The other day, one of my friends and I were talking about how maybe I'm too picky about the spelling and grammar on my online dating websites. While I agree maybe I am being too picky, especially when I am anxious to start dating again, I still feel justified in this criteria. And I want to share with y'all why I think this is okay.
First, I get rather annoyed having to read what he has said out loud. I think, "If I'm having this much trouble now, how am I going to feel when we text, email and Facebook each other?" Yes, this might be a bit silly, and I know I let my friends get away with it, but I believe a person should have the right to minimize that behavior in his or her life and I don't want to be irritated with my mate, get a horribly misspelled text, and then be really pissed because I don't understand what he's trying to say.
Second, it shows ignorance. Maybe people aren't the best spellers and maybe grammar and punctuation just makes their head spin. That's fair. Numbers do the same thing to me, and I will be the first to admit I suck when it comes to finances (although, I am getting better). But, when I have to do something out of my comfort zone, I check my work and I ask for help. These people who misspell every other word, use semi-colons for no reason, can't use an apostrophe to save their lives, and basically spell like they talk, and don't think to use a spell check? Ignorance. They think they are fine the way they are, and their spelling and grammar is far from it.
Third, it shows laziness. Have you noticed people using "an" for "and"? These words are two different parts of speech. An is an article, and a conjunction. Do people not want to take the time to put the last letter on the word? I just don't understand it. What I call "text language" is also annoying to me. It's one (rather annoying, but more acceptable) thing to use it in text messages. Emails, instant messaging, and profiles are not places it belongs, among many others. How many times can I say I don't want to say my messages out loud to be able to understand the meaning? With the abundance of spelling and grammar check options available, why can't they be used? I feel like if someone is so lazy they can't make the effort to spell out entire words, or have their work checked, in what other areas will they be lazy?
Fourth, what does this mean for the future of our language? I learned it. I don't know every single rule, but I know the difference between to, too, and two and there, their, and they're. I spell out my entire word, unless I choose to use a contraction (and I use an apostrophe). I feel like if you have nothing else in this world, but you can speak and write clearly and properly, you at least have something. This is one of the best ways to fake being "smart." You may not be well read or you may not have much education, but at least you can appear to have had those experiences.
Fifth, and final, it shows hubris. I see all these profiles of guys who talk themselves up, trying to make themselves sound like the perfect balance between manly and sensitive. They might even have pictures showing how good looking they think they are. What I see, though, is a guy who is ignorant, lazy, and thinks he's hot shit. Hubris is bad enough, but in combination with ignorance and laziness, it's the worst.
Just so we're clear, a typo is a mistake I let go. If there are more than three or four per paragraph, I take a closer look at the person's profile. People aren't perfect, so we are bound to make mistakes. I just feel like if someone makes more than a few mistakes in a small space or amount of time, that person isn't just making mistakes and they clearly fall into at least one of the above categories.
