Yes, that’s sarcasm for you.
I am seeing apostrophes used in more and more “official” places, incorrectly. Why?
That is, apostrophes are being inserted as to show possession when the intent is to show plural.
Because English is a living language that bends to the will of its users, because people are insufficiently educated by institutions and instructors who would enforce something like that, because even the sufficiently educated don’t face enough public censure to agonize and self-correct, because in the end too many people don’t notice and/or don’t care.
Next: Why can’t we remember the rules about question marks?
What do you mean “we”?
Apostrophes indicate ownership or missing letters. And not plurals. That’s all you need to know.
I would be most grateful if you would inform my students of this. It would reduce my workload when grading their papers.
I grade my students’ work on my computer, and i actually have a keystroke shortcut that inserts the sentence, “Please familiarize yourself with the correct use of apostrophes.” That’s how often i need to use it. If these were middle school kids, i might be more understanding, but we’re talking about college juniors and seniors.
I’ve met high school English teachers who put apostrophes in plurals. There’s pretty much no hope for literacy, I’m sorry to say.
Look at the thread title.
It was more common in the 80’s.
No they don’t. Read your cite.
The first example says
which means that it isn’t usually considered terribly wrong, not that it’s entirely correct.
Example two says
which means it’s wrong unless you’re American, which, praise the Lord, I ain’t.
Example three says
Let me repeat that for you: Most sources are against this usage.
Example four:
So, each example is at best a maybe. Hardly a ringing endorsement.
No discussion of apostrophe use is complete without Bob’s Quick Guide to the Apostrophe, You Idiots.
It’s cute how some prescriptivists try to defend their sweeping, absolute pronouncements in the face of contrary evidence. 
Prescriptivists: “Apostrophes are not used for plurals. That’s all you need to know.”
Descriptivist: “But a large proportion of people use them as plurals in some cases. For example, it’s generally agreed that it’s acceptable to use them to pluralize single lowercase letters.”
Prescriptivist: “‘Acceptable’ doesn’t mean ‘correct’.”
Descriptivist: “But some style guides say it is ‘correct’ to use apostrophes for plurals in other cases as well.”
Prescriptivist: “They’re American, so they don’t count as correct English.”
Descriptivist: “But still, presumably large numbers of people will be using these style guides.”
Prescriptivist: “I don’t care. You said ‘a large proportion of people use apostrophes as plurals’, and all you’ve provided evidence for is that a large proportion of people use apostrophes as plurals, not that it’s correct to do so.”
Descriptivist: “But I never made any claim about correctness. In any case, what determines correctness if not widely accepted patterns of usage?”
Prescriptivist: “Only non-American style guides whose rules I happen to agree with.”
So, how do you pluralize the letter i without using an apostrophe?
Jim was crushed to death under a pile of i’s.
Jim was crushed to death under a pile of is.
A few rare exceptions to the general rule doesn’t make the general rule wrong or unhelpful. If everyone followed Shakester’s rule then they would be “correct” nearly every time. There would only be a few rare exceptions where it might aid clarity to add an apostrophe against the “rule.” In this way, Shakester’s rule really is all you need to know.
If you know how to edit SDMB thread titles, let me know. I tried to remove it, and couldn’t.
As I remember the 50’s, I was taught to use apostrophes in cases like that to show plurals. Perhaps the English language has moved on leaving me behind. I don’t have access to my fourth grade English book.
Quite. I used to be annoyed by incorrect use of the apostrophe, but then I realized you can make a case for it sometimes.
At least “taco’s” will be phonetically parsed correctly, so the reader will usually understand what is meant.
“Tacos” could conceivably be read as “tackoss”, and the reader might try to parse it as a unique noun, and not realize that all that is meant is the plural of taco.
So, unconsciously perhaps, it could be seen as an attempt to aid clarity. Even though it is incorrect.
Well often being a “descriptivist” (as though it were a religion) is like a new toy for some people, who don’t understand that it applies to natural speech, rather than punctuation, (which is what we’re talking about here.)
Being a “descriptivist” with punctuation is like saying that speed limits don’t exist because people don’t following them.
I recently came across some egregious misuses of the apostrophe, notably:
Alway’s Remembered
Our Baby’s (Referring to two children)
My Two Treasure’s
Carved into gravestones.
I guess stupidity is fleeting, but ignorance is forever.
Descriptivism no longer applies to punctuation? I try to keep up with the journals and conference proceedings as much as any other linguist, but I’m ashamed to admit I missed this particular momentous discovery. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. 