What he speaks of is just the tip of the coming iceberg. Which is the exact reason that we need to vote and we need to have conversations with those we love about the consequences of voting, not voting and to whom we vote for. Education is the only way out of this.
Thank you Trae, we love you for what you do.
So after my run in with a very rude self appointed grammar corrector I posted a comment in the overnight thread on the blog where my public humiliation occurred. My post here was well received and I found the comments here very supportive, thus I was able to muster the courage to stick my neck out in that comment section. I had a beef and needed to get it off my chest.
Turns out the commenting community there was as supportive of my airing of my grievance as all of you were here, if not even more so. Part of my motivation to write a comment pointing out the rudeness of my earlier encounter was that I realized if I had been hurt or upset by this type of behavior, others probably had too. My realization was spot on and not only had others experienced such feelings as I, but the community overwhelmingly agreed that such a public correction wasn’t just rude, it was wrong.
Since I had been publicly scolded, I decided to Google my usage of less over fewer and learned for the very first time about countable nouns vs measurable nouns. However I apparently didn’t read far enough. One of the commenters knew more than I had researched and it turns out there are exceptions to rules of grammar. I mean who knew? Exceptions to rules? Shudder.
After all of that, it appears my usage of less instead of fewer following a number is in the exception category. My statement about “three less votes” is acceptable under this exception according to Merriam-Webster, and therefore a correct usage. Here is the Merriam-Webster exception list for less vs fewer:
-Despite the rule, less used of things that are countable is standard in many contexts, and in fact is more likely than fewer in a few common constructions, especially ones involving distances (as in “less than three miles”), sums of money (as in “less than twenty dollars”), units of time and weight (as in “less than five years” and “less than ten ounces”), and statistical enumerations (as in “less than 50,000 people”)—all things which are often thought of as amounts rather than numbers.
The use of less to modify ordinary plural count nouns (as in “made less mistakes”) is pretty rare in writing and is usually better avoided, though it does occur frequently in speech.
But less is actually preferred in phrases like “an essay of 250 words or less.” It’s also—to the chagrin of some—the preferred choice in the supermarket checkout line’s “twelve items or less” sign. (Some grocery stores have apparently been convinced by the chagrin, though, and use “items or fewer.” They are still very much in the minority.)
Less is common following a number, as in “a package containing three less than the others,” and is the typical choice after one, as in “one less worry.”
A definitive rule covering all possibilities is maybe impossible. If you’re a native speaker your best bet is to be guided by your ear, choosing the word that sounds more natural in a particular context. If you’re not a native speaker, the simple rule is a good place to start, but be sure to consider the exceptions to it as well.-
One can read the entire Merriam-Webster entry HERE .
So what I wish to convey with this post is while not only is it impolite and just plain rude to correct someone’s grammar in public, one had better be sure one’s correction is actually correct if one decides to be an asshole outspoken public grammar corrector.
So it’s happened to me again. I’ve been unnecessarily and rudely corrected in public.
I’m a an occasional commenter on a very popular LGBTQ blog that has a rather large amount of commenters on mostly news and political posts. The comment section gets rather lively and is often hilarious. Having been participating for many years, I feel as I’m part of a family over there. I probably spend too much time in that comment section when I should be putting that time and energy writing blog posts here.
There is one annoying thing I run into over there and that is the self appointed grammar police. They seem to feel it their job to seek and find grammatical errors and then just blatantly correct another commenter just right there in the open on a public forum. I guess their superior ego needs to make them feel good pointing out the error of another. They are obviously better at English than I am so why not show it? Of corse at the cost of making people like me look stupid and uneducated.
It’s just fucking rude.
It is one thing if my grammatical error actually changes the meaning of what I, or other poor unsuspecting commenters, intend to convey which can and does occur. In that case a caring individual might make a gentle comment simply saying “Maybe you could say such and such like this, rather than that as it can be confusing the way you have stated it as to your intended meaning.” However it’s another thing to just interject an abrupt correction that in no way changes the intended message, but does make the person writing the comment look bad.
To give you an example, earlier today I made this comment on a post: “Oh well that’s three less votes for …” And within a few minutes I had the single word response “fewer.”
I found this quite rude and it’s far from the first time it has happened. Before writing this post I decided to Google the usage to make sure that my use of “less” rather than “fewer” didn’t change the intended meaning and it doesn’t. It apparently is proper to use “fewer” rather than “less” in this instance, but it didn’t change the meaning. So why would someone bother to make such a correction other than to boost their own ego by pointing out my error?
To these grammar police I’d like to say it’s not your business to correct me or anyone else who makes a simple grammatical error, especially in a public forum in front of other people. You aren’t being superior, you’re just being rude showing your “assumed”superiority. Not all of us had the means to go to college and get degrees in English. Some of us struggled in high school and then did the best we could to get training in a field afterward to go out and make a living. I, and many others like me, have worked hard and made a good life for ourselves and our families without the advantages of a higher university education, nor were we the type who excelled in the underfunded public schools we grew up in on the poor side of town.
There I’ve said my peace here on my own blog without getting into an argument in another bloggers comment section nor downvoting the rude comment from a self appointed grammar police troll.
