Let’s talk about a mistake. I mean, a mistake is bound to happen, but before I begin to say anything, let me first make it clear that many people may not like this post. If I’m offending you in any way by writing said article, I’m not really sorry. Always have, always will write what I have in mind. Secondly, there’s a fine line between opinion and suggestion. I wish people saw that line for what it truly means, because I’ve grown tired of trying to tell people to suggest ideas, not shove opinions. When someone says in my opinion or IMO for people who didn’t already know, it’s like they’ve had a preconceived notion of something, and they’re just trying to tell you what they really want. Suggestion however, is slightly different. When suggesting, you’re just putting forth a few more ideas that you think are relevant to the table, not fixating on something you have already decided. How different is a trustworthy ally who makes you do something in his/her “opinion” any different from a manipulative autocrat who’s already decided what’s best for the people? Let’s consider, for the sake of goodwill, that this article is but a suggestion (I don’t really mean it).
I’m sure most of us here agree to an extent that making mistakes pave way for success in any endeavour. Make mistakes, don’t make blunders. Make blunders, don’t make catastrophic blunders. Some people (correction, most people) take this fact for granted. Second chances have become so common, people don’t even bother thinking about doing something for the first time. Fail an exam, “meh, I’ll pass it next time”. Screw up a relationship, “meh, it’s my first pass, I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again”. It’s not horrible to make mistakes, it’s horrible to use making mistakes as an alibi. You make a mistake, own up to it and what, do the same thing again? No, you do things a little differently, making sure you’re not making the same mistake over and over and over again. Many people I’ve seen, loved, cared for, respected, even myself, have used this “First chance, won’t happen again” phrase too often to just let slip by. Again, what is even the point, right? Life is, but a learning curve. Make a mistake, fine, but for everything that’s holy, learn from that mistake. Learn never to make the same mistake more than once.
Let me give you a very personal example, something most of you definitely will hate. We all love social media. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Tinder, all sorts. And yes, 90% of us use these applications and platforms to do a variety of things that I do not wish to list. We can be friends, see each other’s posts, pictures, games they’re playing, people they’re seeing, almost everything. Of course, all of this is subject to privacy settings suitable to each user. Now I have quite an active Facebook page filled with memes and puns and baby videos and what not. I also have friends whose walls are filled with memes and puns and baby videos and what not, and I enjoy looking at things that interest me, amuse me, intrigue me, even bewilder me.
However, there are some things I simply cannot handle, and one of those is these cute little short forms for words. Believe me, there’s a shorter way to say ‘You’. It’s ‘U’, because U sir, just saved 3 milliseconds by typing ‘U’ instead of ‘YOU’. There are a million words like these. Ryt, Nyt, n8, mrng, gud, m8, w8, lyk, and the list is never ending. It’s a catastrophic pool of misspelt English words that make no sense at all. I mean, what pleasure does making a short word shorter give you? Did you make millions from the stock market by saving a few seconds in typing a word the way it was originally supposed to? Or like Mr. Chow so genuinely asks in the Hangover part II, “Did you die?”
I can understand the reasoning behind the use of acronyms like LOL, ROFL, LMAO, LMWKD, IMO, IYKWIM, IDK, BRB, IDC, ASAP, TTYL. These are big phrases made short so people can convey things quicker, fit for an age of texting and socializing. Hell, I can even agree with wanna, gonna, shoulda, coulda and the like but I can, and probably never will understand how people say ‘kewl’ instead of ‘cool’ because it makes them sound cool. I mean, both are four letters long. Wouldn’t hurt to do it right, yes? I find this deeply annoying and I am not the least bit coy about it. I’ve said it a million times, and I’d do it a million times over, because it’s just who I am and I stand for what I believe in. Yes, I believe in something as small as getting a word spelt right. I do that, and I’m a grammar-nazi, a buzzkill, a lifeless nerd, an egomaniacal self-proclaimed Shakespeare. Sometimes, I’m just another Indian who thinks he’s from an English-speaking country. I have never cared for anyone’s opinion about me, but I’m just trying to help here. I believe that it is a mistake, a heinous crime to spell words wrong on purpose. We have autocorrect for a reason. I’ve seen people deliberately changing the right spelling that their phones give them to the shorter, “cuter” versions.
It bugs me. Why does it bug me? It bugs me because I’ve grown up like that. Books, books and only books have been the things that have kind of helped me sustain in a world that’s been cruel to me in all other ways. I read beautiful stories every day, be a part of it, become it. I’ve experienced the real beauty of words. I understand that words are deeply meaningful and call me crazy, but I believe that words spelt right have an absolutely amazing aesthetic value to them, even the smallest of words, and I just hope everyone around me in my small world can experience. All I’m doing in my mind, is trying to correct a mistake, trying to help. So, if you’re reading this and you’re offended in any way, I’m not really sorry, I’m owning up to every word I’ve written above.
Oh, and another thing, I’m not going to change this mentality of mine for a long, long time and if I’m still too American or British for you, adios muchachos.
