There’s an article about how only jerks bother pointing out typos. It used a harsher word, actually, to describe typo Nazis.
“Researchers concluded that ‘less agreeable people are more sensitive to grammatical errors, while more conscientious and less open people are sensitive to typos.’
“Overall, extroverts were more forgiving of both types of errors, and introverts were especially harsh about messages that contained typos. ” Not incidentally, the article is intentionally filled with typos.
Surely, science has proven I must be both disagreeable AND introverted. The very day I read the article, someone wrote on Facebook, in response to a politician he did not like, “Looser!” What he MEANT was “Loser” and I KNEW that, but I felt a bit dismissive of the comment, perhaps because a single invective isn’t very insightful.
I groan, rather than chuckle, when I see the protest signs demanding that immigrants know English, but spell moron “morans.” Go to Google images and type in misspelled tea party protest signs. Here’s an example.
“Previous studies have shown that we tend to judge people who make writing errors as ‘less conscientious, intelligent, and trustworthy.'” True enough; angry people need to get their sines write; I mean, their signs write.
Ah, The Guardian says correcting grammar is racist and is an expression of white privilege I will take that under advisement.
I’ve noticed more errors of fact in online newspapers. Speed gets in the way of accuracy. A story mentioned the “six minutes between 11:49 a.m. and noon.” I wrote to an editor I know personally to get it fixed, not as a taunt, but because it’s good to get it correct. Still, it DID hurt my head, but only slightly.
I’m much more patient with bloggers who produce regularly. Having my own problem with typos is a function of my brain operating faster than my fingers. I have learned to try to have the word NOT in any sentence, because I’m most likely to leave it out, totally changing the meaning.
If someone has written about the American Civil War and writes 1683 – this actually happened recently – I KNOW the guy KNOWS the actual date of 1863, and correct him, privately.
I am comforted by this: I Won’t Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here’s Why.
What am I to make of the fact that someone emailed me this article?
See also: It’s not “homocide” or “genicide”…
Slightly off topic:
