I Can Has Cheezburger?

By Sarah Aterrado - January 07, 2016

At this point, people have already realized that on the internet:

1. Everyone has an opinion.

2. Everybody is smart.

3. Nobody knows you're a dog.

Yes, these are the dark times.

I used to be such a stickler for correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, and all that jazz. But then, 16 years of exposure to the internet since the mIRC days, I have learned to tolerate grammatical errors knowing:

1. The English language is constantly evolving.

2. My grammar can be all over the place. And I've been corrected too many times already. Teeeheee. :D

3. I just don't fucking care anymore.

Perhaps throughout those16 years, more than half of it were spent on the internet alone. If I wasn't busy making my life look good online, I'd catch myself in between arguments with flamers and trolls trying to make a point from something that's already pointless. The internet has become so vast and powerful that it's no surprise how it can actually stir up emotions. No matter how tough I can be, a little snide comment about me from an anonymous sender can sting.

It was only when I got a little older that I learned how to brush off personal attacks. But I have got to admit, there were those times when the urge to retaliate is too strong, all because of one thing: poor grammar and spelling. And it breaks my heart when I had to read two or three times to figure out what the writer (or my attacker for that matter) means because I had to dumb myself down to understand it.

Ang sarap patulan. But seeing that he/she cannot even tell the difference between your and you're, wag na lang. This is why I oftentimes reject an argument. Life is too short to go to a war-zone over razor-sharp comments against someone who thinks highly of himself but cannot even remember a simple high school English lesson. I completely understand a few grammar slip ups or misspelled words, but I will never be cool with constant grammar mistakes combined with an opinion that shames other people. Criiiiinge! Not worth my time.

I know I might be raising an eyebrow right now. And I may seem a little tough to those whose first language isn't English. I want to make it clear that I'm no Grammar Nazi and I have nothing against those who try to communicate properly. But for someone who likes to bomb others with ad hominem, at least, do it properly and I just might give you a good argument. Or just shut the hell up if you can't. It doesn't take a lot to know the difference between "Your shit" and "You're shit." Unless you are the idiot you were referring to when you said, "Your a idiot."

Kung mangaaway ka na nga lang, please lang, umasta nang naaayon sa talino.

This rant just made me hungry. 



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21 comments

  1. Kita ko ato! Your a idiot you supporter of evil you.

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  2. so your saying na ang marunong lang magenglish ang matalino? magising ka sa katotohanan. hindi lahat ng nagienglish ay matalino!!!

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  3. so your saying na ang basehan ng talino ang pageenglish na tao? ikaw na, ikaw na ang matalino!

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    Replies
    1. That is not my point here. Let me give you the scenario of what happened before this post, I was ridiculed for being a political supporter and I was called an idiot for that. I ignored what was said about me but I just cannot ignore how poorly the sentences were constructed (isn't it ironic? hehe). Bakit di na lang magtagalog kung nahihirapan diba? (And I don't even know why I'm explaining this to you. LOL)

      Anyway, to answer your question, basehan ba ang English para sukatin ang talino ng isang tao? NO and YES.

      NO, because intelligence is hard to define. The basis is not yet clear. It can come from a lot of factors like genetics, an individual's neural build-up, or the environment. And it depends on how you define intelligent. It can be gauged according to a person's IQ, or academic standing, or your tactical knowledge about things that cannot be learned in school (street smartness).

      YES, because the English language measures your global competitiveness. And also because intelligence is also your ability to learn relatively quickly, recognize patterns, and work within the system (language) - grammar and composition, for example. Grammar is as complex as Math (I have difficulty dealing with both). Therefore, the ability to keep up with it and the usage of English language with all those confusing grammar rules take a degree of mental ability. But again, this is just a part of the broad definition of intelligence. And not a basis for intelligence per se. Ang daming pwedeng basehan dyan like music, math, science, philosophy, art etc.

      I don't usually reply to anonymous comments like this one, but I hope you get the message that this post is not about one's proficiency in the English language and the correlation to intelligence. This is just me ranting about people who shame others, eh sila din naman mali-mali ang sinasabi. I know it's a low blow (for some) to correct someone's grammar just because I refuse to have any more argument. But hey, it's free speech.

      Delete
  4. umasta ng na-aayon sa talino. -bet! pero diba dapat "umasal"? love this post!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pareho lang. Pero ung umasta parang more on "you act". Ung umasal more on sa how you portray an attitude. Mas appropriate ang umasal. I love reading your blog pala. (:

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  5. Meron kasi iba nageenglish lang para sabihing matalino. Yung mga nagmamagaling na dinadaan sa palaliman ng english words. Akala mo kung sino, mali naman pala. Meron din iba na magaling nga mag english, wala namang sense kausap. Hahaha.

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    Replies
    1. Madami akong nakikitang ganun. Those people who try to sound smart by using highfalutin words. But then, that's another case.

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  6. Don't english me. I'm panic!

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  7. LOL! Love it! So true!

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  8. Hi Ma'am Sarah,

    Off topic, if you allow.

    I just want to ask if you also have some interest on things such as this -
    https://youtu.be/ifUFd-M4iaQ
    https://holisticexplorer.squarespace.com/

    I hope you don't mind.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow, that's empowering and inspiring. Why do you ask? :)

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    2. Just curious, Especially on her use of ayahuasca

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    3. Yeah. But I'm not really familiar with it.

      Delete
  9. I agree! If people want to make a point, pwede naman di nalang mag English if di talaga kaya. Hindi naman all the time kailangan talaga ipangalandakan sa mundo na matalino AT tama siya kasi nag eenglish siya. But yea. Not worth your time Sarah kung pointless na din naman yung argument. Wag mo nalang patulan. Enjoy life! Haha.

    www.alyssanity.com

    ReplyDelete
  10. I visited various web pages however the audio quality for audio
    songs existing at this site is really excellent.

    ReplyDelete