human being. It's responses like yours that make me want to dig my trench in the pop culture, pointless knowledge side of the lines just because I never want to sound like that, ever.
---------- Post added at 03:22 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:21 AM ----------
HA! fixed the triple post. Although I totally deleted my sassy Wife of Bath comment
I simply must stop being so horrified.
When every new show becomes Iceroad Truckers or Swamp Loggers we have a problem. Every facet of our culture is now geared towards lowbrow stuff. I'll admit that I can occasionally enjoy some less cerebral stuff. I love Avenue Q but can also enjoy Gilbert & Sullivan. The problem now is ignorance and stupidity are not only accepted, but encouraged. And I cannot abide willful ignorance.
Do not assume that I think I'm better than everybody simply because I have earned a master's degree, because I don't. I know plenty of cultured people who haven't had the good fortune to come across similar opportunities. Knowledge and high culture should be spread, and that's one of the reasons I want to become a professor. If even one person decides to go to a showing of HMS Pinafore instead of watch Transformers 2 because of me, then I will have succeeded.
"There is no wealth like knowledge. No poverty like ignorance." ~ Ali bin Abu-Talib
ElJuski
Staff member
Oh I can quote bullshit too.
"Life happens too fast for you ever to think about it. If you could just persuade people of this, but they insist on amassing information." -Kurt Vonnegut
"I don't think it would have all got me quite so down if just once in a while--just once in a while--there was at least some polite little perfunctory implication that knowledge should lead to wisdom, and that if it doesn't, it's just a disgusting waste of time!" ~JD Salinger
And IronBrig only has a subjective point. Sure, there's plenty in the world that's really dumb and insipid, but there's only so much "high-brow" you can go before it becomes just as pointless as the "low brow" stuff.
The point I am trying to make is that I'm not kidding myself when I dig into something "cerebral". Sure, we need to cultivate more knowledge and wisdom, but you don't want to end up your own highbrow asshole, either. Sure, fuck Transformers 2. But you know what? Fuck HMS Pinafore. The only thing that boring ass shit did was have me understand a Simpsons quote further.
---------- Post added at 07:17 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:16 AM ----------
"Just because you can write, and write, and do a little math, doesn't mean you deserve to control the universe". One of the best things Vonnegut talked about was human arrogance and distancing themselves from the core things that make us human. I consider getting so elitist you wind up your own asshole just another egregious error people make.
---------- Post added at 07:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:17 AM ----------
"Life happens too fast for you ever to think about it. If you could just persuade people of this, but they insist on amassing information." -Kurt Vonnegut
"I don't think it would have all got me quite so down if just once in a while--just once in a while--there was at least some polite little perfunctory implication that knowledge should lead to wisdom, and that if it doesn't, it's just a disgusting waste of time!" ~JD Salinger
And IronBrig only has a subjective point. Sure, there's plenty in the world that's really dumb and insipid, but there's only so much "high-brow" you can go before it becomes just as pointless as the "low brow" stuff.
The point I am trying to make is that I'm not kidding myself when I dig into something "cerebral". Sure, we need to cultivate more knowledge and wisdom, but you don't want to end up your own highbrow asshole, either. Sure, fuck Transformers 2. But you know what? Fuck HMS Pinafore. The only thing that boring ass shit did was have me understand a Simpsons quote further.
---------- Post added at 07:17 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:16 AM ----------
"Just because you can write, and write, and do a little math, doesn't mean you deserve to control the universe". One of the best things Vonnegut talked about was human arrogance and distancing themselves from the core things that make us human. I consider getting so elitist you wind up your own asshole just another egregious error people make.
---------- Post added at 07:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:17 AM ----------
I also forgot to check my "DUMBING-DOWN-O-METER"; I think it may be broken. What are the numbers on yours reading?
Mine isn't working at the moment. I'm getting too much interference from my "ASSHOLE-O-METER," which is going wild right now.
North_Ranger
Staff member
Everybody put their meters away. Slowly...
