This week, Grammar Girl taught me an important lesson . It had nothing to do with grammar and everything to do with humility.
I’m behind in my podcasts, just like I’m behind on the laundry. That explains why I only recently listened to a podcast from July 2014 in which Mignon Fogarty, aka Grammar Girl, reviewed Weird Al Yankovic’s video “Word Crimes”, a parody of Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines”.
Here’s the video:
In “Word Crimes”, Weird Al harps on classic grammar mistakes like saying “I’m good” instead of “I’m well” and the difference between “it’s” and “its”. You would think that a “Grammar Girl” would love a video that pokes fun at grammar ignorance.
But guess what? She didn’t like it. For good reasons. Weird Al calls people who don’t use good grammar “droolers” and “mouth breathers.” At one point, he says “Your prose is dopey,” and “Get outta the gene pool.”
It’s obnoxious, just like that arrogant kid in middle school who crosses the line between funny and mean. But the video went viral. As Fogarty points out, prescriptivism sells. We live in a judgmental culture that promotes ridiculing the mistakes of others. We like feeling superior.
Ouch. That’s when she gets me. With shame, I admit that I, a self-proclaimed “Grammar Nazi”, have indulged this feeling of superiority. Weird Al’s video, and Grammar Girl’s review, have shown me how ugly it is.
By a strange coincidence, right now I’m finishing The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, set in WWII Germany. Zusak powerfully demonstrates how the Nazi Party used words to intimidate and control. Millions died because of Hitler’s rhetoric. As I read the closing chapters of The Book Thief, I brush away tears and wonder, “How could words cause so much death?”
Because we humans like feeling powerful.
And now, I reevaluate the title “Grammar Nazi”. Do I really want to take on the name of a group of people who brutally terrorized their fellow human beings? Do I want to use my knowledge and interest in words to make others feel small?
No.
I want to be like Liesel, not Hitler. In The Book Thief, Liesel uses words to sustain her during the horrors of war. She and her Jewish friend Max rip up Hitler’s memoir Mein Kampf and literally cover his propaganda with a story of hope. In the end, all she has are words to give comfort to her Jewish friend. And they work.
Some of you might be thinking, “It’s just a video; don’t take it so seriously.” But, for better or worse, I often take things seriously. I carefully consider the words I absorb and the words I dispense. I want to help people communicate their ideas in the best way possible.
Thank you Grammar Girl for confirming my belief that I need to spend less time judging and more time empowering. Humility feels so much better than superiority. No more Grammar Nazi for me.
What do you think of Weird Al’s video? How do you feel about the power of words to build up or tear down?
Thanks,
Julia
I agree. I recoil from anybody who enjoys correcting others publicly and nastily.
(Okay, I admit to some belly laughs over people hoisting “English Only” and “America Speaks English” signs that are full of spelling errors and grammar mistakes, but that’s less about the mistakes themselves and more about people completely demolishing their own argument.)
I never use the term Nazi to describe anyone but the actual Nazi party – I feel like it makes light of the horrible crimes committed by that group. You make an excellent point, Julia. I cringe when I see certain grammar errors, but to belittle someone because such a minor mistake isn’t necessary.
Wow, Julia. This is really powerful. It is a superiority thing that I’m guilty of too; perhaps from spending so much time with words and language. And you know, I’ve had sooooo many advantages that others have not. You’re right, we shouldn’t judge. That’s worse than a grammar mistake. Thanks for the post.
Good thoughts, Julia. Completely agree. I care about grammar, but there’s such meanness about it on the web. I’ve starting thinking of it as “Grammar Snark,” when folks go to correcting grammar or spelling for a cheap laugh or to win an argument. I just don’t want to be that way.
It’s also easier to wiggle out of the occasional slip if I don’t point out everyone else’s. 😉
You bring up a great point Brandy – none of us are perfect!