No one will dispute that watching too much television is bad for us. I'm not sure why; maybe we become too passive in our lives by watching, instead of doing. However, we do engage in passive learning. Our subconscience picks up new words that increase our vocabulary. Our knowledge of facts increases, depending on what programs we watch.
I've recently noticed an increase in bad grammar on TV in general. I believe the reason for incorrect use of language is a result of the influx of reality shows that require little education or training. No broadcast or journalism standard is necessary in reality shows. The "stars" of reality shows are not talking from a script that is written by a writer who understands proper use of language. Because the airing of reality shows has increased exponentially, many hours of reality TV are aired with no trained actors. No trained interviewers.
A common grammatical error is the use of an incorrect pronoun as the object of a preposition. For instance, correct English grammar is, "Our parents came to dinner with us," or "Our parents came to dinner with him and me." Lately I hear: "Our parents came to dinner with he and I." For those of you who need a grammar brush-up, the pronouns "he" and "I' are always subjects of a sentence. For some reason, some speakers think it sounds proper to use "he" and "I" or "she" and "I" after with. In fact, I believe that President Obama was faulted for making a similar error. This type of error is always picked up by people who are trained in English, writing, journalism and most individuals who speak in public.
Although I think even well-educated people can be sloppy with the way that they speak, one type of mistake is a mortal sin, as far as I'm concerned. Using pronouns "him" and "me" as the subject of a sentence, as in, "Him and me went to dinner with our parents." Ooh. Yuck. Or "Me and him think it's clever to talk this way."
I take no issue with those who indulge in watching reality shows. I have my own guilty pleasures; I watch a couple of the "Real Housewives" shows. The main reason I can't give "Jersey Shore" a pass is that the cast members BUTCHER the English language by continually starting sentences with "me and him," as in "Me and him hooked up."
I may tolerate too much drinking or fighting or gossiping. But I don't find bad grammar entertaining. Can't reality stars--including the Kardashians--learn how to speak correctly?
Here's a hint to anyone who wants to impress others with a nice car and a beautiful home. Bad grammar follows you everywhere. Bad grammar will give you away every time. If you want to move around comfortably with wealthy people or educated people or cultured people, learn to speak correctly. If you want a challenging career, and you want to get your foot in the door by impressing an interviewer, learn good grammar.
If you slid through high school without paying attention in English class, you can take a grammar class at a community college. Amazon has several inexpensive grammar books.
My fear is that sloppy English will become the norm. With younger generations using abbreviations for words while texting, we are producing young adults who don't know how to speak.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Monday, January 30, 2012
Kim Kardashian Never Gave Her Marriage a Chance
This photo tells all. Kim is turned toward the right, instead of looking into her groom's eyes. This photo and corresponding video show the lack of intimacy between this bride and her groom, at least from her point of view.
Almost any bride walks down the aisle in anticipation of looking into her groom's eyes and reciting meaningful vows as they symbolically join to be a couple. In this photo Kim wears a shit load of makeup and false eyelashes that cover the real contours of her face and eyes. What does her groom see as he looks at her? She is obviously dressed for cameras and television audiences and her photo deal with People Magazine.
I guess that a part of me would like to believe that reality shows are based on some type of truth. Kim had the power to twist the truth by making sure her show was edited to her liking. In spite of this control, she made herself look bad by doing the following:
On the season final of Kourtney and Kim Take New York, Kim spent much of the show in the confessional, appealing to the public to understand how miserable she became when her fairytale fell apart. She spent the remainder of the show, crying to her sisters about her fairytale and her belief in true love and romance.
Kim showed her true colors by crying to her sisters behind clothes doors while her husband Kris, the man she promised to cherish, sat in the other room (locked out). Instead of telling Kris that the marriage was indeed over, she told her sister and her sister's boyfriend and anyone else who would listen that she wanted a divorce. She told the confessional that she'd made a mistake. Yet, she still hadn't told Kris, the man she'd married for better or worse, that he should make other plans. Kim cared more about the approval of her fans and her audience and her friends and her family than she cared about Kris, the man she married.
