I don't get it

13

Replies

  • SpeSHul_SnoflEHk
    SpeSHul_SnoflEHk Posts: 6,256 Member
    I understand dumbing things down for the masses. In my job, I have to hand over anything I write to a support assistant who has the luxury of turning what I write into drivel that can be read at a 4th grade level. That frustrates me, but I understand being able to reach the lowest common denominator. Why in my inbox with PMs though?

    At my job, every time I write a new training or revise an old, sh*tty one that was written by a sloth with a leaky pen, my boss calls me and says "This is a great training, but your writing is too educated for our audience. Can you bring it down to their level?"

    I'm always tempted to ask, "What level is that, you condescending *kitten*?"

    I have laws that force me to write to the 4th grade level. Seriously. 4th grade. I fear for the US future.
  • CarlieeBear
    CarlieeBear Posts: 325 Member
    Intelligence isn't shown by the words you use as much as by the concepts you express. Being able to say intelligent things using language the general public can understand is a gift. Saying something in a way your "audience" won't understand or that will turn them off (as in seeming pretensious or high-falootin') is pointless.
  • chessgeekdavidb
    chessgeekdavidb Posts: 208 Member


    I have laws that force me to write to the 4th grade level. Seriously. 4th grade. I fear for the US future.


    It depends on the reasoning for writing at a 4th grade level. Sometimes at work I write at a lower reading level because the target audience is non-native speakers of English.
  • BurtHuttz
    BurtHuttz Posts: 3,653 Member
    Both actually, and as I was driving to pick my son up from a dance, I thought more on this. In the forums where things fly at a frantic pace,and you need to rapid fire your responses, or you can fall behind quickly. It makes sense that you don't have the time to formulate a completely coherent response and write it well. That makes sense.

    However, I guess I will stick to the PMs and wall posts, when I say sometimes I am looking for serious responses and perchance to engage someone in an intellectual discussion to find myself annoyed by grammatical issues that make the other side incomprehensible. Else, I find mindless drivel in return. I expect that in the forums, not in personal conversation.

    I have no idea whether this is a roll bread or not, and that is a refreshing change of pace.
    Suffice it to say, you should probably eliminate mouthbreathers from your friends list. That crap is contagious.
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member

    Both actually, and as I was driving to pick my son up from a dance, I thought more on this. In the forums where things fly at a frantic pace,and you need to rapid fire your responses, or you can fall behind quickly. It makes sense that you don't have the time to formulate a completely coherent response and write it well. That makes sense.

    However, I guess I will stick to the PMs and wall posts, when I say sometimes I am looking for serious responses and perchance to engage someone in an intellectual discussion to find myself annoyed by grammatical issues that make the other side incomprehensible. Else, I find mindless drivel in return. I expect that in the forums, not in personal conversation.

    This post actually about me? :sad: Because I am 100% positive I send you stuffs that are totally incoherent in PMs.
  • Mr_Bad_Example
    Mr_Bad_Example Posts: 2,403 Member
    Intelligence isn't shown by the words you use as much as by the concepts you express. Being able to say intelligent things using language the general public can understand is a gift. Saying something in a way your "audience" won't understand or that will turn them off (as in seeming pretensious or high-falootin') is pointless.

    Or you present something to them and then explain what it means and how it applies - then they learn something that helps them be better at what they do.

    Or something.
  • Mr_Bad_Example
    Mr_Bad_Example Posts: 2,403 Member
    I understand dumbing things down for the masses. In my job, I have to hand over anything I write to a support assistant who has the luxury of turning what I write into drivel that can be read at a 4th grade level. That frustrates me, but I understand being able to reach the lowest common denominator. Why in my inbox with PMs though?

    At my job, every time I write a new training or revise an old, sh*tty one that was written by a sloth with a leaky pen, my boss calls me and says "This is a great training, but your writing is too educated for our audience. Can you bring it down to their level?"

    I'm always tempted to ask, "What level is that, you condescending *kitten*?"

    I have laws that force me to write to the 4th grade level. Seriously. 4th grade. I fear for the US future.

    I worry more about the present, myself... mostly because I think that in the future, 4th graders will rule the world, and that keeps me up at night.
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
    Intelligence isn't shown by the words you use as much as by the concepts you express. Being able to say intelligent things using language the general public can understand is a gift. Saying something in a way your "audience" won't understand or that will turn them off (as in seeming pretensious or high-falootin') is pointless.

    Yep, cater to the lowest common denominator so no child is left behind.
  • BurtHuttz
    BurtHuttz Posts: 3,653 Member
    Yep, cater to the lowest common denominator so no child is left behind.

