# Rules on alphabetization

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rules-on-alphabetization/305963>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [May 29, 2005, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rules-on-alphabetization/305963 "2005-05-29T05:48:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\
**Post date:** [May 29, 2005, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rules-on-alphabetization/305963/21 "2005-05-29T23:47:10Z")

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> [@Exapno Mapcase](#):
>
> But what happens when you get out in the real world and run into a style different than the one you are taught?

Oh my God! I never thought of that! Quick, everyone, there are probably people on the loose who aren’t aware of every different alphabetization system ever devised. Round them up for re-education!

Funnily enough, i managed to adapt to new experiences, and the world did not stop turning as a result.

> [@Exapno Mapcase](#):
>
> Teaching one thing when the world uses a hundred is bad teaching, no matter how you try to justify it.

Depends who you’re teaching, who you’re teaching, what the situation is, etc. Anyone who’s spent more than five minutes teaching knows that you can’t teach everything, that you have to do your best to give your students as much as you can in the time allotted. In the big scheme of things, i personally feel that spending a whole bunch of time on different alphabetization systems probably would’n’t have improved my education a great deal, and it may have come at the expense of something more important.

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**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2005, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rules-on-alphabetization/305963/22 "2005-05-30T00:00:51Z")

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See my previous post.

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