# I'm out to bust spelling and grammar polices!!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 6, 2003, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-out-to-bust-spelling-and-grammar-polices/146946 "2003-01-06T15:12:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Themis00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/13edae/32.png) [@Themis00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Themis00)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-out-to-bust-spelling-and-grammar-polices/146946/1 "2003-01-06T15:12:08Z")
Yes, I said polices. šŸ˜› This can get ugly. _cracks knuckles_ ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-out-to-bust-spelling-and-grammar-polices/146946/2 "2003-01-06T15:14:18Z")
šŸ˜• ---
**Author:** ![Themis00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/13edae/32.png) [@Themis00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Themis00)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-out-to-bust-spelling-and-grammar-polices/146946/3 "2003-01-06T15:17:32Z")
Bitching about oneā€™s spelling and grammar, is the ultimate thread hijack. The content of oneā€™s post is what matters (damn Iā€™m sounding like Martin Luther King here). Sure, thereā€™s exceptions. ---
**Author:** ![Legomancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/779978/32.png) [@Legomancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Legomancer)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-out-to-bust-spelling-and-grammar-polices/146946/4 "2003-01-06T15:20:02Z")
Youā€™re not on the kiddy forums anymore, pal. Wise up. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-out-to-bust-spelling-and-grammar-polices/146946/5 "2003-01-06T15:23:59Z")
> [@](#): > > The content of oneā€™s post is what matters (damn Iā€™m sounding like Martin Luther King here). Dang, I was completely unaware that MLK had ever commented on Internet mesage board postings. Got a cite? ---
**Author:** ![roadrunner70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@roadrunner70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roadrunner70)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-out-to-bust-spelling-and-grammar-polices/146946/6 "2003-01-06T15:25:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Themis00 \* > \*\*Sure, **thereā€™s** exceptions. \*\* there are? ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-out-to-bust-spelling-and-grammar-polices/146946/7 "2003-01-06T15:26:40Z")
I admit it: I always thought MLK was talking about equal rights when he said, ā€œI have a dream,ā€ but maybe if Iā€™d listened to the rest of the speech, I wouldā€™ve learned he was really talking about chat speak. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-out-to-bust-spelling-and-grammar-polices/146946/8 "2003-01-06T15:27:48Z")
No, **superbee** , there _is_. ---
**Author:** ![roadrunner70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e19b73/32.png) [@roadrunner70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/roadrunner70)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-out-to-bust-spelling-and-grammar-polices/146946/9 "2003-01-06T15:28:43Z")
opps ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-out-to-bust-spelling-and-grammar-polices/146946/10 "2003-01-06T15:28:58Z")
Free advice for Themis00: Spend some more time lurking - you havenā€™t quite figured out how things work around here yet. ---
**Author:** ![Akatsukami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea666f/32.png) [@Akatsukami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akatsukami)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-out-to-bust-spelling-and-grammar-polices/146946/11 "2003-01-06T15:30:03Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Themis00 \* > **The content of oneā€™s post is what matters** And if oneā€™s spelling and grammar are so poor as to obscure that content? ---
**Author:** ![welby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@welby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/welby)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-out-to-bust-spelling-and-grammar-polices/146946/12 "2003-01-06T15:30:39Z")
I find your use of the word ā€œpolicesā€ disturbing. Either you canā€™t spell, or canā€™t write in the plural. For example, you could have meant _policies_, but that would make your post a little ridiculous. After all, it would take a real idiot to announce that they want to start posts that are misspelled and poorly written. On the other hand, you could very well have meant ā€œpolice.ā€ In that case, you should be made aware that ā€œpolicesā€ is a transitive verb. If you meant people who act as if they are the sole authority on spelling and grammar, then you should have said _the_ spelling and grammar police in your OP. So, other than the above, I have no problem with your post. ---
**Author:** ![apotheosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ba8739/32.png) [@apotheosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/apotheosis)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-out-to-bust-spelling-and-grammar-polices/146946/13 "2003-01-06T15:30:41Z")
Dammit **SmileyOne** , are you going to properly introduce your little brother here, or are you going to leave the poor dear flailing about for attention? ---
