Poor DJ, he’s distraught over the world losing Ho-Ho’s, Twinkies, Zingers, and Chocolate Pies. He said, “It didn’t even take a zombie apocalypse. No more, GD Twinkies.”

Petition for Secession

As a resident and native of Texas, I am very disappointed in very few of my fellow Texans, who want to secede from the Union. I am also disgusted about the fact that people in other states are generalizing that we are all wanting to secede.

Fact #1: ALL FIFTY states have a petition to secede, and people have signed ALL of those petitions.

Fact #2: As of now, ONLY 101,328 people have signed the petion. There are 18,279,737 adults in the State of Texas. This means that 18,178,409 adults in the State of Texas have NOT signed the petition. Many of my colleagues and my self, who are all Texans, think the 101,328 are acting childish and immature because they did not get their way.

Fact #3: During the election, in Texas, 4,555,799 (57.2%) people voted for Romney. 3,294,440 (41.4%) voted for Obama. 112,560 (1.4%) voted third party. This makes a total of only 7,962,799 (43.6%) adults in Texas voting. This means that 10,316,938 (56.4%) of adults in Texas did not vote. Therefore, it is very possible that a lot of the people signing the petition did not vote. (I cannot be sure of this, but people, you have to admit it is possible.)

Fact #4: All you need to sign the petition is an email address. This makes me question the entire process. POSSIBILITIES: It is possible that people, who are not registered to vote, may have signed the petition along with people not eligible to vote, such as prison inmates. It is also possible that people have signed the petition more than once, and that some of the people that signed the petition are not adult. Furthermore, non-residents can sign the petition, as well as many of the illegal immigrants that live in the State of Texas (and, yes, we do have a lot of them).

Fact #5: Some cities in the State of Texas have petitioned to secede from Texas if Texas secedes from the Union, two of which are El Paso and Austin.

Fact #6: People say that the electoral college needs to be ridded of, and the popular vote does not count. GO BACK TO SCHOOL PEOPLE! The popular vote determines the electoral college. And regardless of what you may think, Romney did not get the popular vote either. 62,154,057 voted for Obama. 58,798,967 voted for Romney. The last time that I checked 62,154,057>58,798,967, unless math has changed since I was in school.

If you DO NOT VOTE, then you DO NOT have a say; so hush! Quit your belly-aching, and grow up. If you truly want the world to change, motivate people to vote; because your vote DOES count.

For the rest of you, please, please, please stop making generalizations about people in Texas. We are not the type of close-minded, rednecked, immature, boot-stomping, belly-aching conservatives that the media has led you to believe.

The Evolution of Language

I envision a future world where written language is a former shell of itself. It will be a world where modern man will look at a book, and think he is reading a foreign language. However, the book in which he has tried to read is written in the English that has evolved from the technology revolution that we face today. For instance, our language is already a former shell of itself, and it is always evolving. Each generation sees changes in the way we speak and the way we write. Can the changes we are currently seeing be considered evolution, or is it the destruction of formal language? Maybe, it is a combination of both.

Some changes in language can be attributed to the Technology Revolution. Today’s technologies have changed language in ways I could have never imagined. Such changes have caused a great deal of controversy between educators across the country. In the article, “I Think, Therefore IM,” Jennifer 8. Lee explains, “to their dismay, teachers say that papers are being written with shortened words, improper capitalization and punctuation, and characters like &, $, and @” (153). I, too, have received many emails and have been involved in many instant messaging sessions in which I would see abbreviations such as brb (be right back), btw (by the way), oic (oh, I see), and l8r (later). For a matter of fact, I have used these phrases and abbreviations every now and again in my electronic messaging. Lee states, “The abbreviations are a natural outgrowth of this rapid-fire style of communication” (154). The rapid-fire abbreviation I am most guilty of using is lol (laughing out loud). I use lol when I think something is fairly funny, even if I am not ‘laughing out loud.’ However, I feel the art of formal writing may be lost forever if we do not set boundaries for the use of the new English language. For instance, once a student turns in a finished essay, paper, or assignment the language should be grammatically correct. Many educators feel the same way. According to Lee, “Some teachers find the writing style alarming” (155). Later she states, “Other teachers encourage students to use messaging shorthand to spark their thinking process” (155). As a prospective teacher, I agree with the latter. I may allow shorthand and abbreviations in rough drafts, journals, or outlines; however, I will expect a more formal style of language in the final draft. It is the educator’s responsibility to teach students when the use of abbreviations is appropriate and when it is not. Most educators are doing so anyway, but with more accepted abbreviations than the electronic abbreviations. If we add instant message abbreviations to the curriculum, we can circumvent any future problems that may arise.