"A wise man in the company of those who are ignorant has been compared by the sages to a beautiful girl in the company of blind men." ~ Saadi
"Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application?" ~ Confucius
Of course I understand there is need for some mindless entertainment now and then. After all, it relaxes the mind. The problem is the preponderance of new entertainment is the most puerile, lowbrow crap. Take a serious look at the decline in our educational TV programs. The only network that even barely maintains intelligent programming is Discovery. People used to be able to quote Shakespeare, and now most don't even which country he was from.
And if somebody expresses even a slight interest in learning, then I am the most accommodating, patient instructor. While a true elitist asshole cloisters himself like a hermit in the ivory tower, I love getting new roommates.
And my "Dumbing-Down-O-Meter" broke long ago, probably around the time "Wife Swap" premiered on TV. I just use it as a paperweight now.
"Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application?" ~ Confucius
Of course I understand there is need for some mindless entertainment now and then. After all, it relaxes the mind. The problem is the preponderance of new entertainment is the most puerile, lowbrow crap. Take a serious look at the decline in our educational TV programs. The only network that even barely maintains intelligent programming is Discovery. People used to be able to quote Shakespeare, and now most don't even which country he was from.
And if somebody expresses even a slight interest in learning, then I am the most accommodating, patient instructor. While a true elitist asshole cloisters himself like a hermit in the ivory tower, I love getting new roommates.
And my "Dumbing-Down-O-Meter" broke long ago, probably around the time "Wife Swap" premiered on TV. I just use it as a paperweight now.
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Chazwozel
I used to enjoy watching surgeries on TLC, now the only thing you can catch is Jon and Kate plus Eight.
Discovery is still alright, but there's only so much crab fishing that a person can take.
No only is there a dumbing down in America, there's a push towards willful ignorance and staunch anti-intellectualism. It's kinda scary when you see such a huge push for creationism to be taught in the science classroom.
Ross
Staff member
brb... Bing Bang Theory and Numb3rs (as just two recent examples).
Yes, there's lots of low-brow shows popping up, but there's still new intellectual stuff coming in. TV used to have to cater to everyone, but as we see our culture develop, more niche shows are starting to show up. We're seeing more low-brow shows because that's what the general (read: non-geek) people want to see.
And admit it, you all like some of the low-brow shows, too
Yes, there's lots of low-brow shows popping up, but there's still new intellectual stuff coming in. TV used to have to cater to everyone, but as we see our culture develop, more niche shows are starting to show up. We're seeing more low-brow shows because that's what the general (read: non-geek) people want to see.
And admit it, you all like some of the low-brow shows, too
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Dusty668
I wanna see a crab driving a truck.
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redapples
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Chazwozel
ElJuski
Staff member
Mine isn't working at the moment. I'm getting too much interference from my "ASSHOLE-O-METER," which is going wild right now.[/QUOTE]
Hey no shit mine's going haywire too! FUNNY HOW THAT WORKS.
Yeah, there's a lot of dumb people in this world, but there's also the assumption that those concepts you're willing to instruct people upon so dutifully are things that are actually of importance. And as for the dumbing down of America, I haven't seen any real wonderful examples. So, uh, there's some more Ice Road Trucking shows going on. And apparently Wife Swap is still going. What did you expect?
Your little ivory tower is one of thousands; despite your actively wanting people to learn your singular wonderful way of living, how many people are taking that offer? Not surprising, and I'm not considering the people who are acting willfully ignorant.
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redapples
For every David Crystal there are 100,000 http://www.ratemypoo.com[/QUOTE]
Your point? They both look like real science from here.
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Soliloquy
Does anyone else here hate Numb3rs? It's just your standard, predictable cop show, only some guy shows up to spout math-ese every once in a while.brb... Bing Bang Theory and Numb3rs (as just two recent examples).
Yes, there's lots of low-brow shows popping up, but there's still new intellectual stuff coming in. TV used to have to cater to everyone, but as we see our culture develop, more niche shows are starting to show up. We're seeing more low-brow shows because that's what the general (read: non-geek) people want to see.
And admit it, you all like some of the low-brow shows, too
I mean, I guess it's better than most TV, intellectually, but I was hoping it'd be so much more than that when it first came out.
