Spin Cycle: LOL :)
This week’s spin cycle over at Sprite’s Keeper is all about pet peeves. Well when I saw the topic I couldn’t contain myself. Something happened today that wedged its way into my long list of many pet peeves.
My newest pet peeve is the slow dissolution of the English language. Now I know that some major university in the US wasted a ton of money and did some study that determined that social networking sites and texting is causing the disintegration of the English language amongst students. But I have actual proof of this and I didn’t get paid $2500 an hour for my research. I was reimbursed in frustration, annoyance and a small amount of wonder.
Here’s what happened. The temp has now graduated to actually sending out emails. I have him send out easy stuff, requests for back up and quotes, nothing too technical. He is just a temp after all and I didn’t want to overwhelm him. So I dictated the email and he typed away and sent it out. He has seemed to be pretty comfortable with everything that he was sending out so I didn’t question him much, until I looked at the email. He sent the following to a client:
Hi Xxx
How r u???
Ur rates need to be updated.
IDK if u want me to update on ur behalf.
Pls let me know.
TTYS, temp
I was beyond upset that he sent this to a client. Never in a million years did I think that I had to specify that you had to spell out the actual words. This wasn’t a text he was sending to a friend it was correspondence to a client, there is a difference! He was shocked when I explained this to him. He said that this is how he sent out all of his emails, personal and professional. I would never send a customer an email like this, simply because if my boss ever saw it I would most likely be fired! But according to Temp this is what is acceptable now. I was shocked.
So that brings me to the purpose of this post, my pet peeve, the death of the English language. I understand that there are character limits when texting tweeting and facebooking but good God doesn’t anyone use real words anymore? I like sentences and punctuation. They were invented for a reason and I think they serve a purpose and they are slowly disappearing.
If I see one more LOL 
I am going to freak!
Peg
ROFLMAO! oops… j/k … sorry. I HAD to do that. Very funny post and I understand how you feel. I was just ranting to hubby a while ago about how people’s inabillity to spell drives me up a wall.
This was my first time visitng your site. I enjoyed it and I’m sure I’ll be back.
Sprite's Keeper
And now you know why I never use “lol” in my posts! I use it seldomly on Facebook as well. I just don’t like the abbreviate anything. Maybe that’s why I don’t text very much.
You’re linked!
Becca
I am so with you! I couldn’t believe that this is actually acceptable in any professional setting. I don’t even see this getting by management at a fast food chain. Death of English is definitely a good pet peeve.
Tru
LOL!
VandyJ
I don’t text much and don’t understand all the abbreviations. How hard is it to type a full sentence. I thnk my age or lack of tech savvy is showing.
Jan
Oh, I use things like LOL, but I’m with you 100% on the whole “shorthand” thing – it irritates the bejebus out of me. I don’t even do it when I text (which is rare) or send instant messages (which I do a constantly). Did you explain to him that no, that is NOT acceptable for a professional email, even these days?
Nikki
Is the fellow slow-witted or something??! I would be deeply appalled to encounter that and I trained 20-23 year olds who would say the same thing.
Christopher (AKA: CaJoh)
I am very much surprised that the Temp tried to pan it off and say that this is how things are done now. I pride myself on being able to write concisely, but I guess I long for those old fashioned days when a letter was lengthy and worth reading more than once.
Thank you for sharing,