Metropol

I tend to do more sending than receiving these days anyway.

I know plenty of intelligent, thoughtful people who use unsightly shorthand. Why think any less of someone for using it?

I too am not a fan of crap shorthand in texts and Facebook etc. I'm friends with my hairdresser on Facebook, and she insists oN taLkiN liKE tHis aalL tHe TImE, which is very annoying. She studied English at university, yet she feels the need to completely disregard all grammar, punctuation and so on when she gets on Facebook.

I see death threats, abuse and extreme racism in Facebook comments on pages I've liked; our local paper attracts many. I think people see Facebook as an informal alternative, as I never see the comments on the paper's actual website. I've just taken to deleting or hiding things like that from my home feed.

I agree with the second half there, and in keeping with the topic it's the casual cruelty of people on the internet - particularly in the comments sections of newspaper articles both left and right. That said, there does seem to be more cruelty directed at large swathes of the humanity from Mail commenters whereas the Guardian ones just wish death on specific people.

Ronnie Rowlands wrote:I know plenty of intelligent, thoughtful people who use unsightly shorthand. Why think any less of someone for using it?

I don't.

O RLY?

Chie wrote: I was so bemused when, after three months of thinking I knew her, she sent me a text message that looked something like this:

Did I say she was less of a person for using shorthand? No; I said it bemused me.

Meh, fair enough. Not how I read it, particularly given the title of the thread.

I'm sure Rowlands will be along to pick up any minutiae in this exchange!

To be honest, I'm confused about what the topic of the thread is supposed to be. Marksi said "I'm not complaining here about the content" so I assumed he must be complaining about the spelling and grammar, particularly as his favourite example was the worst for it. But I'm not sure now...

Sput wrote: I'm sure Rowlands will be along to pick up any minutiae in this exchange!

Funny you should say that, Sput!

I was bemused at Chie saying "after three months of thinking I knew her", as though it were some sort of betrayal!

For a considered view, I present (TV's) Craig Ferguson and Stephen Fry in this landmark interview. (5:00 mins in)



The full interview starts here....