    Young lady, if you were a child, I would never leave your behind.

    With love,
    Burt
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
    Yep, cater to the lowest common denominator so no child is left behind.

    Young lady, if you were a child, I would never leave your behind.

    With love,
    Burt

    So I'm too old for darts?
  • SpeSHul_SnoflEHk
    SpeSHul_SnoflEHk Posts: 6,256 Member
    Both actually, and as I was driving to pick my son up from a dance, I thought more on this. In the forums where things fly at a frantic pace,and you need to rapid fire your responses, or you can fall behind quickly. It makes sense that you don't have the time to formulate a completely coherent response and write it well. That makes sense.

    However, I guess I will stick to the PMs and wall posts, when I say sometimes I am looking for serious responses and perchance to engage someone in an intellectual discussion to find myself annoyed by grammatical issues that make the other side incomprehensible. Else, I find mindless drivel in return. I expect that in the forums, not in personal conversation.

    I have no idea whether this is a roll bread or not, and that is a refreshing change of pace.
    Suffice it to say, you should probably eliminate mouthbreathers from your friends list. That crap is contagious.

    No. It wasn't supposed to be a roll bread. I can be serious sometimes. I think.... a lot. Sometimes, I let some of my musings out to see what others think.
  • SpeSHul_SnoflEHk
    SpeSHul_SnoflEHk Posts: 6,256 Member

    Both actually, and as I was driving to pick my son up from a dance, I thought more on this. In the forums where things fly at a frantic pace,and you need to rapid fire your responses, or you can fall behind quickly. It makes sense that you don't have the time to formulate a completely coherent response and write it well. That makes sense.

    However, I guess I will stick to the PMs and wall posts, when I say sometimes I am looking for serious responses and perchance to engage someone in an intellectual discussion to find myself annoyed by grammatical issues that make the other side incomprehensible. Else, I find mindless drivel in return. I expect that in the forums, not in personal conversation.

    This post actually about me? :sad: Because I am 100% positive I send you stuffs that are totally incoherent in PMs.

    You do at that. I understand you have a condition. MRF is something I can accommodate by asking you for clarification, or elucidation. The second time around, I can get it.
  • SpeSHul_SnoflEHk
    SpeSHul_SnoflEHk Posts: 6,256 Member
    Intelligence isn't shown by the words you use as much as by the concepts you express. Being able to say intelligent things using language the general public can understand is a gift. Saying something in a way your "audience" won't understand or that will turn them off (as in seeming pretensious or high-falootin') is pointless.

    Or you present something to them and then explain what it means and how it applies - then they learn something that helps them be better at what they do.

    Or something.

    Exactly my friend.
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    On my FL, there are several friends who are the most intelligent and highly educated people. Yet, when we converse on walls or in PMs, or even when they make or reply to forum posts, they really dumb down their language. What's up with that? Is it a leftover defense mechanism from when they were in school and had to play dumb to fit in with the cool crowd? Laziness?

    Do you have any thoughts?

    laziness and in a rush to get to the next good thing. lots of thoughts little time. (from a former mensa candidate)
  • SpeSHul_SnoflEHk
    SpeSHul_SnoflEHk Posts: 6,256 Member
    Yep, cater to the lowest common denominator so no child is left behind.

    Young lady, if you were a child, I would never leave your behind.

    With love,
    Burt

    I don't plan to. :wink:
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    Is it mostly women playing dumb? Some do that because they think it's what men want.

    Why the hell would they want dumb? :shrug: (Yes, I want new smileys) I like to actually interact with people on a level that doesn't annoy the p!ss out of me. I have low tolerance for dumb.

    But...men only like women who flip their hair and giggle and talk about shopping and their latest mani-pedi, right? Intelligent, opinionated women are either uppity or "intimidating".

    these men may politely line up to the right to be added to my friends list. thank you.
  • devil_in_a_blue_dress
    devil_in_a_blue_dress Posts: 5,214 Member
    Yep, cater to the lowest common denominator so no child is left behind.

    Young lady, if you were a child, I would never leave your behind.

    With love,
    Burt


    I don't plan to. :wink:


    You are wise to not let my advanced age and occasional senility scare you off.
  • likeschocolate
    likeschocolate Posts: 368 Member
    Maybe they watched too much C-SPAN?
  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
    Scratching my head...

    So....
    Do you want to know why your friends "dumb down" their Internet posts or...
    Why you're a chameleon?
  • MyChocolateDiet
    MyChocolateDiet Posts: 22,281 Member
    ^hahahaha. I think he fears HIMSELF being dumbed down by getting sucked into it. Kind of how when I go to a place with an accent i adopt that accent and when i realize it go "Oh no, i don't want to end up sounding like THOSE people." lol.
  • SpeSHul_SnoflEHk
    SpeSHul_SnoflEHk Posts: 6,256 Member
    Intelligent, opinionated women are either uppity or "intimidating".

