Camp HappyBadFun!

Pet Peeves

Ok a few things are bugging me this morning, and not because it’s Monday and I’m allowed, but because a couple of my “buttons” have been pushed over the last few days and I need to purge them so I can move on. Ha.

So…a few days ago my son and I were pulling up to a red light and out of the corner of my eye I saw what appeared to be a white paper-like something fall out of driver’s window from the car to my right. I look over just in time to see the window going up and the female driver put a stick of gum in her mouth. My thoughts:

She did NOT just throw her gum wrapper out the window.

So I ask, “Christian, is there a white gum wrapper on the ground by that car?”

“Uh…there’s a white something there.”

Grrrrrrrrrr…. I cannot tell you how angry that makes me! I’m by no means an environmental activist but there’s something as simple as respect for your fellow man, a desire to keep your community presentable and just plain ol’ common decency that was lacking here and it rankles me like you can’t believe! When my kids were young, we taught them to value the earth God gave us, to value others by showing respect to it and to value themselves by desiring a clean world to live in. So when I see someone who shows such an utter disrespect for all of the above, I can’t help but feel like taking that cigarette butt or that gum wrapper they oh-so indifferently tossed to the ground and shoving it up their……tail pipe. Yeah…tail pipe. :-\

Next gripe: Am I the only person who has noticed the standards of journalism have dipped to an all-time low? I’m not talking about content; I’m talking about grammar and spelling. More and more, I find myself reading material that is so poorly written and edited it’s insulting to me, as the reader. If you want me to take anything you say seriously, if you want me to buy your product, respect your position, care about your subject, then the first thing you need to do is value your product, your career, and yes, ME (!) enough to edit your material! Last week, I was reading an online article and found numerous spelling errors. I couldn’t take it anymore and sent a simple “Spelling errors! Ugh!” to the editor. Imagine my delight when I received the following email this morning from said editor:

‘Pam, thanks for your note and taking the time to write. I think I got all of them.”

Imagine his delight when he receives MY email correcting his corrections and pointing out 2 more errors. Ugh.

The truth is, I blame the advancement of technology. Too many people who have no business producing any written material meant for the general public now have easy access through the internet, printers and the likes, that give them the ill-conceived notion that just because they can operate the equipment, they should operate the equipment.

And my grievance is not limited to journalists, oh no! Advertisers are just as bad! I constantly see spelling and grammatical errors! Every day I drive by a strip mall with a sign that says “Jewlry”. God, how I’d love to drive right through that sign…

P.S. How many times do you think I ran this post through Spell Check??? ;-)

Edit: Just heard back from the editor. His reply: "Pam, thanks for this. Now, I think I got all of them. You are an angel! -Pete"

Well at least he was sweet about it. hehe...

Posted by PamCHBF at August 1, 2005 11:42 AM | TrackBack