Another change in language, which may cause future problems, is the use of emoticons. In many of our technologically advanced letters, we tend to use these little faces to express our feelings on a particular subject. We may use a :-) to let people know we are happy, :-( to let people know we are sad, or :-0 to let people know we are shocked. The use of emoticons seems to have extinguished many people’s ability to express emotion through writing. “Now that people have apparently lost this ability, they use a crude text representation of a facial expression” (161), said Slashdot reader KnifeEdge when speaking of the inability of people to convey a tone in writing. I agree; I feel the emoticons are overrated and overused. When I see :-) at the end of a simple sentence, I often wonder how happy the author actually is. Are they just a little happy? Are they very happy? After all, there are other methods to get a point across without the use of an emoticon such as words, tone, punctuation, and sentence structure. Because most people have forgotten how to use these methods, most written text is dry and impersonal. Unfortunately, the convenience of the emoticon to cover an array of emotions may lead to the downfall of the ability to express oneself in formal language. The more people rely on these shortcuts, the more difficult it becomes for them to be able to communicate effectively with one another.

Could technology also affect literacy? This is a question that many people should ask, because there is great potential for technology to have a ripple effect on literacy. As I said before, formal language is an art form that may be lost forever. Some people believe the use of speech to text/text to speech software may lead to the downfall of the art of formal written language. According to Dennis Baron, “Link speech to text with text to speech and you eliminate the middle terms: writing and reading could conceivably be reconfigured in such a way that they become an invisible part of the communication” (150). Nevertheless, there is a demand for such software, because it is convenient. Convenience tends to lead to evolution, but do we want language to evolve in such a way? I prefer to take pen to paper over fingers to keyboard, and I am sure that many authors will agree. For this purpose, educators should take an active part in suggesting such methods of communication to their students. Indeed the time it takes to write out an idea generally takes longer than typing the same idea. However, it is easier to gather thoughts and make the sentences flow smoothly when writing out ideas. Because literacy does affect the way people communicate and interact with one another, we must remember that convenience does not always mean better.

Whether we use a convenient form of language such as emoticons, symbols, or abbreviations in our everyday informal language, we should take care to keep them from seeping into our formal writing. Though our language is constantly evolving, we should not allow it to evolve too quickly. Furthermore, we should always remember that the possible adverse effects of convenience on communication and language, and we should remember to use our words to convey our emotions. Finally, we should remember if language keeps changing at the current rate, in a few years we may live in a world in which many of today’s scholars will not be able to read any future literary texts.

Saturday 9: Good Morning, Heartache

1) Do you come up with your brightest ideas early in the morning or late at night? Late at Night

2) Are you more likely to feel romantic at night or in the morning? morning

3) Do you shower in the morning, after work or before bed? afternoon

4) Billie Holiday was just 44 when she died. Is there an artist whose early demise surprised and saddened you? Darrell from Pantera

5) Billie was known as "Lady Day." Do you have a cool nickname? (If not, feel free to give yourself one right now.) Momma, Pammy, Aunt Pammy, or Aunt Momma

6) When was the last time you had the blues? about a week ago

7) Crazy Sam is eating Trader Joe's Snickerdoodles as she composes this. What's the last snack food you ate? Keebler peanut butter crackers

8) Do you worry about preserving endangered species? Or do you believe in survival of the fittest? I believe in the preservation of endangered species only if mankind is the reason they are endangered.

9) Would you ever hire a lawyer who runs commercials on TV? Do you know anyone who has? No and no. A lawyer actually told me not to trust a lawyer that runs television ads. He said that a truly good lawyer is one that you have been referred to by a friend. Of course, he was a friend of mine, so I was not able to hire him as a lawyer. He did refer the lawyer to me.

You Will Not Offend This Girl

American language has gone through many dramatic changes in the last twenty years. These controversial changes revolve around how language in a male dominated society offends many American women. I was born during a time of constant criticism and debate. One issue that has always confused me is that of gender-specific language. In the seventies, many women were consumed with the feminist movement. A lot of good things have come out of this movement. Today women have as much right for a job as a man; however, a lot of confusion came out as well. Feminists pushed for people to forget there are differences between women and men. I disagree with them; to me, men and women are very different and this does affect the language that the sexes use. Should we all change to a language that does not offend? I do not mind the label “girl” even though I am a thirty-four year-old woman. Our gender-specific communication seems to be a major issue in American society. The surrounding communication issues include the use of pronouns and descriptive nouns.