    I thought about this on my drive tonight as well. I am a scoutmaster for a very large troop of young men aged 11-17. My committee chair is a very intelligent capable woman. She is organized, and direct, and she gets what needs to be done complete for me so I can focus my attention where it needs to be: mentoring the boys and working to help them develop the leadership skills they will need in life. I think she is great. I'm in the minority. Many see her as a b!tch! Why? Because she is a successful woman who doesn't play all the flippity hair games, and won't kowtow to the men just by virtue that they are men. She rocks!
  • SpeSHul_SnoflEHk
    SpeSHul_SnoflEHk Posts: 6,256 Member
    Scratching my head...

    So....
    Do you want to know why your friends "dumb down" their Internet posts or...
    Why you're a chameleon?

    Why they dumb down.
  • SpeSHul_SnoflEHk
    SpeSHul_SnoflEHk Posts: 6,256 Member
    ^hahahaha. I think he fears HIMSELF being dumbed down by getting sucked into it. Kind of how when I go to a place with an accent i adopt that accent and when i realize it go "Oh no, i don't want to end up sounding like THOSE people." lol.

    That happens to me. You are right in part. I cringe when I hear myself (or see myself) using horrible grammar, or talking like that.
  • RitaB19
    RitaB19 Posts: 221 Member
    Hey, you better not be talking about me now, Lol! actually though I try to relate to other people, even in real life. I don't look down upon people who have less education or make less money than me. I wouldn't want to intimidate or make them feel like i am better than them.
  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
    Scratching my head...

    So....
    Do you want to know why your friends "dumb down" their Internet posts or...
    Why you're a chameleon?

    Why they dumb down.

    Well, I guess it all comes down to a matter of integrity.
    Who are you going to be.
    You mentioned forums that move quick and you essentially need to be on your toes to participate.
    At times I find myself not responding until I have formulated an intelligent, cohesive and comprehensive answer.
    And then sometimes I feel like I'm throwing pearls to the swine, so to speak.
    At other times, I'm simple and respond quickly.
    Upon further reflection, for me, I believe the content of the question or comment may dictate the content of my response.
  • chunkadoo
    chunkadoo Posts: 41 Member
    I'm guilty of this. I'm still relatively young but I'm far beyond the acceptable age that I like to text with.

    I think I do it just because it's quick, lighthearted, and still gets the message across. It's just preference.

    Also, some shortened/often misspelled and informal messages contain a higher ratio of information than a regular, grammatically correct one!
    "Where are you" vs "where r u" for instance.

    :p
  • lovelyMYlovely
    lovelyMYlovely Posts: 1,066 Member
    i do this lol... i have A's in school but for some reason.. i just like to type fast n fun... if i wrote the way i do in school its boring.... idk y it matters anyways.... if u dont like it delete them... :)
  • CarlieeBear
    CarlieeBear Posts: 325 Member
    I'm not suggesting dumbing things down. Writing in a manner people can understand isn't dumbing down. It's the thinking behind the writing and the ideas being expressed that show true intelligence. In our culture, grammar, spelling and the like are too often used to determine one's intelligence. I've known a lot of very intelligent...perhaps more wise than intelligent...people who can't write for crap.

    I absolutely believe in excellent writing in formal settings. I never correct grammar in casual settings like this unless it's that of someone who corrects the grammar of others.

    Honestly, I'm not seeing a great deal of intelligence being exuded in this thread. Are you all giving examples of the OP's point in your posts?
  • susheetush
    susheetush Posts: 621 Member
    I understand dumbing things down for the masses. In my job, I have to hand over anything I write to a support assistant who has the luxury of turning what I write into drivel that can be read at a 4th grade level. That frustrates me, but I understand being able to reach the lowest common denominator. Why in my inbox with PMs though?

    At my job, every time I write a new training or revise an old, sh*tty one that was written by a sloth with a leaky pen, my boss calls me and says "This is a great training, but your writing is too educated for our audience. Can you bring it down to their level?"

    I'm always tempted to ask, "What level is that, you condescending *kitten*?"

    It's actually a rule of thumb that if you're writing for public consumption, you are supposed to write as if they all have the comprehension level of 12 year olds. I've always hated that. Idiocy begets idiocy.
  • confab151
    confab151 Posts: 299 Member
    Idiocy begets Idiocy, true, but sometimes it's just for fun.

Categories