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I think that the seven deadly sins should include something about correcting errors in some sort of pedantic way. I'm actually quite guilty of this myself (I recently got into a HEATED debate on Facebook about a second grade homework assignment on the issue of geometric shapes that ended...badly for all parties, including the second grader in question), but I still think it's worth pointing out that NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR NIT PICKY DEFINITIONAL DISTINCTIONS.
Take for instance, the couple I was eavesdropping on while I walked by the lake in our neighborhood. They were contemplating destruction of the below sign because the feature is not actually a DAM (it doesn't actually obstruct water, but rather directs its flow) and I was irate by the time I was able to actually get around them. First of all, I'm not they're entirely correct (a dam obstructs water, which doesn't actually have to mean stopping it entirely, right? so this might actually be a dam?). And, even more importantly, who cares? If people stay out of the water and avoid death because even if it's not an actual dam, everyone knows what the sign is referring to so the meaning is clear, then that's good enough!
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To see what Bestest Friend wrote about the theme of the day, check out her blog, Too Legit To Quit.
My personal pet peeve is people who correct hyperbole. Like when you say, "I've seen that movie a thousand times," and someone feels the need to point out the impossibility of that. But...that's the point of hyperbole. Infinitum ad absurdum and all that.
ReplyDeleteOr I'll say, "...and the four hundred people who come in and out of my house every day" and people will say, "you have four hundred people in your house every day?"