Kim spun a story that she thought her audience would swallow about how she should have known Kris longer and how they have nothing in common. When they left New York, Kim refused to let Kris send his boxes of belongings to her home in California, but she still would not come out and tell him that the marriage was over while EVERYBODY ELSE KNEW. Kim is duplicitous at best. If she truly loved Kris--at any given time--she could have given the marriage a real chance. Instead, she talked Kris into moving in with Kourtney and Kourtney's family for the sake of their show. When the living situation became stressful, the couple should have left the family home and moved to a place by themselves.
What woman isn't smart enough to know that this marriage was doomed from the beginning? Not because the courtship was too short. Kloé and Lamar's courtship was shorter, but Kloé has respect for herself and her husband. She is willing to separate herself from the family when necessary. She is willing to forgo fan adoration to work on her marriage.
From watching her show, I conclude that Kim has no personal conviction or confidence in herself. As long as money and fame are her God, she will never find happiness with a husband and children. At the very least, she needs to learn to talk openly with the man in her life.
Almost any bride walks down the aisle in anticipation of looking into her groom's eyes and reciting meaningful vows as they symbolically join to be a couple. In this photo Kim wears a shit load of makeup and false eyelashes that cover the real contours of her face and eyes. What does her groom see as he looks at her? She is obviously dressed for cameras and television audiences and her photo deal with People Magazine.
I guess that a part of me would like to believe that reality shows are based on some type of truth. Kim had the power to twist the truth by making sure her show was edited to her liking. In spite of this control, she made herself look bad by doing the following:
On the season final of Kourtney and Kim Take New York, Kim spent much of the show in the confessional, appealing to the public to understand how miserable she became when her fairytale fell apart. She spent the remainder of the show, crying to her sisters about her fairytale and her belief in true love and romance.
Kim showed her true colors by crying to her sisters behind clothes doors while her husband Kris, the man she promised to cherish, sat in the other room (locked out). Instead of telling Kris that the marriage was indeed over, she told her sister and her sister's boyfriend and anyone else who would listen that she wanted a divorce. She told the confessional that she'd made a mistake. Yet, she still hadn't told Kris, the man she'd married for better or worse, that he should make other plans. Kim cared more about the approval of her fans and her audience and her friends and her family than she cared about Kris, the man she married.
Kim spun a story that she thought her audience would swallow about how she should have known Kris longer and how they have nothing in common. When they left New York, Kim refused to let Kris send his boxes of belongings to her home in California, but she still would not come out and tell him that the marriage was over while EVERYBODY ELSE KNEW. Kim is duplicitous at best. If she truly loved Kris--at any given time--she could have given the marriage a real chance. Instead, she talked Kris into moving in with Kourtney and Kourtney's family for the sake of their show. When the living situation became stressful, the couple should have left the family home and moved to a place by themselves.
What woman isn't smart enough to know that this marriage was doomed from the beginning? Not because the courtship was too short. Kloé and Lamar's courtship was shorter, but Kloé has respect for herself and her husband. She is willing to separate herself from the family when necessary. She is willing to forgo fan adoration to work on her marriage.
From watching her show, I conclude that Kim has no personal conviction or confidence in herself. As long as money and fame are her God, she will never find happiness with a husband and children. At the very least, she needs to learn to talk openly with the man in her life.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Where Do I Begin?
It is the night before New Years Eve. I guess it's New Years Eve Eve. As I remove ornaments from my tree and organize my house for the new year, I hear a Crash! Boom! Thud. Thud....Something FELL! My dog sits on her mat across the room from me. Where's my kitty? As long as there's no broken glass. I am okay.
I peer around the corner to my bathroom as my cat dashes past me. He has walked along the periphery of the bathroom counter, around a pile of Christmas junk, and knocked a plant onto the carpet. Do you ever just stare at a mess and wonder, "Where do I begin?"
I peer around the corner to my bathroom as my cat dashes past me. He has walked along the periphery of the bathroom counter, around a pile of Christmas junk, and knocked a plant onto the carpet. Do you ever just stare at a mess and wonder, "Where do I begin?"
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