Bad images we create

[Mainsail]

Incidentally, while we are ranting:

Bear- v. to carry; n. a large omnivorous mammal.

bare- v. to show, exhibit; n. naked, uncovered


Roll- v. to cause to make revolutions; n. an oftentimes round bread

Role- n. purpose, primary function

These are the ones freshest in my mind; I know there are more. BEWARE OF HOMONYMS!

You’re = You are
Your = Something you own
Their = Something they own
There = A place that’s not here
They’re = They are
It's = It is
Its = Something it owns

 

[MakAttak]

You’re = You are
Your = Something you own
Their = Something they own
There = A place that’s not here
They’re = They are

Thank you! I knew there we more that irked me. But, I'm sure they're going to annoy me once more with their improper use there. You're not going to believe how much your post releives me!

 

[Mainsail]

OK, a couple more then:

Muzzle break = a broken muzzle (dog or gun)
Muzzle brake = a device that is fitted to the muzzle of a firearm or cannon to redirect propellant gases with the effect of countering both recoil of the gun and unwanted rising of the barrel during rapid fire

 

[bluestarlizzard]

I don't care about typos. I don't care about a playful use of the language. I don't care about an incomplete or run-on sentence every so often. It does bother me when someone doesn't care enough about what they have to say that they can't reach out to the readers and at least try to make it as easy as possible to read.

"i do it because thats what i do. its intentional. my internet voice, if you will. "

Do you mumble when you speak to your family and friends? Then why make us work to understand you here. Make an effort to reach out to your readers if you want to be heard and appreciated as a thoughtful poster.

John

i do make an effort. i think and then i post what i think. i would hope people are more conserned with what is being said then how it's being said.
also, it seems you had no difficulty, seeing as you have managed to read my post and respond.
if you don't like it then don't read it.

 

[Werewolf]

Stereotypes are what they are. The antis-think we're a bunch of no shirt, overall wearing, combat boot clad, bubba rifle carrying, rednecks. They're not going to change their minds nor permit themselves to be confused by the facts which are that most gun owners are middle class or above, college educated, above average income earning, 100% law abiding citizens.

However, just because the antis are, and will probably continue to be, blind to reality doesn't mean we should reinforce the stereotype by posting in a manner that indicates a complete lack of literacy.

That said:
A lot of the posts that I have read on THR that were posted late in the evening had a definite flavor of alcohol within them. Posting drunk is the same as posting stupid. Knock it OFF!

Then again there are those among us that wouldn't feel the least bit uncomfortable saying something like:

Duhhhh - last weke ah cudn't even spell gun-oner. Now I are one.

 

[41magsnub]

I agree as well, for good or bad, I judge the person behind a post by the grammar and spelling used. I can forgive spelling errors such as transposing letters or really common grammatical errors, but when a person uses "1337" speak or does not appear to be even trying I discount anything they may be saying assuming I can figure out what it is in the first place.

Edit: It is usually possible to determine if a person has English as a 2nd or greater language vs. a native English speaker that is lazy and slack is given where slack is warranted.

 

[WayneConrad]

We're in the same spot as African-American folks were, way back when. Stereotyped to heck and back. Blacks knew the stereotypes were incorrect, but the white folks didn't. In the height of the civil rights battles, activists thought it vitally important to avoid even the slightest image that would play to those stereotypes. Go back and watch the films, see the pictures, read the speeches of the front-of-the-bus sitters, of the civil rights marchers. How are the dressed? How do they carry themselves? How do they speak?

We're where they were.

And this site is about civil rights.

 

[novaDAK]

People say that posting videos of bump firing on youtube is bad for our image.

I don't know what to say. Do videos of drag racing (legal) give all car owners a bad name?

 

[MakAttak]

We're in the same spot as African-American folks were, way back when. Stereotyped to heck and back. Blacks knew the stereotypes were incorrect, but the white folks didn't. In the height of the civil rights battles, activists thought it vitally important to avoid even the slightest image that would play to those stereotypes. Go back and watch the films, see the pictures, read the speeches of the front-of-the-bus sitters, of the civil rights marchers. How are the dressed? How do they carry themselves? How do they speak?

