Exclamation Point - Don't Overuse

It drives me mad when I get and email from somebody that looks like this:  "Hi Michael!  How are you!  What's the latest!?  How's the fam!?  I can't believe it's been so long since we've talked!  You should move back up north!"      

Do you see what I'm getting at?  The overuse of the exclamation point is a rampant disease that has affected our generation of text and email junkies.  

Definition of an exclamation point from The National Punctuation Today website is: The sign used in writing after an exclamation or interjections, expressing strong emotion or astonishment, or to indicate a command.

Please read this website if you suffer from this illness.  It is treatable. http://www.nationalpunctuationday.com/exclamationpoint.html

“Cut out all those exclamation marks. An exclamation mark is like laughing at your own jokes.”
— F. Scott Fitzgerald —

Idiot Nation

Yes Mr. Moore, for the most part we are living in a nation of idiots.

Nobody can deny that Michael Moore's style is that of extreme sacrasm backed up by partially exagerated factual data. I've seen each of his documentaries and they are all brilliantly done. Idiot Nation was just as good as any of his movies, and hopefully opened some people up to new views.

I love that only in America could you voice your extreme take on issues, bash on the former President, and bash over half the country and still make millions of dollars per year, and keep living for that matter. His most popular production, "Fahrenheit 9/11" was the highest grossing documentary in history. Grossing over $119M, yes that's in millions. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=documentary.htm

Michael Moore uses shock and awe to attract attention to himself. Like when he got up in front of the Oscar's and said, "Shame on you Mr. Bush!" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7Is43K6lrg You should take the time to watch this to get to see how bold and daring this guy is. He has no shame.

Even if you don't agree with his stance on issues, it's awesome to see how he is allowed to do what he does in America.

Also, for a list of all his references used for Idiot Nation check out http://2010thursdaynights.blogspot.com/2009/02/lets-talk-rhetoric.html#comments

Michael

Grammar Post: Then/Than etc.

So often I see the wrong use of the words then and than.  Since I couldn't think of something specific that I want help on this week I thought it would make sense to share these rules.  The rules state that: "Than" is a comparative term. Use it only when you're making a comparison between two or more things. "Then" is a temporal term. Use it to indicate that something happens after something else, often with a cause-and-effect relationship. Also use it in conditional statements (after "if" clauses)." http://www.englishchick.com/grammar/grconf.htm

"Than" comparisons:

I am shorter than Xena. There are more cherries in my bowl than in Gabby's.

"Then" comparisons:

Xena looked around and then mounted Argo. Xena entered the room. Then everyone else left. If you're traveling with Xena, then you must be pretty brave.

This website also helps with other words that are often confused words.  Words like accept/except, affect/effect, and their/there/they're. http://www.englishchick.com/grammar/grconf.htm 

1950's - Coontz

In the politically motivated piece “What we really miss about the 1950’s”, Stephanie Coontz introduces the idea that the 1950’s were not all they are hyped up to be in our modern times.  She goes into great detail, and uses a plethora of resources to back up statistical data about the 1950’s.  The “Leave it to Beaver” days that most of us think of as what it was like in the 50’s may not be all that accurate.   She points out that “there was tremendous hostility to people who could be defined as "others.” (39) Others being blacks, possible communist supporters, the poor, gays and lesbians, and certain religious affiliates.  

 

The author presents her case very persuasively, and by the end of the reading I feel like the times we live in now are certainly better than they were then. This article challenges the cultural beliefs about American families by opening up several hidden issues of the times.  All generations seem to want to make their own mistakes and learn from their own challenges, and in 50 years from now I’m sure there will be writings stating how our current behavior as a society is similar to the way we look back at the 1950’s.

 

One of the things I found interesting is women went back to work in large numbers after the 50’s because their children that they had in quick succession were grown up and out of the home. Also, Stephanie points out that a lot of what we think about the 1950’s comes from a few television series of the time, such as “Father Knows Best” and “Leave it to Beaver.”   This article confirms my idea that we are on the right track in history.  Woman and people of ethnic origins have made large strides in breaking the bonds of repression.  I would be even further interested if the author has made an update to this reading.  From 1995 when the article was written, until now, we have made some dramatic shifts in our entire society.  A Black man is now our President, a man who has a lot of the same ideals as FDR and the New Deal.  

