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Study Says People Who Continually Point Out Typos Are 'Jerks' 642

HughPickens.com writes: Sophie Kleeman, writes at Gizmodo that according to a study at the University of Michigan people who are more sensitive to written typos and grammatical errors are indeed the kinds of 'Type A assholes' everyone already suspects them to be. Researchers gathered 83 people and had them read emails that either contained typos ("mkae" or "abuot"), grammar errors (to/too, it's/its or your/you're), or no spelling mistakes at all. Participants were asked at the end of the experiment whether or not they'd spotted any grammatical errors or typos in the emails, and, if so, how much it had bothered them. The researchers then asked the participants to complete a Big Five personality assessment -- which rates where they are on a scale of openness, agreeableness, extraversion/introversion, neuroticism, and conscientiousness -- as well as answer questions about their age, background, and attitude towards language. People who tested as being more conscientious but less open were more sensitive to typos, while those with less agreeable personalities got more upset by grammatical errors. "Less agreeable participants showed more sensitivity to 'grammos' than participants high in agreeability," the researchers said, "perhaps because less agreeable people are less tolerant of deviations from convention."
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Study Says People Who Continually Point Out Typos Are 'Jerks'

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  • Being nice (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 31, 2016 @12:22PM (#51815729)

    Is something stupid people do to hedge their bets

    - Rick

    • by LoverOfJoy ( 820058 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @01:13PM (#51816475) Homepage

      Is something stupid people do too hedge there bets

      - Rick

      ftfy

      • by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 31, 2016 @01:29PM (#51816721)

        Is something stupid people do too hedge there bets

        - Dick

        ftfy

        • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

          by slew ( 2918 )

          Hedge there bets, stupid people do sometimes too...
          -Dick

          ftfy (fixed that for yoda)

          • by fyngyrz ( 762201 ) on Friday April 01, 2016 @08:58AM (#51822823) Homepage Journal

            Making spelling mistakes online: First, an indicator your correspondent may be poorly educated. Second, proof they have failed to properly use a spelling checker. Third, a virtual guarantee that at least some of their audience will not read for content. Fourth, sufficient provocation that some of those individuals may disrupt the conversation in turn.

            Language is a key means for communicating ideas. How well we use it directly affects how well our communications are received. It is, in fact, an art, like painting. However, also like painting, one can paint ideas like a master or finger-paint them like an addled child. Which do you think will be better received?

            Learn to write coherently and correctly. It is well worth it. Knowledge is power. Communications skills are tools to exercise that power.

        • Is something stupid people do too hedge there bets

          - Dick

          ftfy

          It's Rick, the 'P' is silent.

          • Is something stupid people do to hedge their bets

            Is something stupid people do to hedge their bets.

            I hope this puts an end to this sad period.

    • This study has far too many typoes for me to take it seriously.

  • by sycodon ( 149926 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @12:23PM (#51815739)

    What are the people who carry out those studies?

    I know...people who need something, anything to study for Federal Grant money.

    • What are the people who carry out those studies?

      Human beings that work at a university.

      • by sycodon ( 149926 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @12:30PM (#51815867)

        I am cautiously thinking you were deliberately going for irony.

        • LOL, you mean "real" irony? Or the Alanis Morissette kind of irony?

          I fear the interwebs might implode due to this study.

          • by mitcheli ( 894743 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @02:15PM (#51817283)
            Irony is just a bad word to use on Slashdot. It seems that too many people who read this site fail to understand the definition of Irony. In fact, I was previously trapped in the use of the word myself. The definition of irony is as follows according to dictionary.com:

            noun, plural ironies.

            1. the use of words to convey a meaning that is the opposite of its literal meaning: the irony of her reply, “How nice!” when I said I had to work all weekend.

            2. Literature. A technique of indicating, as through character or plot development, an intention or attitude opposite to that which is actually or ostensibly stated. (especially in contemporary writing) a manner of organizing a work so as to give full expression to contradictory or complementary impulses, attitudes, etc., especially as a means of indicating detachment from a subject, theme, or emotion.

            3. Socratic irony.

            4. dramatic irony.

            5. an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected.

            6. the incongruity of this.

            7. an objectively sardonic style of speech or writing.

