Friday, July 01, 2005

Idiot of the Day - The Dumbing Down of America

Let’s start off with Prickly City, a right-wing comic in our paper that I’ve never found funny or even relevant.  All of his material is taken from like ten years ago.  But the topper, today’s comic.  See if you can spot the blatant stupidity that was so simplistic in nature that I don’t even know how it got published.

See if you can spot the grotesque spelling error, the lack of imagination and the oddly large lips on the black character in the strip.  If Scott Stantis can’t even spell optimist, then he doesn’t belong in a major newspaper.  Bring back the silliness and enjoyable Franklin Fibbs.

Next on my stupidity hit list - nightly I receive an email from a realtor in my area regarding homes for sale.  Last night I got one for a house on Russling Leaf Drive.  While I’m sure it’s a lovely house and I wish the owners good luck in selling, I’m damned sure I’m not going to be buying a house on a misspelled street.  What has happened to the city in allowing names like this?  Another one nearby, Eifel, off of Ann Road and US-95.  How can anyone stand to live on it…or even see it every day?  I have to avert my eyes.  The street names in this city are becoming more and more,well, unlivable.  What manly guy wants to live on Panda Bear?  Or, who wants to live on Gnatcatcher?  At first I didn’t like my street name, but looking around, I now feel grateful.  It’s spelled properly and often I don’t have to spell it for anyone.  Say it slowly, yes, but not spell it.  I consider that a great success.

Maybe next week we’ll take a few drives around the neighborhood and take pictures, so you too can enjoy the horror of Las Vegas street names.  If they’re not pretending to be in California on the beach, they’re picking names that people are ashamed to say.

Next entry: I Am Not A Canadian Expat - I Am A Canadian Expat Sympathizer Previous entry: Sore Throat

1. Oh, that cartoonist isn’t alone.  Even cartoonists I admire 100% have really bad spelling errors (“a mesquitto bit me”, “i was doing crunchs” “use capitol letters”).  Punctuation errors are rampant as well.  It puts me off a little.

   Okay it puts me off A LOT, but I like these people, whatever their spelling/grammar/whatever may be.  However, I also don’t want them to be used as examples to prove that cartoonists are illiterate.

   I first read “optomist” as “optometrist” and was wondering whether it was an American humor thing I didn’t get.

   celine  on  07/01  at  11:30 PM

2. http://www.drinkatwork.com/2005/04/comic-strip-writing-101-no-sleep-til.html

   I guess Leigh-Ann and I aren’t alone in our hatred of Prickly City.  Blech.

   The cartoonists that you like, are they syndicated in thousands of newspapers?  If so, then
   I blame the newspapers for letting them continue.  If not, then maybe they ought to check
   their spelling to help further their careers.

   Flippy  on  07/02  at  11:51 AM

3. More to prove the stupidity of the Prickly City guy - http://www.mediainfo.com/eandp/news/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000681325

   Flippy  on  07/02  at  11:55 AM

4. Hmmm…. I wouldn’t say thousands.  I’d say 2 or 5 each.  Tops.  Hehe.

   Since the Prickly City guy is under syndication, he has no excuses though

   celinus  on  07/02  at  06:25 PM

5. I live on CRACKER BARREL ST. It’s right off of INDIAN BLANKET and PITCHFORK.
   I HATE giving directions to my house!

   retrobakery  on  10/04  at  11:50 AM

Name (required):

Email (required):

Location:

URL:

Smileys

Remember my personal information

Notify me of follow-up comments?