"Leave it to Beaver" family portrait

Looking for Work - Soto

In the piece Looking for Work by Gary Soto, the author shows us a glimpse of what it was like to grow up in a minority family in the 1950’s.   He shares some stories of being poor, yet still was able to find happiness at the dinner table with his family and swimming with friends at the community pool.  You’ve got to love the enthusiasm and persistence of this kid.  Not once in the story do you feel like he felt sorry for himself.  He is not afraid to ask for work.  Looking at this story from my perspective as a white American, I am humbled.  I have never felt the racism or poverty that he refers to.

I believe the author was trying to get across that as a child he felt at a lower class than the families he would watch on the TV, or some of his neighbors.   He mentions that, “This was the summer when I spent the mornings in front of the television that showed the comfortable lives of white kids.”   He grew up in a neighborhood where it appears racism was alive as he says “[Mr Jackson] saw me he turned away to wash off his front steps.”

In Soto’s eyes, the white American Family in the 1950’s was perfect, and was the way he wanted his family to be.  I think he saw more opportunity being white than Mexican.  He wanted to blend in, not make a big statement.  He wanted him and his family to be accepted and liked by the whites.

I loved this story.  I felt inspired by it.  I feel like happiness can be found at any level of life.  The last sentence of the book he says, “I felt suddenly alive as I skipped down the block in search of an overgrown flower bed and the dime that end the day right.”  Isn’t that great! 

Photo of Gary Soto

 

My Economic Cartoon Finds

Grammar Post 2: Active Voice vs Passive Voice

In reading some guidelines on the MLA format, I ran across how to effectively write in active voice, or in passive voice. I've never really looked into the definitions of either.  However, once I did I was able to clearly point out the difference.  Here are two examples from Tina Blue in the online article Active vs. Passive Voice.  Here is an example of the active voice; "With the money from her mother's life insurance Diane bought a new car and took a trip to Europe."  Now, compare that to the passive voice, "With the money from her mother's life insurance a new car was bought and a trip to Europe was taken by Diane."  The passive voice just sounds way to complicated, and backwards.  Tina says, "In the preceding examples, which are in the active voice, the agent of the action is the subject of the sentence.  But in the next set of examples, which are in the passive voice, the receiver of the action is the subject of the sentence."

According to article, you should try to write in the active voice 95% of the time. Tina Blue says, "In fact, even that may be too generous.  No passive voice verb should be allowed to stand unless it can justify itself.  In other words, every time you use a passive verb, ask yourself why you are using a passive construction there.  If you don't have a good reason for it, then rewrite the sentence to use the active voice."  Read more from Tina Blue HERE.

Now I don't feel like this anymore:

Proud to be an American - Intro to Rereading America

In the introduction to Rereading America the author introduces us to college level thinking and writing.  It prepares us for what is going to be presented in this book and the best way to study and soak in the information. 

As for me, being an American is probably the luckiest part of my life.  I look at different places around the world, and am always consumed with the feeling of how much we take for granted what we have here in the United States.  We have security, freedom, money, and find me a grocery store that is ever lacking with as much to consume as we wish.  If we dial 911 we have help just a moment away. I am proud to be an American, as the song goes.  But along with this pride I want others to experience it as well.  I wish people throughout the world could experience what it is like to have what we have here in America. 

I think it is our duty as Americans, as a very fortunate group of people during this time in history, to provide as much help and support to our neighbors throughout the world.   You never know when the tides of fortune may turn, and we one day end up as “one of those other countries”.  Rome didn’t last forever.

Treat others as we want to be treated.  Show respect to all.  We are all in this thing together, why not make it work?

Grammar Post: The Apostrophe

My goal for this week is to fully understand how and when to appropriately use an apostrophe.   For some reason I have always had a problem with words that end in S.  For example, where does the apostrophe go on the word "days"?  Well I learned that just add ' to the end of plural nouns that end in "S".  I researched a website created by the Purdue University Online Writing Lab, which can be found by clicking HERE.