A word on grammar and spelling: Listen up, friends and neighbors. This message is for you, or for anyone who has ever taken to posting any sort of poster, ad, message or slogan on the wall: Pay attention to what you are saying.
We live in a college -- a place of higher education and advanced learning. It is expected that, while in this place, we will be taught those tenebrous, mystical things the non-college portion of the world can only dream about. We are the top 10 percent of the world.
Why then can't a single one of you people tell the difference between "there," "they're" and "their?"
I am constantly being bombarded by posters and one-sheets with messages like, "The Youth Ministry Church will be meeting in LaFollette at 1:30 on Saturday. Hope to see you they're."
Gah!
What sort of message does it send to the outside world if the most educated people on the planet can't distinguish between one phrase meaning "at that place" and another meaning "they are"? This is no isolated incident. I see these things all over campus every day. Just recently, in the restroom, I glanced to my left and caught sight of a one-sheet poster full of type. It was labeled as being the RHA Bathroom Bulletin (I'll get to THAT some other day), and it detailed the inner workings of the RHA in several small, 10-point font paragraphs.
I was scrolling down the first of these, when I came to a passage that read: "... that come from each of their perspective halls." Do you see a problem here? The word our dutiful RHA bulletin-writer was searching for is "respective."
That is, of course, unless they intended to say "each of their point-of-view halls," in which case, perspective is perfectly acceptable.
These mistakes seem to crop up most often in handwritten posters -- usually made by the shadowy representative body of the hall they've been posted on -- and amateur typewritten bulletins on the bulletin boards outside.
Christian groups, listen up. You have an added responsibility, as respectable organizations, to correct your own grammar. Ain't no one gonna come to your meetings if they're being held on 'Saterday' at the 'balroom.' Take heed, hire a spellchecker.
Finally, I need to bring to light an increasingly annoying tendency in posters, ads, banners and all types of information-conveying media these days: This need 4 numbers 2 represent letters 4...well, 4 convenience, I suppose.
Whoever you are, no matter what you think your reasoning is for this, stop! It doesn't help your statement, and it detracts from the credibility of whatever you're attempting to say. Moreover, it is an affront to the English language. Our language is already stunted by way of beauty and description. What reason could you possibly have for further bastardizing it?
Learn the language, use the language, and for the love of Steve, don't spell 'you' as 'u.' It's only one step from 'u' to 'l8ter,' and from there I'm afraid I shall have to call the police.
Write to Jonathon at BeckettG13@aol.com
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