Have you ever read comments online with someone getting torn apart for grammatical and spelling errors? Have you ever noticed that these disputes only come up when someone disagrees with a point unrelated to spelling grammar?
While grammar is used as a weak argument against a variety of issues, schooling is perhaps the most likely to bring out so-called grammar Nazis. Everyone makes mistakes. If you want proof of that, look at the people who defend the schools. Look at English teachers. The funny thing about this is that nobody criticizes the pro-schooling crowd when they make mistakes. They shouldn’t.
Arguing about grammar is primarily used as a way to make someone look bad when it becomes too difficult to argue the points. This is why it bothers me so much. If you want to disprove a point, address the point that is being made. Personally, I don’t think it makes you look good when you have to distract people from the argument.
Usually, spelling and grammatical errors are simple. Maybe it’s a typo. Maybe the typing was rushed and someone changed his or her mind about what to say just before posting. At some point, everyone will make these mistakes. Refusing to address a point and shifting the focus indicates that you are losing an argument. It doesn’t make the other person look bad. It makes you look bad.
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