            As a person who works at a university would already be well versed in proper grammar given the ample amounts of papers that they have to write and would also be well versed in the annoyances of people dinging them for a misplaced comma, one would expect that a study done by people at a university on the annoyances of people grammar checking them would be ironic. The use of ironic in that sense could easily fit definitions 2, 3, 5, or 6.

            • Irony is just a bad word to use on Slashdot. It seems that too many people who read this site fail to understand the definition of Irony. In fact, I was previously trapped in the use of the word myself. The definition of irony is as follows according to dictionary.com: The next study is about people who get all hung up on the definition of irony.

            • I challenge your conclusion, having spent many years working in a university alongside many (professors included) whose grasp of lingual subtleties was lacking. Not such a terrible thing overall though - it seems there are far more whose grasp of basic statistics is severely lacking, without which you can't even extract meaningful results from an otherwise well-formed experiment (medical experts seem particularly bad about that, though I'm sure the general inapplicability of statistics to languages and the

            • by Bengie ( 1121981 )

              the irony of her reply, “How nice!” when I said I had to work all weekend.

              Sounds more like sarcasm to me. I need some Venn diagrams explaining how they're different.

      • Comment removed based on user account deletion
        • Don't you mean human beings WHO work at a university? Yes, I am one of those Type A assholes, and I take great comfort in the fact that God made me that way.

          It must be lonely being so awesome.

          And so, so, brittle.

          Becues wehn, pepole!! are sew ezy to pis of, we realy enjypzng them foo.78%?

        • by Immerman ( 2627577 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @03:25PM (#51817949)

          The difference between an asshole and an educator is the style with which they deliver their correction. A good educator can tear down your whole world and have you thank them for their service. An asshole only bolsters their own ego at your expense.

      • by mwvdlee ( 775178 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @02:17PM (#51817295) Homepage

        Because calling somebody a jerk is somehow nicer than helping people improve their spelling?

        • You are wrongly assuming that pointing out somebodies bad spelling/grammar his somehow doing them a favor. Your are not their teacher, they never asked you to correct them. It will not improve there spelling, the most likely outcome will be that they will be annoyed with you. What you are actually doing is making yourself feel superior by putting someone else down.

          There are times when it is necessary to point out these errors, such as when your job is to teach/correct the person, or the grammar/spelling is

        • by Ol Olsoc ( 1175323 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @03:27PM (#51817967)

          Because calling somebody a jerk is somehow nicer than helping people improve their spelling?

          Because in the end, it is trying to invalidate their statements due to spelling errors.

          Because in the quest for absolute spelling accuracy, the person who relies on it becomes a master at missing the point.

          But most of all, it is a perfect example of having nothing to add to the conversation. I'll take a crappy speller with a cogent argument any day over an asshat who wants to change the discussion at hand into a very uninteresting argument of "its" versus "it's".

          And if you don't understand that, you might guess which group you are in.

    • by Mr D from 63 ( 3395377 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @12:39PM (#51816001)
      The only reason someone would even do this study is because they have some personal issue having their spelling corrected. Nobody else would even think of it much less care to spend time on it.
      • I'm not a stickler on spelling, because I know that people type out fast, sometimes there's autocorrect issues. But I cannot bear grammar mistakes. their/they're, less/fewer, (he or she)/they, composed/comprised. I will always be "that guy".

      • by ADRA ( 37398 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @01:28PM (#51816707)

        I'll admit that my respect for academia in general is iffy, but there are certainly ladders to building a more accurate truth that can only occur through testing, refining, testing more, refining.

        I think the general Slashdot population is fine with the scientific method as long as its applied to classically science based disciplines. Having a study reaffirming one's own suspicions about human nature is just as much a scientific study than testing the effects of varying light bandwidths on different plants. The important facet is that they're repeatable and have adequate controls to reduce unknown variances (or at least document them). There are hundreds, thousands, millions? of redundant seemingly obvious scientific studies to reaffirm what we as a group conscious believed to be true and nobody bats an eye. When the humanities apply it: "Academics are wasting time testing obvious things" is the rallying cry.. oh well.

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      Clearly the people who carry out these studies are jerks.
    • by SirSlud ( 67381 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @01:39PM (#51816831) Homepage

      I guess that makes you doubly stupid for being unable to draw from what is supposedly a free source of easy money?

