Pet Peeves of the day
Are there more irritating things out there or only that as one
gets older there seems to be more that gets one’s goat?
In any event, I have many dislikes. Some are minor but others
loom larger.
Pet Peeves of the day
Are there more irritating things out there or only that as one gets older there seems to be more that gets one’s goat?
In any event, I have many dislikes. Some are minor but others loom larger.
Television brings its share. The perceptive grouch learns to spot the beginning of a pestiferous commercial quickly and can mute the sound while looking at the wall or something else interesting until it is over.
Years ago I formed the opinion that those who write advertising or commercials must have a low opinion of the public’s intelligence to think that we would appreciate some of them.
When tobacco advertising was still allowed on television a commercial that annoyed many viewers was “Winston tastes good like a cigarette should.”
Grammarians protested that using “like” rather than the proper “as” set a poor example for young people. So the ad agency used the protests in another commercial with some modern young woman demanding of a priggish professor-type: “What do you want – good grammar or good taste?” as though one canceled out the other.
Then there are the “cute” commercials in which children enjoying a snack or a drink must have traces of it on their faces, such as a milk mustache. A couple of commercials have included belching. I shudder to think of what comes next.
While on the subject of television peeves, I must point out those that particularly annoy me. They all seem to be for car dealerships and feature a fast-talking salesman pointing directly at the camera. I’m not in the market for a car now but if I were, I would patronize some other dealership where salesmen were taught as children that it’s impolite to point.
I have not quite overcome my distaste for people wearing caps while eating at restaurants but had come to terms with it. However, I will never eat in a restaurant that serves young men who wear their caps sideways on their heads, the latest rage in moron circles. They resemble ducks with their necks half twisted around.
Improper use of English is common but it should not be for those who make their living with the language: newspaper staffs, television broadcasters and some teachers.
The rationale for using “gotta” for got to, “gonna” instead of going to, and “wanna” for want to is because that’s the way they are commonly spoken. However, those who record the misuses do not mention the ubiquitous “er” and “uh” or similar more common lapses.
And take “importantly” – please. It is seldom used correctly whether printed or spoken. “More importantly, we should see that our children are well educated,” the speaker says, so “Yes, it is importantly that we do that” is the logical answer. There are hundreds more: “infer” for imply, “presently” instead of the correct currently (presently means soon) and “impact” for affect such as “How will the economy affect us?”
I could go on but don’t want to risk becoming one of your pet peeves through long-windedness.
