Lazy writing in e-mails and on the 'net

Okay, I know that this blog has been a bit negative lately. Perhaps it's a sign of the stress that I've been under, and for that, I apologize.

Right now though, I just have to complain about all the sloppy writing that I see all over the 'net. It seems like so many people that I encounter are practically illiterate, if their message board posts are any indication. Ugh.

Now, I realize that some people have genuine difficulties with language. Sometimes, this is through no fault of their own, and I'd like to be tolerant of those people. With many others though, it seems like they just have no discipline... no sense of order. This is especially true of people who post incoherent ramblings in their singles site profiles and online resumes. In this case, I don't think that a lack of personal language skills is a valid excuse; after all, why not have a friend proofread your work? At least get some input, for pity's sake.

As an aside... on one singles site, I opined that people should attempt to provide polished, eye-catching profiles. One fella chewed me out, saying, "We're not applying for jobs here! It's up to you people to find the good in our profiles!" (Actually, what he said was more incoherent annd mighty difficult to decipher. I suspect that he got angry because he felt outraged at the notion of putting more work into his profile.)

I remember one guy on an e-mail distribution list. His signature said, "Don't complaint to me about spelling or grammar. What, do you think I have time to proofread my e-mails?" Notice the egotistical attitude there? He didn't feel that he shoud put any effort into proofreading his messages, but he felt perfectly justified in making others work harder to decipher his ramblings. Ugh.

Some people just revel in laziness and mediocrity, I guess. In the real world though, "good enough" just isn't. (And in most of these situations, their writings aren't even close to "good enough.")