Having said my peace on my little soapbox, I try my best on the few blog posts I write and the comments I make to use the best grammar I know how and to spell to the best of my ability. I do and will make mistakes. I do welcome corrections as long as they are in a kind courteous manner. Corrections help me to learn and grow. Some corrections are actually very necessary as some errors can change the intended meaning of a well intended thought. So what I’m saying is don’t ever not correct me, but correct myself and others only when it is needed, and please do so in a kind and courteous way.
Truth
Hey you Asshole Alito…
Today I channel our beloved Anne Marie In Philly, aka The Warrior Queen, and dedicate this song to you.
GAYLE – abcdeFU – 2021
I’m willing to bet I’m channeling RBG as well.
She would say FUCK THOSE MOTHER FUCKERS!
Trae also says it quite well…
If anyone doesn’t think that this is just the start of the religious right’s plan, that anyone is living the life of a fool.
As a survivor of multiple and repeated molestations as a child, this U.S. gymnastics molestation debacle is absolutely disgusting.
These strong young women who are testifying right now deserve all of our support and also the justice of correcting this horrible, horrible abuse and crime.
Child molesters are monsters and need to be convicted. Child molesters kill, no they murder, childhood innocence and destroy lives.
Fuck child molesters and even more so …SUPERFUCK THEIR FUCKING ENABLERS… as the enablers are as guilty as the molesters themselves. May they all burn in fucking hell.
There I said it and I do not alologize for speaking truth, truth through my own life experience.
WARNING; Rant ahead. You might want to skip the beginning of this one if you are overwhelmed or easily offended…but I’ve gotta get it out. My emotions have overcome me to the point I am angry. I need to shift my attitude but in order to shift I’ve first gotta rant.
Disgust.
Disgust is what I’ve felt since the news of the point blank shooting of 20 year old Duarte Wright by a police officer. Pulled over and shot point blank for simply driving while black. Another police murder during the trial of George Floyd’s murderer cop is underway with both crimes taking place in the same region of Minnesota.
I am no longer sorry to say that I feel that most of the police departments in this country are full of racist cowards. The whole system may possibly need to be dismantled in order to reorganize, purge and start over. Week after week more cowardly racist asshole police officers just fucking harass and often simply murder people of color.
I used to think the police were the good guys. After this past year I now know many of them are as crooked as that asshole who just left the white house. Many of them are crooked, racist, violent, cowardly liars.
So now that I’ve gotten a rant off my chest and graphically told you how I feel, I need to see how I can move on.
I can move on by focusing first on what I can do right here, right now.
What is important to me? What do I value?
I value love, respect, understanding, acceptance, diversity and kindness. How can I get more of these beautiful treasures? I can start by giving these things to the world right now and right where I am.
I can call a friend and say “I love you”. I can tell an associate at work that I value their knowledge and respect their input. I can take a moment to listen to and understand someone else who needs an ear. I can accept that the anxious person wanting to force their way into my lane of traffic may be stressed and possibly late to pick up their child by graciously letting them in front of me. I can seek to experience a diverse and different point of view that might open my eyes to seeing things from another angle or culture. I can say a kind word to the overworked mother who’s checking out my groceries at the store while saying her name from her name tag and looking into her eyes.
I can say to you my reader thank you. Thank you for reading my blog. Thank you for letting me rant. Thank you for understanding that I get overwhelmed. Thank you for letting me have an opinion. Thank you for allowing me to come to a better place by realizing that while I can’t change what happened in Minneapolis, I can change the world right here, right now simply by spreading the good things I value. By spreading good, one by one good things spread further. With each good deed the world gets better one moment, one person, one smile at a time.
I can also share beauty, art and music. This is an all time favorite that never fails to bring a smile to my face. Oh, and by the way…I love you, I love you for being right here, right now.
Stephanie Mills – I Never Knew Love Like This Before – 1980
Sadly this meme is appropriate today.
Oh and a note to the the judge who just 10 days ago overturned Boulder’s assault weapons ban:
Fuck you. You have blood on your hands.
Real Patriots don’t storm their own Capitol.
Period.
Make love, make music, make community, make peace …not war.
U2 – Where The Streets Have No Name – 1987 – Live in Downtown Los Angeles
Our favorite Liberal Redneck is here to enlighten the unenlightened.
Take it away Trae…
Please watch, please share.
If you love your planet, country, family, children, home and your way of life…hell even just your own life…you will vote.
Y’all knew we’d post this rant as soon as you heard the news.
Let ‘em have it Trae…
Hypocrite?
Tell ‘em Trae
Real Presidents are respectful, have good character qualities and aren’t petty.
No they aren’t perfect, no human is. However they continually march toward betterment of themselves and of society.
Real Presidents are good people. Real presidents lead.
Taking it to the streets.
Don’t take for granted your right to take it to the streets.
It is our right to call out wrong when we see it. It is our right to speak up. It is our right to have our own opinion. It is our right to express ourselves. It is our right to vote and to have our vote counted. It is not only our right, but our duty, to help our brothers & sisters for the better.
Vote.
Vote because not only your rights, but your life actually depends on it.
Takin’ it to the streets – Doobie Brothers – 1977
(OBTW, Michael McDonald is fine.)
^^^This^^^
Fearsome Beard 