Rise Of The Grammar Nazis

"I wasn't that drunk." Dude you used your, instead of you're.

The rise of the Grammar Nazis has begun. Since the popularity of social networking has increased, so has the need for people to correct the spelling and grammar of others.

I can understand the need for it in some cases. It is extremely hard to read an article/status/question when the poster wRiTeZ lIkE dIz g3t wAt iM sAyIn? And sometimes you read an article when it is obvious that the writer hasn't proof-read the article before posting. It's hard to take that article seriously when the mistakes are obvious.

I am sure that I am guilty of making a few grammar mistakes in this blog. I always proof-read and spell-check my posts, but some mistakes are hard to catch. As long as the readers get the gist of what I am saying, then I am not too worried about it. I realise that I start sentences with "And" a lot. And this is a big no-no. Who cares? It's a blog, my personal thoughts. It's not like I am writing a column for the Sunday Mail.

What really bugs me is when your (sorry, you're) casually interacting with friends in a forum, not too worried about your spelling and grammar and the Grammar Nazis come out of the woodwork. Pointing out the fact that you are using too many commas, used their instead of they're and correcting every single little spelling mistake that you have made. Who are these people and where did they come from? Why is my punctuation so important to them?

I have come across a few people on my social networking travels who proudly boast the fact that they judge others based on their spelling and grammar. Wow. Are people really that shallow? It's just another way to judge others based on appearance. If you wouldn't judge someone based on how they look, how they dress or how much money they make, then why judge people on their spelling and grammar?

Since more and more people are socialising online and meeting others online, then spelling and grammar has become our appearance. We can't judge a person for how they look since we can't see them, we can only judge them by their spelling and grammar.

We all judge, it's a basic survival skill. It's perfectly natural to judge someone one way or another. It is important however, to judge someone in the right way. Out in the real world I will judge someone not by their looks or how much money they make, but by their actions. The things they say and do. Are they horrible and nasty? Or are they sweet and kind? The same goes for people online. What's important to me is the context of what a person is saying to me, not their spelling and grammar.

***Note to add: May I just say that I am very glad I spell-checked this post after writing it. All through the post I had spelt grammar wrong.  ;-p