    • Okay, I'll skip all the humorous and pedantic replies - I think they've been adequately taken care of.

      Seriously though - there's a lot of surprising and unexpected results that have come out of rigorous studies of the "obvious" - one that springs to mind offhand is the fellow hired to determine the best formula for spaghetti sauce decades ago. Instead his research discovered that different people like different things (shocking!), and we can thank his research for starting the movement that's responsible f

    • by BetterThanCaesar ( 625636 ) on Friday April 01, 2016 @01:55AM (#51821211)

      Just because you think you know something doesn't make it true. Science is not about skipping topics where people think they already know the answer.

      I'm getting tired of all the anti-science on Slashdot.

  • by SuperKendall ( 25149 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @12:23PM (#51815753)

    Nothing more annoying than someone who cannot handle a simple typo - as the old saying goes, consistant spelling is the hallmark of a weak mind.

    • Re:Totaly agree (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Z00L00K ( 682162 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @12:27PM (#51815829) Homepage Journal

      When the spelling mistake changes the meaning of the sentence it's more worth to point it out. Sometimes a subtle error can get weird or hilarious.

      • by myowntrueself ( 607117 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @03:33PM (#51818043)

        When the spelling mistake changes the meaning of the sentence it's more worth to point it out. Sometimes a subtle error can get weird or hilarious.

        Like when the Sydney Olympic board press statement wanted to say "We support and endorse youth in Asia" and actually printed "We support and endorse euthanasia"?

    • Re:Totaly agree (Score:5, Insightful)

      by mccalli ( 323026 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @12:33PM (#51815931) Homepage
      There's a difference between handling and noticing though. If you sent me a mail with typos in it, I'd notice but fully be able to 'handle' it. If, on the other hand, you later asked me a specific question 'did you notice all the typos?' well then yeah, I noticed them.

      Not sure that distinction is well made.
      • Re:Totaly agree (Score:5, Insightful)

        by Obfuscant ( 592200 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @01:08PM (#51816419)

        Not sure that distinction is well made.

        No, in the study that distinction is completely ignored. They asked the people if they noticed the typos and mistakes, so the result is that people who notice such things are assholes.

        What are the people who notice crappy science and object to that?

        • by raymorris ( 2726007 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @01:52PM (#51817031) Journal

          The study found that while conscientious people noticed, less agreeable people (assholes) were bothered by typos. Quoting the fine summary:

              Participants were asked at the end of the experiment whether or not they'd spotted any grammatical errors or typos in the emails, and, if so, how much it had bothered them. ...
            People who tested as being more conscientious but less open were more sensitive to typos, while those with less agreeable personalities got more upset by grammatical errors.

    • Re:Totaly(sic) agree (Score:5, Informative)

      by Dutch Gun ( 899105 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @12:54PM (#51816203)

      I suspect this has to do with personalities that tend to favor order, logic, and organization, something that's obviously beneficial to programming or engineering, but could be a hindrance when dealing with messy and unpredictable human interpersonal relationships. As a programmer myself, seeing typos and grammatical errors tends to trigger something in my brain that screams "that's not correct - it needs fixing!" in the same way a crookedly hung painting will irritate people who strive to create a sense of order in their environment.

      Of course, general social awareness prevents me from reacting too negatively to things like simple typos, but there are some people who simply don't have those sort of brain-to-mouth social filters. If you've never worked with someone like that, you know how awkward or unpleasant it can be unless you've got an *extremely* tolerant personality - which I'd admit I probably don't have.

      I'd imagine our brains have evolved to recognize patterns and draw our attention to things that break those patterns, because in nature such a thing has a high probability of being either be interesting or dangerous. I think this could theoretically explain why bugs on streaming videos (logos overlaid in the corner of the video screen) tend to bother me more than most people - my brain recognizes it as something "different" and so it constantly draws my attention away from the content of the video.

