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I don't think there's a single person in this guild who is very snobby at all. All of you grammar-lovers out there are probably cooler than around ninety percent of the general population.

But why, then, is grammar and/or a large vocabulary linked with snobbery? Is it the corrections? Is it the fact that once in your life, you could be wrong about something?

I try to be casual about it. When someone asks me a question, I don't give a billion answers or remarks. I just tell them what's right (or at least what I think is) and they nod. If they make a mistake, I correct them quietly, and then follow up with a chummy joke or something along those lines.

Grammar's not about elitism. I like to think better of myself for not stooping to the low standards of others, but I don't like to cast others down.

Besides, plenty of elite people can have atrocious grammar. President George Bush, for instance. whee

A few days ago, I met a black kid (please forgive me for being totally dismissive of political correctness) who actually corrected my own grammar. I thought very highly of him. Not to say blacks are inferior in any way, shape, or form, but at my school the majority of dark-skinned people are sort of... um... grammar-abandoned, if you know what I mean. No offense to them, or anyone else of course. sweatdrop

So what you you think? What prompts this odd phenomenon?

I live in a rough area of town, and it has often been joked (sometimes with a serious background) that I can't possibly have lived here my entire life, because of my use of vocabulary.

I know what you mean, I know where you're coming from. I do not however, have an answer sad

I think it's due to persistent stereotypes. Look at media representations of people. The "intelligent", rich, and powerful usually have British or at least European accents, while people that are considered stupid have poor gramar and a Southern accent. We've actually been looking at this in my White Trash Fiction and Dirty Realism course at school. It's fascinating to look at these representations in literature.

Grah. Never happened to me personally, and I'm happy it's staying that way.

Many of the stereotypes, as far as Gaia goes, are not being based on the true grammar lovers, such as the members of this guild, but the users who think that acting superior in spelling will make them an elite. I see many threads in the Chatterbox with people posting "Literates only" in the title, only to find that they make simple mistakes in their first post, while insulting anybody that makes one mistake. These people give true literates a bad name, and cause others to instantly classify them as "snobs." On the other side, I honestly do automatically view somebody using excessive "leet speak" as a moron, because that is how they look. If some one can't take the time to type something moderately correctly, then I find it hard to take them seriously. Gaia needs more moderation; less grammar nazis, and less "leet speakers," just understandable, respectable English.

I could care less about inappropriate behavior on Gaia. It makes me laugh, and I don't think people should be taking the internet so seriously. If I just wanted to talk to people, then I would go on an instant messenger site.

I suppose they should specify the content of threads if they're going to contain images that could be... disturbing. And some people are just plain sickening. Somebody was posting graphic pictures of people that commited suicide by jumping out of buildings. That wasn't something I wanted to see, and considering the ages of some of the members of Gaia, that could be traumatizing.

Infestation of ants? Understatement. They're like small houseflies; they're too troublesome to dispose of but they annoy the hell out of you.