Re: The Death of the Apostrophe

[David Dubin <David_Dubin -at- NOTES -dot- PW -dot- COM>]

I do not believe that we are only facing the death of the apostrophe, but the
death of English grammar and punctuation as we know it. Certainly I agree that
language must keep up with the developing needs of the people who use it, but
it must remain structured and based on certain accepted principles. If not,
than it has lost its use as a unifying factor within a culture.

I attribute the growing degradation in the use of our language to stupid, lazy
parents who opt for expediency rather than appropriateness and accept
mediocrity from their children rather than expect excellence, simply to avoid
the aggravation of parental responsibility. I place blame on substandard,
uncaring teachers who, themselves, opt for quick rather than correct, who
cannot pass many of the tests they give to students, and for whom teaching is
simply a job rather than an opportunity to create a better future. I place
blame on the petty politicians at every level, from the town council to the
presidency who feel that debating issues is more important than personal
involvement, who would rather build stadiums than schools, and for whom the
overriding consideration during their term in office is the length of their
tenure, rather than the quality. Finally, I blame you and me for allowing all
of this to happen in the space of one generation through our desire to get
ahead rather than pull someone else up, and, above all else, our apathy in
accepting the decline in learning and the rise of political figures who secure
the future for themselves rather than for us and our children.

david dubin -at- notes -dot- pw -dot- com@Internet
This has been one man's opinion, yours may vary with mileage or education.