Or how a comma changes everything:
From the anti-homosexual Republican Party of Texas platform:
Homosexuality is a chosen behavior that is contrary to the fundamental unchanging truths that has been ordained by God in the Bible, recognized by our nations founders, and shared by the majority of Texans.
From Reuters:
The plank that was approved by delegates at the party's convention this month reads:
"Homosexuality is a chosen behavior that is contrary to the fundamental unchanging truths that has been ordained by God in the Bible, recognized by our nations founders, and shared by the majority of Texans."
Lone Star Q, which describes itself as the state's No. 1 source for LGBT news, asked on Twitter on Wednesday to have a "grammar debate" over the wording.
In response, grammarians pointed out that placement of the final comma in the plank could lead to understanding it to mean that homosexuality is a chosen behavior shared by the majority of Texans.
They also noted that "nations" should have an apostrophe and that by using "has been," the plank gives the impression that homosexuality has been ordained by God.
Party officials did not respond to requests to comment.
h/t Pm Carpenter
8 comments:
Guess they need a much better editor.
Or they needed to study harder in school.
Proper punctuation is essential, otherwise this sentence could be fatal for a family member:
Let's eat Grandma!
vs.
Let's eat, Grandma!
I've long noticed that the standards of grammar, spelling, punctuation and so forth on right-wing sites are often terrible. My own sense of how to write correctly has suffered since I started reading them regularly. Things are really bad when this kind of broken English makes it into a state party platform.
But it just reflects the fact that conservatism, in its current form, appeals mainly to the ignorant. It's no wonder Trump recently declared "I love the poorly educated!" Who else would have nominated him?
All one can do is, as here, enjoy whatever entertainment value these blunders may offer. Some time ago, on a right-wing discussion form, one poster complained that people not registered with the site could not use a certain feature, and he also called the site owner an asshole. His exact wording was:
"Unregistered posters can't asshole."
Noting his omission of the comma after "can't", I could not resist responding:
"Wrong. You're an unregistered poster, and you just assholed."
I think that is, at least partially, the partially of the state run education system Shaw.
Sorry, I prefer my explanation. Most conservatives are not smart enough or educated enough to master English orthography. And they are too sloppy to pay attention to what they are writing, or edit it, because their thought processes in general are sloppy.
By the way, the countries with the highest educational achievement levels all have educational systems controlled and funded by the central government. The US has mediocre educational outcomes by first-world standards because its school systems are controlled by local school boards, too many of which are run by dumb hicks who believe the Earth is 6,000 years old. This is especially true in states run by conservatives, such as Texas or Louisiana, which resist even teaching evolution in their schools (unlike more advanced places such as Iran which do teach it) and produce such pitifully semiliterate populations that even the people entrusted with writing a state party platform can't avoid making idiotic, funny grammatical errors.
Conservatism breeds ignorance, and ignorance breeds conservatism. It's a vicious cycle.
I think that is, at least partially, the responsibility of the state run education system Shaw. Or is it the parents, or cultural barriers, or maybe it's just everybody is too busy to pay close attention.
Whatever it is the results have not been stellar to say the least. Just ask my sister, a higher math teacher at Wilbraham High School in Wilbraham MA.
Many in our fair nation are far too focused on what constitutes proper bathroom assignment, everybody's right to own firearms, regardless of background, kicking all Muslims out of the country, and building beautiful high walls.
Oh, and making America Great "Again".
At any rate the point is this, the nation has many issues and problems it should be addressing. It is quite disconcerting that so many on the conservative bandwagon that is pulling Trump are so totally in the dark about issues of substance.
It is whatever it is.
I think it's the teachers who haven't been taught how to use their own language, and they pass their ignorance of the English language on to their students. I've heard master degree graduates say this: "Him and me were at the concert." And "Between he and I."
That's not English. But the constant misuse will eventually be accepted as normal usage.
Agreed Shaw. I am so happy that those in my finally, even the young ones, have much better grasp of our language and its proper usage that the examples you noted.
However, I on the other hand am merely an old country hick. ;-)
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