Notes of a Fool

it's been a while

It's been a disgustingly long expanse of time since I wrote last.  Instead of doing what most do, I will blame myself.

I've come to the conclusion that Americans, in general, have chosen to quit the act of writing well.  Let's see some hands, how many of those here have heard of 'The Elements of Style'?.  More importantly, how many have been taught about the book, or been told to refer to it?  It's a national epidemic, caused by something I can't precisely place my finger on.  I do know, though, that the Internet isn't helping, i.e. E-Mail.

I'm young so my opinion may not matter due to my lack of experience.  I do read a lot, though, and I've found that the most popular modern authors don't write very well.  They don't write like Hemingway, Steinbeck, or Chekhov, that's for sure.  Perhaps I'm picky.

Perhaps most people have always been bad or careless writers.  Perhaps nothing has changed, and nothing ever will.

I am tired of reading my peers' reports, essays, papers, expositions, proposals, and e-mails.  It's always full of so much garbage I have a hard time figuring out what they're saying.  Grammatical and spelling mistakes fill their work, and none of their opinions are concrete.

Vagueness, I hate vagueness.  If someone is going to say something, say it!  Don't use made-up, politically correct, garbage like 'weak-minded'.  The corporate monster I live in is filled with this kind of trash.  How do you define a word like that?  Are you saying that you think I can't breath, walk, and eat?  Are you saying that I'm incapable of thinking 'strongly'?  Or are you saying that you think I'm stupid, incompetent, and unfit for work?  A word like that can be defined any way you feel like, it's 'politically correct'.

In the military, there were great speakers.  Generals Patton, Eisenhower, and so on are still quoted to this day.  Read what they said and compare it with what we're being told today.  The leadership of our country today is rarely ever worthy of quotation.

'Be clear!', If I remember correctly, Strunk & White's harped on this extensively.  I'll take that advise.  I know I'm not a decent writer today, but I know that if I practice good writing, I may become a better writer tomorrow.