Page
      8
      February
      2009
      OPINION
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tn
     
     
      es
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ©)
      ROGERS
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      PANTHER
      POST
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ur
      Grammr
      sux
     
     
      onLIne
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Kate
      VanGerven
     
     
      Panther
      Post
     
    
   
   
    
     
      *m
      sure
      we’ve
      all
      done
      it
      at
      one
      point
     
    

    
     
      in
      our
      lives.
      You’re
      typing
      on
      MSN,
     
     
      Facebook
      or
      in
      a
      text
      and
      all
      of
      a
      sudden
     
     
      “your”
      becomes
      “ur”,
      “you”
      becomes
     
     
      “u”
      and
      before
      you
      know
      it
      you’re
      find-
     
     
      ing
      the
      same
      mistakes
      in
      a
      paper.
      This
     
     
      generation
      is
      one
      of
      shortcuts
      and
      abbre-
     
     
      viations.
      Text
      messages
      have
      replaced
     
     
      phone
      calls,
      e-mails
      have
      replaced
      snail
     
     
      mail,
      Facebook
      has
      replaced
      healthy
     
     
      human
      relationships.
      Yes,
      I’m
      an
      avid
     
     
      Facebook
      user,
      I
      love
      the
      invention
      of
     
     
      e-mail
      and
      I
      text
      as
      if
      my
      life
      depended
     
     
      on
      it.
      However,
      I
      appreciate
      the
      English
     
     
      language
      and
      it
      includes
      grammar
      and
     
     
      punctuation!
      Pico
      Iyer,
      a
      brilliant
      essay-
     
     
      ist
      once
      wrote
      that
      “punctuation
      gives
      us
     
     
      the
      human
      voice,
      and
      all
      the
      meanings
     
     
      that
      lie
      between
      the
      words.”
      Too
      true
     
     
      Pico,
      too
      true.
     
    

    
     
      The
      very
      popular
      YouTube.com
      is
      a
     
     
      breeding
      ground
      for
      ridiculous
      comments
     
     
      with
      little
      to
      no
      punctuation
      or
      proper
     
     
      grammar.
      “Ur
      video
      sukd
      sOoQoO0O
     
     
      bad
      ur
      prolly
      fat
      uggly
      wit
      noooooo
     
    
   
   
    
     
      |
      My
      annoyance
      with
      YouTube
      was
      de-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      creased
      ever
      so
      slightly
      today
      after
      I
     
     
      watched
      a
      video
      entitled
      “Yo
      Comments
     
     
      are
      Whack”.
      The
      video
      focuses
      on
      the
     
     
      exact
      YouTube
      comments
      I
      despise
      so
     
     
      much.
      The
      two
      girls
      in
      the
      video
      wrote
     
     
      their
      own
      lyrics
      and
      put
      them
      to
      the
      mu-
     
     
      sic
      of
      “Baby
      got
      Back”
      which
      worked
     
     
      amazingly.
      Their
      witty
      rhymes
      make
      this
     
     
      video
      highly
      amusing.
     
    

    
     
      To
      those
      of
      you
      who
      took
      the
      time
      to
     
     
      read
      this,
      thanks.
      You’re
      either
      going
      to
     
     
      agree
      with
      what
      I’m
      talking
      about,
      or
     
     
      write
      an
      angry
      comment
      about
      how
      “im
     
     
      so
      dum
      i
      shuld
      prolly
      go
      dye”.
      Either
     
     
      way,
      Letters
      to
      the
      Editor/Panther
      Post
     
     
      are
      always
      welcome,
      as
      is
      punctuation.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Kate
      VanGerven
      is
      the
      sports
      editor
      for
      the
     
     
      Panther
      Post