We're where they were.

And this site is about civil rights.

Well said.

 

[rainbowbob]

Considering that most computers running current versions of web browsers automatically run spell-check...

I also consider it important to at least attempt to correct obvious writing errors. I usually write in " MS Word", run 'spellcheck", then cut and past in here. That is rather tedious, however. Where in my browser is there a spellcheck that would do the same thing without having to cut and paste?

 

[Calibre44]

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg
The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid! Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer inwaht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

Yaeh, and I awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorantt.

 

[rainbowbob]

I appreciate the well written posts, but I am much more concerned about the impression some of our content makes on antis and fence-sitters. Particularly when a thread devolves into a series of ranting flames that have absolutely nothing to do with issues involving firearms. For a truly disturbing example of that, you need look no further than the "Man shoots motorcyclist” thread. It was finally locked today – but not before it turned into a ranting, running flame-fest between bikers and car drivers.

 

[rainbowbob]

Caliber44:

That is actually pretty fascinating, I really could read your post without hardly even slowing down. I'd never seen that before.

 

[HK G3]

I appreciate the well written posts, but I am much more concerned about the impression some of our content makes on antis and fence-sitters. Particularly when a thread devolves into a series of ranting flames that have absolutely nothing to do with issues involving firearms. For a truly disturbing example of that, you need look no further than the "Man shoots motorcyclist” thread. It was finally locked today – but not before it turned into a ranting, running flame-fest between bikers and car drivers.

I think that the inane, low-road, anti-liberal drivel that comes up in some threads is the worst thing that this board can do to itself. For example, in that thread titled "Trouble Moves in Next Door" or something to that effect, a bunch of people go off on "liberals" and start ranting about social Darwinism, insinuating that eventually all liberals will die off by virtue of natural selection, where the agent of natural selection is partially their inherent, monumental stupidity, partially from their being colossal pansies, or, in some of the more idiotic threads I've seen, their lack of Christian faith.

Good luck changing public opinion when you're actively wishing death or piling barbed insults upon a very large group of people who hold a certain set of political beliefs. As much as everyone likes to make this into an "Us vs. Them" deal around here, where us = righteous and good, and them = evil, child-murdering sodomites, it's idiotic and counterproductive. All it does is create bitterness and hatred. There are a growing number of liberal pro-gun people, and all I can think when I see ranting reminiscent of the Free-Republic forums is how the people responsible for the ranting are just creating a hostile environment for anyone who would fall into the liberal 2A supporter category. There is no gain from insulting the other side, unless your ego is that fragile that you need to engage in some name-calling in order to maintain your psyche.

Realize that most of the people on the anti-gun side (some politicians aside, who are more into social engineering than public safety) want what we want - safety from those who would do us harm. Their approach to achieve this end, however, is misinformed and ineffective, and this is something that can be proven without resorting to ad hominems, and idiotic stereotyping, which just reinforces negative stereotypes of gun owners, and sets our goals a step backwards.

 

[plexreticle]

Many folks on THR do not have English as a primary language.

WWW is short for World Wide Web not USA Web or the English Language web.

 

[akodo]

Like all things in life, it is a balance.

I would apply different standards to writing for a job application, college accepance letter, and the like.

Posting on a message board, I am less apt to worry about minor misspelled words, be it simple transposition from fast typing such as "hte" or minor misspellings where the word is still clearly recognizable, such as guarnetee for guaren...(bah I can never spell that word right anyways) guarantee.

And of course, there is also the appropriate time to send "C U l8r"

Minor mistakes are fine, the message can still be read with ease. Mistakes that are causing readers to say 'what?' and re-read the sentence is a problem. I don't like to be overbroad when demanding good grammar and spelling.

 

[springmom]

Oops. I thought I was on a gun board; and here I am back in English 101.

Knock it off, folks. This is not gun related and is going to cause zero improvement. Of course, you might manage to run off a few folks who are doing their best and are getting trashed in these three pages, but I don't count that much of a gain for the 2nd Amendment, myself.

Springmom

 

[Justin]

This one's run its course, I think.