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Soliloquy
Yeah, that's the funny thing, isn't it? Shakespeare's works are filled to the brim with sex jokes and pop culture references, and yet he still manages to make his plays touch on some of the fundamental issues of human existence.
What today needs, I think, is a modern version of Shakespeare. Someone who isn't afraid to mix highbrow ideas with crowd-pleasing lowbrow humor.
ElJuski
Staff member
Well, and the funny thing is, is that people are spouting off "intelligent shows" as the ones being specifically math and science based. Numb3rs has numb3rs! That's for smart people! Whereas nobody dares mention something like Mad Men, which is pure art. But, alas, it's not The Faerie Queene or neuro-science.
Yeah, that's the funny thing, isn't it? Shakespeare's works are filled to the brim with sex jokes and pop culture references, and yet he still manages to make his plays touch on some of the fundamental issues of human existence.
What today needs, I think, is a modern version of Shakespeare. Someone who isn't afraid to mix highbrow ideas with crowd-pleasing lowbrow humor.[/QUOTE]
Actually at the time they were performed, his plays WERE considered lowbrow humor.
True, but unlike modern TV, his plays also required the audience to have an attention span greater than ten minutes.
ElJuski
Staff member
True, but unlike modern TV, his plays also required the audience to have an attention span greater than ten minutes.[/QUOTE]
Here's a simple list of television shows from this decade that are fantastic and require an attention span greater than ten minutes...
http://www.avclub.com/articles/the-best-tv-series-of-the-00s,35256/
Well, Juice's AV Club list kind of cut off my entire post at the knees, BUT
The Wire and Mad Men and The Sopranos (probably the best show at mixing 'lowbrow' and 'high art') and Arrested Development sure are more complex and interesting than I Love Lucy and Dick Van Dyke ever aspired to be.
The Wire and Mad Men and The Sopranos (probably the best show at mixing 'lowbrow' and 'high art') and Arrested Development sure are more complex and interesting than I Love Lucy and Dick Van Dyke ever aspired to be.
Quite. But notice how one-third of them are HBO programs and are thus more exclusive. Anyways, these shows are the exception rather than the rule. When I'm channel surfing I feel like I should watch my step to avoid getting popular culture on my shoes.
And I'm not saying 1950s programs such as I Love Lucy are better. There's a reason contemporary critics dubbed TV "The Idiot Box." But there certainly was a wealth of educational programming that mysteriously began to vanish about ten years ago. First The Learning Channel, then A&E, now the History Channel have all fallen to the demands of the lowbrow crowd.
Yeah, that's the funny thing, isn't it? Shakespeare's works are filled to the brim with sex jokes and pop culture references, and yet he still manages to make his plays touch on some of the fundamental issues of human existence.
What today needs, I think, is a modern version of Shakespeare. Someone who isn't afraid to mix highbrow ideas with crowd-pleasing lowbrow humor.[/quote]
Actually at the time they were performed, his plays WERE considered lowbrow humour.[/QUOTE]
No, they where considered too accessible, which made all the nobles queasy.. and as i recall some people objected to him mixing tragedy with comedy and other stuff like that. But he was never considered the "fart jokes guy".
Yeah, that's the funny thing, isn't it? Shakespeare's works are filled to the brim with sex jokes and pop culture references, and yet he still manages to make his plays touch on some of the fundamental issues of human existence.
What today needs, I think, is a modern version of Shakespeare. Someone who isn't afraid to mix highbrow ideas with crowd-pleasing lowbrow humor.[/quote]
Actually at the time they were performed, his plays WERE considered lowbrow humour.[/quote]
No, they where considered too accessible, which made all the nobles queasy.. and as i recall some people objected to him mixing tragedy with comedy and other stuff like that. But he was never considered the "fart jokes guy".[/QUOTE]
"An old black ram is tupping your white ewe." is pretty lowbrow when you take out the fancy language, as is most of his stuff.
"Some black dude is screwing your daughter." would be the most direct interpretation.
He played fast and loose with sex and sexuality. Just because he used flowery language doesn't change the content.
BTW, I freakin' LOVE Othello.
My main point, however, was that his stuff was the pop culture of the time.
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