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When you here someone say, "hi mai nme is.." (etc.) in a chat window, it doesn't make you feel very much "on the same terms" with that individual, does it? I play MapleStory quite often, and such I have seen. I have maybe one to two, maybe three friends on that game that actually - shockingly enough! - capitalize new sentences, and even our good friend, "i".

These people I can think, "Wow, they have some sense!" (Not to say I don't feel the same for my "hi mai nme is.." friends, but until I really get to know them, I don't automatically feel such things.) I usually feel a lot more distant with people that I can hardly understand sometimes, or at least ones that seem to lower themselves as appearing on-screen as little avatars that can neither capitalize or spell correctly.

It simply amazes me to see people who never looked at what they've typed, never corrected things they found wrong, and simply couldn't care less for the English language they've known for so long.

In e-mails, I get a lot of spam. A huge amount of spam. I don't even want to think about the number of "cheap enlargement patches" (get the picture?) ads, and who even knows what else, that I've received. But one thing I have noticed is that a huge amount of this spam is "written Like this. and sometimes like 7h1s." This makes me think so little of it, and even if they were selling something I might actually buy I wouldn't even think of it, since I, the customer, will assume that they're a run-down shack somewhere.

Also, do note that I am being a bit harsher on this subject, though it is simply to get my point across. And what is this point? That people who have minimal care for grammar, spelling, and capitalization, compared to people who do, seem to be of either lower class or intelligence to the reader, and therefore seem to be more distant. And why am I posting this here? I'd like to hear what the other members' view of this is. Any comments?

sweatdrop

Often the reason why spam is written like that is because the creator genuinely doesn't speak English. As for the "l33tsp34k", though.. :p That might be an attempt to get around filters.

My sociology teacher discussed something similar, except he said that the people who aren't as educated are of lower class, and the higher classes have more education because they can afford to have better quality education, and those within the lower classes are "taught" to hate school.

In this case of the people who don't really care for grammar, they may or may not be lower class due to education, or lack thereof. What do you all think?

Huh, I never really thought about it that way. I mean, I dislike school not because of the fact that I have to do things (In fact, I think the learning part is kind of fun) but mostly because of the other people there.

I'm not a people person. People generally don't like me. I'm a bit too fierce for their tastes. A fierce bookworm: go figure, but y'know...

That and there is other stuff I'd prefer doing MORE. Like writing and posting on Gaia. But I can't do that at school, so that produces negativity.

But then again, books are sacred in my house. My mom is the queen of clever puns and witty humor. We have a library downstairs, lined with shelves. I read the hobbit before my age ranged in the double digits. I was taught that language is good, even if I disliked school because of the morons there.

But yes, I can see where you are coming from, EverHopeful.

And to end it off I just did the simplest, most effective way to close the distance with someone on the other side of the 'intarwebz': Use their name. No one who txt tlks ever uses names. It's unfamiliar. To use a name when talking to someone, even if simply a pseudonym, is what really marks a person as kind in my eyes.