Why Worry About Spelling? Who Cares!

I’ve complained before, on this blog, about some common misspellings that get to me like fingernails on a chalkboard.

Yesterday Megan tipped me off to 11 Gorgeously Ironic Misspellings In Protest Signs on 11Points.com, by Sam Greenspan. Misspelling is bad, yes, but it’s got to be worse, or at the very least more ironic, when people butcher the language while complaining about language.  The post includes pictures showing the following exact quotes taken from protest signs defending the English language:

  • Get a brain, morans
  • Respect Are Country, Speak English
  • This is America and our only lanaguage is English

You tell me: is that a great argument for basic spelling? It reminds me of Harvard math professor Tom Lehrer’s song Be Prepared, that included the following line:

Be prepared to hold your liquor pretty well
Don’t write naughty words on walls that you can’t spell

Useful sentiment. And, along the same lines, if you’re going to brandish your politics for all to see, in your yard … well, do you think this illustration is purposeful parody?

Finally, back to the xenophobic politics of the English-only crowd, just one last picture:

The photos shown here are just two of the 11 on the original post. Definitely worth a look: 11 Gorgeously Ironic Misspellings In Protest Signs on 11Points.com.

 

(Photo credit: both of those photos are taken directly from the post on 11Points.com, 11 Gorgeously Ironic Misspellings In Protest Signs)

Comments

  • john says:

    where is your logic? If you ignore the message based on misspelled words, you might as well not listen to the speaker in person because you don’t like their hair. the pics you used are from extremist morons but even Einstein had issues with spelling should we discount his theories because of it? lets all focus on style instead of message, its bound to bring us something like US politics. if it bugs you that much i suggest you search out modern phych it will inform you that what you have is called OCD and it is treatable either with drugs or telling yourself that you will still live even if the person never adds the missing apostrophe

    • Tim Berry says:

      @John: and yet I read your comment start to finish, despite its grammatical errors and misspelling; and I’m glad to add it here, as moderator. Disagreement is welcome here, whether spelled correctly or not.

      You did get the irony in the post, right? Bad English in protest signs protesting bad English?

  • Ed Martin says:

    The thing that drives me crazy is all the mizpellings peeple use in comments. That & bad puncuation Grammer 2!

  • Steve says:

    “Why waste time learning, when ignorance is instantaneous.”
    –Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson

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