    • Re:Totaly agree (Score:5, Interesting)

      by war4peace ( 1628283 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @01:17PM (#51816531)

      The problem with "typo" is that its definition is very elastic.
      A typo is a typographical error. The term did indeed (more recently) creep into "typing error", which results from the so-called "fat-fingering" keys.
      I often type "whioch" instead of "which". That's a typo. Writing "consistant" instead of "consistent" is not a typo if you ask me, because its root cause is lack of knowledge on how to properly write it, rather that a finger slipping kind of thing. Writing

      I can handle typos. I am bothered by grammatical errors. And yes, I am less agreeable. If you want to know why, it's because my writing standards are high and I hold other people to the same standards I follow. Does that make me an asshole? Talk about how low society has sunk.

      • Re:Totaly agree (Score:5, Interesting)

        by gstoddart ( 321705 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @01:46PM (#51816935) Homepage

        Haven't you been paying attention?

        Apparently the premise of the educational system is it's oppressive to hold people to a standard, and pointing out such things as atrocious grammar and spelling are detrimental to people's self esteem.

        We're now defining "jerk" as "someone who insists on maintaining a standard of demonstrating you're not illiterate".

        Why, it would be downright rude to point out that things like "mys well" is a reflection that you have no frigging idea of the words you wish to use and just make some vague sounds -- and that once you actually write them down you demonstrate you really don't have a working knowledge of the language.

        For those of us who were traumatized by English teachers who could still threaten the use of the ruler to give you a smack ... the fact that the English language has devolved into the mumbling of illiterate teenagers who don't know the words they're trying to use is appalling. They have some random group of sounds they think means something, but they don't know any of the actual words.

        I might not point out bad grammar and spelling, but that doesn't mean I don't notice that somehow someone has made it into a professional career while being largely illiterate. Which, unfortunately, makes me far more skeptical about the rest of what you have to say.

  • by JoeyRox ( 2711699 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @12:24PM (#51815759)
    For obvious reasons :)
    • by halivar ( 535827 )

      The first comma was unnecessary. I wrote a sternly-worded letter to the president.

  • but I guess this study proves that I am.
    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Most people rarely consider themselves to be assholes, even when the people around them tell them otherwise.

      • As an asshole that now really tries hard not to be these days, I can say I've met all kinds of assholes. (For some reason, we find each other.) Many won't realize they are even if they're told repeatedly as you say. They tend to say things about their critics like "they're just jealous" or "haters,' etc. But, I've known a few that know they're assholes and revel in it. These are the gold stars of assholes and can be a challenge even for other assholes to deal with (interesting note: most comedians fal

      • I am an asshole, because I don't value peoples feelings as much as I do their actions. When people say "you hurt that person's feelings" I say "Yeah, but not hurting their feelings would hurt my feelings", making sure they know that being an asshole is really easy.

        Non-assholes won't get it.

    • Me too. And I guess any programmer feels the same, as we're trained to express what we're thinking without errors (as doing otherwise makes the compiler/tests scream at us).

    • by selectspec ( 74651 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @01:25PM (#51816667)

      Dear people who type in all lowercase,

      We are the difference between helping your Uncle Jack off a horse and helping your uncle jack off a horse.

      Sincerely,
      Capital Letters.

  • by ShaunC ( 203807 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @12:25PM (#51815779)

    I "could of" been a nice guy all this time...

  • by Malc ( 1751 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @12:26PM (#51815803)

    ... summarise the story for me? It contained so many errors and poor sentence structure that I couldn't follow what the submitter was trying to say.

    Survey of 83? WTF?

  • articles that start with "study says" are utter drivel.
  • by MrNJ ( 955045 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @12:27PM (#51815835)
    Is it April 1st already somewhere on the planet? Crap.
  • Sophie Kleeman writes at Gizmodo that according to a study at the University of Michigan people who are more sensitive to written typos and grammatical errors

    You should comma after an introductory clause, like this: [ego4u.com]

    Sophie Kleeman writes at Gizmodo that according to a study at the University of Michigan, people who are more sensitive to written typos and grammatical errors

  • by The-Ixian ( 168184 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @12:29PM (#51815851)

    The only reasons I can think of that people get hung up on grammatical mistakes are:


    1. 1. They like to feel smarter/superior
      2. They are OCD or have some kind of fixation
      3. They are genuinely trying to help/improve someone's ability

    But even if 2 or 3 are true, they still come off as number 1.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward

      My family was killed by a missing comma, you insensitive clod!

    • 4. They suspect that people who can't spell common words like "they're", "their", or "there" reliably, they also can't think clearly enough to make a meaningful point in a discussion.