I have personally watched the changes in written language over the years. Although I often disagree with many politically correct issues, I have seen the changes creep into the way I write and speak. Mot people that I know never minded the language used in our patriarchal dominated society; for that matter, I never minded either. I feel culture plays a significant part in how people think of the use of gender-specific nouns. Many people feel the use of gender-specific words mold our roles in society. I do not agree with that, nor do I agree with Sherryl Kleinman when she refers to the word “girl” as “an infantilizing term for women” (McGrath, p.371). For me the use of the word girl is an endearing, youthful term. Many of my family members call all young women, including myself, girl. This has not molded the role that I play in society. My father taught me that I cannot always depend on a man to be there for me and to help me with everything. Dad taught me to take care of myself and called me “girl” as he did so. Because of Dad’s encouragement, I am not only a mother and wife, but also a shade tree mechanic, plumber, and carpenter. I do see Kleinman’s point; after all, we would not dare call a grown man “boy.” My husband and I are from two totally different cultures (they are both American cultures) that see the use of language in very different ways. This has given me a window in which I can glimpse at the two cultures and recognize the differences in each culture’s use of language. I do not get offended because in my culture, “girl” is an acceptable way to speak of women. My mother-in-law would be quick to correct you if you called her “girl;” and my husband is very insulted if someone calls him “boy.” The reasoning behind their feelings is that in their culture the words “girl” and “boy” are derogatory terms for women and men. I am aware of this fact and know that my husband does not like to be called boy or sir; therefore, I do not acknowledge him in such terms. On the other hand, my husband knows that I am uncomfortable when I am referred to as woman or ma’am; therefore, he never refers to me in those terms.

Other terms of great controversy and confusion are gender-specific pronouns. When it comes to the use of terms such as he, him, his, she, her, and hers; I am tempted to say who cares. Let people write and speak as they please. I never before believed that I would be swayed by the political correctness of language; but I have noticed politically correct changes in my use of pronouns and nouns. I stick to the use of one, them, they, their, you, and your when referring to people. The use of they is often criticized and “must not be used to refer to single persons” (McWhorter, p.380). McWhorter argues because many people use “they,” then “they” has evolved from a plural pronoun to a singular pronoun. I am guilty of using they in singular form. Using they gives me the freedom to write in a way that people do not get offended.

Other ways I tend to keep from offending others is the use of words such as police officer, firefighter, flight attendant, server, etc. Perhaps my understanding of the reasoning behind political correctness has made me sensitive to the issues at hand. When this change began to come about, I worked at a restaurant. We had close to fifty people on the wait staff. About half of these people were women and half of them were men. We were referred to as servers instead of waiters and waitresses. This was the first time that I had heard wait staff referred to as servers. I liked the term because it did not give the negative mental image that you got from the term waitress, however waiters had always been thought of as more sophisticated than waitresses. This experience in my life accounts for the switch of the use of gender-specific nouns and pronouns in my communication.

Though I feel this has been a positive change to language, I do feel that some people tend to take the political correctness too far. Because the lack of political correctness in classic literature makes them feel uncomfortable, people have begun to rewrite such literature. What is next? Will they begin to rewrite history? As most of us know, history is not politically correct. We also know the bill of rights gives every American the right to speak and write freely. “Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press…” (U.S. Constitution, Amendment I). It may be politically correct to use they or say firefighter, but it is also an individual’s right to print words that may have a patriarchal or matriarchal dominated tone. Whether you call me girl or ma’am, or whether you write in a politically correct or incorrect way; remember, there is always a chance you may offend someone. So, how do we distinguish when to use and when not to use gender-specific terms? The best advice I can give is if you choose not to offend anyone be sure that you use politically correct words and phrases. If you care not whom you offend, write however you like. No matter how you decide to approach this issue, you will not offend this girl.

Ownership

I've learned to roll with the punches and that what we have inside us is all that we really own. Everything else can be taken away, lost, or stolen.

Election

According to the Census Bureau, 234,564,071 adults live in the United States. 62,154,057 voted for Obama. 58,798,967 voted for Romney. 113,611,047 did not vote at all. It's sad, really, really sad that just a little more than half of the U.S. adults vote.