If you can't say anything nice...and other grammatical errors.

I am always underwhelmed by the ignorance/stupidity of people. (Yes, I understand that these words do not mean the same thing...it's just that both states of being tend to underwhelm me.)

Today I was faced with a 7 year old shouting "That's GAY" to her friends at school. Repeatedly. Loudly. Inappropriately.

You know how fingers on a blackboard freak most people out? Well hearing "That's GAY" has the same effect on me. That is, unless you are talking about something innately joyful. or homosexual. or both. In that case, the te term is quite appropriate.

Anyhow, I'm just thinking about the possible places where this child has heard this term. When I confronted her about this particular new phrase of hers she told me that the word meant "nasty". Short of making her look it up in the dictionary I told her that was NOT what the word meant, nor did I want to hear that phrase in the classroom again.

Think about all the derogatory terms you've heard recently. Think of how many of those terms started innocently enough and were warped and mistranslated so they might be used to hurt other people.

And we wonder why our country spends millions of dollars on therapy each year. We're so busy telling each other why we are inadequate that we have to pay OTHER people to tell us all the ways we are adequate (and why we hate/love/don't speak to/still live with our parents). And it starts at age 7.

Holy shit.

Speaking of inappropriate word usage- here's one a little more lighthearted. Now, it's a pretty well known fact that I'm a grammar snob. That said, please don't proofread this post as my snobbery only applies to the mistakes that other people make. (I mean, check out the definition of snob people.)

Anyhow, I found this beauty in Downtown New Bern...and it has lived inside my laptop for far too long. It needs to be shared with the world. Plus all my English papers are starting to get really pissed off that I was so strict with them while I'm letting my pictures run around blaspheming the English Language like there's no tomorrow.

 Morgan's (the restaurant) is now opened (by who? hello passive voice! haven't seen you since high school) on Sunday's (Sunday's what?)

I mean if you looked at this the wrong way it sounds vaguely dirty. And that gives me great satisfaction.