      Of course, I'm a grade-A asshole, so what do I know about what motivates that sort of person?

    • 1. They like to feel smarter/superior

      Quite the opposite. I don't like to feel smarter. I would however like to have a conversation with someone who could genuinely pass off as having made it through grade 10 english without a failing grade.

      It's not about feeling smarter, it's about not feeling like you're surrounded by idiots. It's not nice. Slip of the fingers are okay, fundamental grammatical mistakes just make me take people less seriously, especially here on the internet where the only thing I have to go by is the words people type.

  • Who fucking knew? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by iCEBaLM ( 34905 )

    Jerks act like jerks. Who fucking knew?

  • Abuot is a typo (Score:5, Insightful)

    by ronmon ( 95471 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @12:34PM (#51815935)

    Misuse of to/too, there/their/they're, your/you're, etc is ignorance. There's a difference.

    How's that for pointing out errors?

  • Type B (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Not-a-Neg ( 743469 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @12:34PM (#51815937)

    That's weird, I always thought of myself as "Type B". I point out typos to help educate. I'll be damned if I put ending punctuation inside parentheses though (example: suck it).

  • by Anonymous Coward on Thursday March 31, 2016 @12:35PM (#51815945)

    If these conclusions rest upon the Big Five personality test, then they rest upon unfounded, unscientific cultural assumptions. Big Five axiomatically assumes extraversion = healthy and introversion = pathological.

    So, I call bullshit on this whole deal.

  • by khelms ( 772692 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @12:39PM (#51815989)
    People can makes all the grammatical errors they wants. There not going to loose my respect
  • by Holi ( 250190 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @12:39PM (#51815991)
    It does not help that the article in question has both spelling and grammatical errors.
    • by Minupla ( 62455 )

      That is stage 2 of the study. They will be tallying the emails the Dean receives, that way they will have a larger sample size for their next paper.

      Min

  • by in10se ( 472253 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @12:41PM (#51816017) Homepage

    I don't need a university study to tell me I'm a jerk. I'm comfortable with that fact already.

  • "Less agreeable participants showed more sensitivity to 'grammos' than participants high in agreeability," the researchers said...

    So people who are less likely to let small errors slide without comment in general turned out to be less likely to let small errors slide in one specific context?

    Mind. Blown.

  • by mi ( 197448 ) <slashdot-2017q4@virtual-estates.net> on Thursday March 31, 2016 @12:45PM (#51816073) Homepage Journal

    They may be perceived as "disagreeable assholes" by the illiterate, but they are still right.

    And no, I don't think, a study mixing typos (like "mkae" instead of "make") with illiteracy ("your" instead of "you're") is actually valid.

  • by littlewink ( 996298 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @12:47PM (#51816105)

    ...each and every time a plane crosses the equator yet computes it's trajectory correctly, every time your car adjusts properly to changes in air temperature, and every time your pacemaker properly tells your heart to beep.

    Jerks rule the tech universe. Others participate, but the Jerks keep them in line and the Jerks rule. Without Jerks all would be chaos.

    Learn to spell. Pay attention to grammar. Get the errors out of your maths. Become a Jerk, not an uneducated slob! Then get a high-paying tech job and contribute something to the future of mankind.

  • I usually don't have an issue with spelling when folks are posting on blogs or FB. What gets my goat is when journalists and other 'professional' writers misspell stuff.

    Most word processors and even the Comment editing box here on /. highlights misspelled words with a red squiggly underline so there should be no excuse for people that write for a living to misspell anything.

    My .02 cents.

    • The only exception to what I posted earlier is when someone posts run-on sentences with no punctuation and no capital letters it is super annoying when someone doesn't punctuate and they just ramble on and on the other day i saw a post here on slashdot that did the exact thing i absolutely hate that it just really pisses me off i would like to come face to face with someone like that and just beat them to a pulp see how annoying this style of writing is??

      Another .02 cents...

