MetaChat REGISTER   ||   LOGIN   ||   IMAGES ARE OFF   ||   RECENT COMMENTS




artphoto by splunge
artphoto by TheophileEscargot
artphoto by Kronos_to_Earth
artphoto by ethylene

Home

About

Search

Archives

Mecha Wiki

Metachat Eye

Emcee

IRC Channels

IRC FAQ


 RSS


Comment Feed:

RSS

17 September 2008

MY GOD ENOUGH WITH THE COMMAS ALREADY!!
posted by mudpuppie 17 September | 15:01
this is all the kinds of awesomeness that one can have when one is in sore needs of some awesome because the Earth is melting and banks are going somewhere with rouged-up bacon and Tina Fey's glasses make it possible for Russia to be seen from your backyard and Jesus, too.

'Heen? Crazy-ASS week so far, and you rule for posting this.
posted by Lipstick Thespian 17 September | 15:02
MY GOD ENOUGH WITH THE COMMAS ALREADY!!

oh go sip a lahtay, miss grammer!
posted by Atom Eyes 17 September | 15:31
No, seriously, when you read it, use a voice like, say, William Shatner, and you'll see why, to me, the commas were, shall we say, a bit of a, I don't know, distraction.
posted by mudpuppie 17 September | 15:33
I don't know, I think commas are misused constantly in the media, and the written arts especially, because the truth is that real folks know how to say what they mean, and not have to use all the little pen thingys that are what commas really are, just little squiggles that are meant to show other people that you are a big-time writer who probably uses birth control or whatever, instead of staying home with your children waiting for the Lord to tell you that the local librarian is in cahootswith, what's his name, the sheriff dude over what he did, to like, your sister and shit.
posted by Lipstick Thespian 17 September | 15:36
(It was otherwise funny. Very Saunders. Sorry to rain on the parade, mullacc.)
posted by mudpuppie 17 September | 15:40
I know that many times in my life while living it someone would come up and because of I had good readiness in terms of how I was wired when they asked that—whatever they asked—I would just not blink because knowing that if I did blink or even wink that is weakness therefore you can’t you just don’t. You could but no—you aren’t.

I'm here to defend the commas. I think the above segment shows how much the tone changes when the commas are removed. It just looks like a rushed word salad. When I read it with commas intact, I understand the commas to signify disorganized pauses marked by uptalking. As in:

I know that many times? in my life? while living it? someone would come up and, because of I had good readiness? in terms of how I was wired?

posted by Miko 17 September | 15:48
In that particular passage, yes. I know what you mean.

I think my reaction (which was real, though I only mentioned it here as a joke) is more about the fact that practically everything he writes is written that way. I really liked the first few things of his I read. Now I have a hard time reading him because, while he's funny and clever and imaginative, most of his writing has that same cadence. It gets tiring for my brain. Too many speed bumps.

Man, I didn't mean to turn this into a literary critique. Sorry!
posted by mudpuppie 17 September | 15:52
mudpuppie always rains on my punctuation parades. She's so Élite.
posted by mullacc 17 September | 15:56
Hmmm. Come to think of it, a comma does kind of resemble a wee little sperm:≡ Click to see image ≡
Writers, y'all need to stop spreading that stuff around like it was birdseed. Ceiling cat is watching you punctuate!
posted by Atom Eyes 17 September | 15:59
I tried to begin reading that a few times and couldn't get started but now I did and I'm glad. I agree with mudpuppie that all his pieces have this strange quality to them that makes them annoying.

Favorite part (besides what the french would think of 'Country First'):

How does the moose feel about it? Who knows? Probably not great. But do you know what the difference is between a dead moose with lipstick on and a dead moose without lipstick?

Lipstick.

Think about it.


Of interest: from the NY Observer, Black Comic Introduces McCain at the RNC Convention.
posted by Firas 17 September | 16:53
I like a comma. I think it's one of the most valuable tools in making written language approximate the spoken variety. And sometimes that's how you wanna rock it, y'know?
posted by box 17 September | 16:56
Hey, don't get me wrong. I'm not anti-comma by any stretch. I mean, I like ketchup too, but too much of it turns a hamburger into ketchup soup, you know?
posted by mudpuppie 17 September | 17:04
Just add beans, and you'll have very bad chili.
posted by box 17 September | 17:21
I tried to get through the article a couple times too but couldn't. Now I can BECAUSE it sounds like FRIKKIN WILKLIAM SHATNER! My, God, Now his voice is locked in my, brain. Thanks, Mudpuppie.
posted by MonkeyButter 17 September | 17:49
See?
posted by mudpuppie 17 September | 18:14
It's, maddening!
posted by MonkeyButter 17 September | 18:35
Hai, you guys? I just got an email from Comma, and he says you're picking on him in this thread. It's not like he's a new member or anything, but you're kind of hurting his feelings. He also said something alarming about eating, shooting and leaving, or something. I didn't really understand that part, but he's obviously upset.
posted by taz 17 September | 22:15
I'm having an affair; I'm cheating on Comma with a semi-colon.
posted by jonathanstrange 17 September | 22:37
Apropos

Found it at nytimes but couldn't figure out how to get a URL out of them.
posted by trondant 18 September | 12:05
And now for something completely different. || Historical maps and images of Tibet.

HOME  ||   REGISTER  ||   LOGIN