a quick rant about grammar

[brightlotusmoon]

Adam and I carpooled this morning, since he has a job just down the street from where I work.
On the radio, a DJ made a grammar mistake: "That's okay, our listeners can just listen to Jimmy and I instead of Anthony." I muttered, "Jimmy and me. It's Jimmy and me." And again, I wondered who the fuck decided that misplacing "me" and "I" (and adding the utterly ridiculous and moronic "I's") was a good idea, was "more sophisticated" than actual good grammar. I'd like to shoot that person. What bothers me even more is the realization that people just don't care.
So I guess I shouldn't care either. Seriously. I won't bother anymore. No more politely correcting someone's grammar, because I'd get yelled at. No more getting frustrated because people seem to have forgotten so many grammar lessons from first and second grade. Possessive pronouns? Pah. Who even knows what they mean anymore? Yes, I am aware that "I's" is the nonstandard possessive of the nomitive pronoun "I" when used in a phrase (for example, "my wife and I's new puppy") but you know what, it still sounds wrong to me. I never learned that it was correct, I learned that it was extremely incorrect and poor use of grammar.

So, really, why should we even care about good grammar anymore, when the standard is now to forgoe proper possession, not bothering to remember to "remove the other pronoun to check the grammar of the phrase" (for example: "Meet Jimmy and me at the diner" is correct -- remove Jimmy, and it's still fine; "Meet me at the diner." Not "Meet I at the diner." Unless I is another person).

Who gives a fuck, anyway, huh? Why should I bother considering getting a degree in education so I can teach creative writing? Not when grammar is being turned on its head. People say, "Oh, well, it's only blogging, you don't need to check spelling and grammar when you're blogging, it's not an academic term paper or anything. Learn to lighten up. It doesn't matter."
But it matters. For gods' sake, it matters. Maybe nobody cares, though. But they are right, and I should lighten up.

My husband pissed me off by joking that he now knows the best way to get me angry and riled up, by poking fun at me for loving proper grammar, by deliberately using bad grammar to make me upset. If he decides to do that, he'll wind up with a bruised jaw and I'll have a sore fist. Knowing that he'd deliberately use my grammar geekery and grammar whorism to make fun of me when he knows I'm actually katagelophobic is a bit painful. But we worked it out. No hard feelings anymore. I cried and yelled and ranted, and we worked it out. Communication is very important.

I should lighten up, I know. It's only language. But when it's misused in everyday speech, by educated people who believe that the bad grammar is correct, I feel very bad for every English teacher out there who is struggling to show kids what actual good language is.

I shouldn't feel like crying and yelling when someone argues in favor of bad grammar. I should just take it in stride and laugh it off, and then remember the argument the next time someone's bad grammar is corrected.

I'm also tired and sore and I shouldn't be lashing out. So I'm done. No more posts about grammar, because I bet I've been irritating half my friends list. This is it.

Comments

[poelaramont.livejournal.com]

Actually, I like to see someone else who cares about grammar. It may not be worth crying and yelling about, but it's still important, especially as a writer.

You should write a short story involving grammar somehow, since it's such a passion.

[brightlotusmoon.livejournal.com]

Actually, let's both do that. I could use a break from novel writing.

[poelaramont.livejournal.com]

I'll take that as a challenge. It will give me something to bainstorm on my walks to work, at least.

Already, I'm imagining aliens.