**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-out-to-bust-spelling-and-grammar-polices/146946/14 "2003-01-06T15:32:02Z")
Take a step back, **Themis00**. The SDMB works, itā€™s very active, and it regularly deals out sarcasm in large doses. Donā€™t take it personally. Accidental mistakes in spelling and grammar can be very funny, and thatā€™s what you walked into. Donā€™t worry about it. Youā€™ve arrived with a splash. Donā€™t turn the splash into an explosion. ---
**Author:** ![december](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/838e76/32.png) [@december](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/december)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-out-to-bust-spelling-and-grammar-polices/146946/15 "2003-01-06T15:32:35Z")
Good point, **Themis00.** And, I might add: _dkruyheop3jgnb rirotit GGlolkwemnweo nnWicdjrt_šŸ˜› ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-out-to-bust-spelling-and-grammar-polices/146946/16 "2003-01-06T15:33:01Z")
Not a problem. ā€œPolicesā€ makes sense as a plural to describe more than one police force, self appointed or not: ā€œThe Kansas and Nebraska State Polices cooperated to arrest the fugitive at the border of those two states.ā€ I think youā€™ve got a right to self-expression using any language you choose. However, if what youā€™re looking to do is to **communicate** with others (which is what Iā€™d see as the object of message boards in the first place), then using the vocabulary and spelling and grammar conventions that are the common intellectual property of all your readers is your responsibility in order to improve communication. Someone once suggested that the depth of content of a given writing and the degree to which its prose is ā€œartisticā€ and author-originated are inversely proportional, and I think I agree. ---
**Author:** ![Themis00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/13edae/32.png) [@Themis00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Themis00)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-out-to-bust-spelling-and-grammar-polices/146946/17 "2003-01-06T15:34:19Z")
Whoa itā€™s not that deep, lol. I guess I made a sucky analogy. You know, MLK saying not to judge a person by the color of their skin but the content of their character. I said not to judge a post by spelling and grammar, but for content. Iā€™d rather read posts with a few mistakes with good content, than to read posts with perfect spelling and grammar with sucky content. And, believe me, Iā€™ve witnessed both!!! Exceptions? Yeah, if someone makes a mistake in spelling and/or grammar on every other word, the post should lose credibility. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-out-to-bust-spelling-and-grammar-polices/146946/18 "2003-01-06T15:40:44Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Polycarp \* > **I think youā€™ve got a right to self-expression using any language you choose. However, if what youā€™re looking to do is to communicate with others (which is what Iā€™d see as the object of message boards in the first place), then using the vocabulary and spelling and grammar conventions that are the common intellectual property of all your readers is your responsibility in order to improve communication.** True enough, but I have an additional policy on a personal level. If the content of a post is generally thoughtful, insightful, and informative, I tend to be very forgiving of spelling errors. However, if a post tends to be bigoted, hateful, or moronic, then anythingā€“spelling includedā€“is fair game for ridicule. ---
**Author:** ![welby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@welby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/welby)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-out-to-bust-spelling-and-grammar-polices/146946/19 "2003-01-06T15:44:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Themis00 \* > \*\*Whoa itā€™s not that deep, lol. > > I guess I made a sucky analogy. > > You know, MLK saying not to judge a person by the color of their skin but the content of their character. > > I said not to judge a post by spelling and grammar, but for content. > > Iā€™d rather read posts with a few mistakes with good content, than to read posts with perfect spelling and grammar with sucky content. And, believe me, Iā€™ve witnessed both!!! > > Exceptions? Yeah, if someone makes a mistake in spelling and/or grammar on every other word, the post should lose credibility. \*\* made a **poor** analogy (Sucky is not a word) Whoa\*\*,\*\* a few mistakes **and** good content grammar **and** **below par** content See above. **Are there exceptions?** Sounds better. šŸ˜ƒ ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2003, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-out-to-bust-spelling-and-grammar-polices/146946/20 "2003-01-06T15:44:10Z")
The OP is an idiotic, illiterate, fuckdoodle. Ghod grant him/her/it wisdom, preferably by the means of a strong blow with a big mallet. :wally [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-out-to-bust-spelling-and-grammar-polices/146946.md?page=2)