  • ... all dem ejoocated types iz assholes.
  • Seriously? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by twotacocombo ( 1529393 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @12:55PM (#51816217)
    So I'm an asshole because it irritates me to no end that some people can't even be bothered to learn the difference between there, their, and they're? Typos ar one thign, even I makes thme, but when a 'typo' is really pure, unadulterated ignorance, is it really the readers fault that they're bothered by it? The English language is complex and full of silly rules, but there are some things so basic and so often called out that there really is no excuse to continually make those errors past grade school.
  • by Archfeld ( 6757 ) <treboreel@live.com> on Thursday March 31, 2016 @12:55PM (#51816225) Journal

    Agreeable to whom, by whom ? You have to wonder how they can measure a subjective in absolute terms. Typos don't really bother me, the bad grammar leads to misunderstandings and communication failures, which already plague internet communications to a high degree. We can do without the additional impediments.

  • Type A personality (Score:5, Insightful)

    by OrangeTide ( 124937 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @12:56PM (#51816233) Homepage Journal

    The article implies that this is a bad thing. There is nothing wrong with getting shit done and doing it right the first time.

  • There is a reason they are called grammar nazi and similar names, and not holy nice defender of grammar. Same with spelling.
  • What about those illiterates still living in the 19th century who think Every Word In A News Headline requires a capital letter? Even though it becomes obfuscated when you can't tell which words are names, proper nouns, and which are just ordinary words...

    The 'new' Slashdot still looks very old to me.
    Thank goodness for real journalists who take pride in their work elsewhere.

  • by TigerPlish ( 174064 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @01:03PM (#51816347)

    Let me get this straight -- people who care about correctness and doing things right are assholes?

    I completely disagree. Yes, people who constantly correct others in a rude way can come across as arrogant condescending assholes. They also can come across as Insufferable Know-it-alls.

    But you know what? I consider people who don't care about being correct to be assholes, and if they bitch when corrected, I consider them to be coddled unique snowflake assholes. I guess that makes me an asshole.

    So to the author of this study and all the lemmings who will parrot its findings for the next thousand years, I have to say "My god, it's full of assholes!"

  • Complaining about typos in non-published stuff? What do they think, we all have a professional editor who vets our stuff before hitting submit? Not to mention not everyone in places like /. are typing in their native language.

    Obviously a certain line can be crossed where our opinion of the commenter becomes so low as to dilute whatever point they are making, but anyone who comes onto a tech board to complain about someone's typing mistakes has some pretty serious priory issues.

    To me this comes under the same category about all arts majors complaining that tech people don't take enough arts courses and thus aren't "Well rounded"
  • by Pfhorrest ( 545131 ) on Thursday March 31, 2016 @03:08PM (#51817767) Homepage Journal

    I'm not likely to point out grammatical flaws in other people's writing, usually chalking it up to human error. Maybe they already know better and just made a mistake. Maybe they don't know better but it doesn't fucking matter to me unless I'm specifically proofreading it with an eye for correctness; so long as I understood, it's fine.

    But if an argument has started over whether or not something is in fact an error (not whether or not the error matters in the moment), I cannot fucking stand so-called "descriptivists" who are in fact prescriptive relativists (which, like all relativism, is tantamount to nihilism): people who say that because something is done some way, it's OK to do it that way. Mind you, ACTUAL descriptive linguistics, documenting what is or isn't done, is great, and is a completely separate activity from saying anything at all about what is or isn't OK. But a nihilistic form of prescriptivism that just says "anything is OK", or pretends "not just anything is OK, but so long as people actually do that, it's OK" (which is still tantamount to just "anything is OK") is not just descriptivism, that's a pants-on-head retarded kind of prescriptivism itself, trying to bad-mouth prescription as an activity even while engaging in it.

    And the alternatives to that are NOT limited to from-on-high authoritarian prescription, any more than the only alternative to moral relativism is authoritarian religious moralism. It is possible to reason about these, things, fallibly and critically but objectively, pragmatically. It is possible to have a rational argument about these things, and in such an argument, it is possible for someone to be right or wrong.

    I don't fucking care if you write "I could care less" when you mean "I couldn't care less", I know what you mean. But if for some reason a discussion is happening about whether "I could care less" is in fact in error, and it ought to be "I couldn't care less", the people saying that are fucking right and shut your relativist fucking pie-hole if you think otherwise, unless you have a goddamn reasonable argument why otherwise, not just "people say that, you know what they mean".

Children begin by loving their parents. After a time they judge them. Rarely, if ever, do they forgive them. - Oscar Wilde

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