[washingtonismoney]

Ha!  That song was written by Kris Kristoffersen, a Rhodes Scholar at Pomona.  I don't think we can equate a Rhodes Scholar and Hall of Fame songwriter with a high school recruit.  But Kristoffersen's college football career was undistinguished.  Robinson - we'll see.

Well, I think that proves my point: if a Rhodes Scholar/all-time-great songwriter uses and abuses grammatical uses for his own convenience, why should the rest of us bother?

We speak, and write, differently according to circumstance. For instance my previous ALL CAPS LOCK writing is commonly accepted on the internet for emphasis or sarcasm; but you'd never get away with it at the New York Times. I will swear for a joke in front of my friends; but I won't even bother with the joke -- let alone the swearing -- with my grandmother. Anyone who's being honest with themselves knows they behave the same way.


Furthermore, we know what the purpose of grammar is: it's to provide an agreed-upon framework to organize language and make it mutually comprehensible. Everyone knew exactly what was meant by "Me and K.J."; who cares if he expressed it "K.J. and I"? So I'm a bit bemused that anyone has the energy to care about this.


ADDITION: I also find it hard to believe that anyone thinks Robertson doesn't know the grammatical rule in question. Anyone prone to using "atmosphere" and "academic foundation" in a sentence probably has a sufficient grammatical grasp to get this.

[washingtonismoney]

Ha!  That song was written by Kris Kristoffersen, a Rhodes Scholar at Pomona.  I don't think we can equate a Rhodes Scholar and Hall of Fame songwriter with a high school recruit.  But Kristoffersen's college football career was undistinguished.  Robinson - we'll see.

Well, I think that proves my point: if a Rhodes Scholar/all-time-great songwriter uses and abuses grammatical uses for his own convenience, why should the rest of us bother?

We speak, and write, differently according to circumstance. For instance my previous ALL CAPS LOCK writing is commonly accepted on the internet for emphasis or sarcasm; but you'd never get away with it at the New York Times. I will swear for a joke in front of my friends; but I won't even bother with the joke -- let alone the swearing -- with my grandmother. Anyone who's being honest with themselves knows they behave the same way.


Furthermore, we know what the purpose of grammar is: it's to provide an agreed-upon framework to organize language and make it mutually comprehensible. Everyone knew exactly what was meant by "Me and K.J."; who cares if he expressed it "K.J. and I"? So I'm a bit bemused that anyone has the energy to care about this.


ADDITION: I also find it hard to believe that anyone thinks Robertson doesn't know the grammatical rule in question. Anyone prone to using "atmosphere" and "academic foundation" in a sentence probably has a sufficient grammatical grasp to get this.