Yo!

I’m all for informality with friends, but I confess to preferring a more mannered form of language in professional situations. Thus, I find it annoying when people say or write “Hey” or “Yo” or similar expressions in work environments.

I once had a student who sent me an email that started with “Yo chick!” After I saw that, he lost any respect I had for him (which wasn’t much anyway, as he had evidenced odd and unsuitable behavior at earlier times as well). Of course, I turned it into a teaching opportunity and we discussed appropriate, polite salutations, but I still couldn’t help but feel that a person who doesn’t understand why addressing a message to his or her teacher as “Dear Mr./Ms. X” is more appropriate than than “Yo chick” is not going to make a good impression on the professional world.

Yo, do you get what I’m saying?
--Curly

Shoes Are Not Optional

Yesterday I was in my apartment building elevator when, to my surprise, another tenant walked on bearing a pile of laundry destined for the common laundry room. I wasn't surprised that someone else had entered the elevator, or that he was evidently in the process of doing his laundry. What did shock me was that he walked onto the elevator barefoot.

That reminded me of a peeve dating back to my last writing retreat. All of the artists/writers met at the dining table three times a day for meals. One of the artists routinely showed up barefoot. I hated sitting next to him. I like to choose the people I share meals with barefoot. I don't like to have them make that decision for me.

--Prunella

Where’s the Dessert?

As a vegetarian, I naturally always order vegetarian meals for my flights. What I never understand is why the vegetarian meals come with vegetable spread instead of butter and why they so often have no dessert. First of all, I am not a vegan, so I do eat dairy products, and I think butter tastes so much better than some oil-based spread. And more importantly, do people think that just because I don’t eat meat I can’t possibly want a good dessert? Let me tell you, we vegetarians do enjoy the good things in life, including dessert; we just do it meat-free.

--Curly

Let’s Talk About Politics, Baby

Political views are very personal. An old chestnut has it that you shouldn’t discuss religion or politics with people.

So I never quite understand why some people immediately start to talk about politics, even if they don’t know you well. I find that this is especially the case if one of the people involved in the conversation is an American, as many then seem to automatically assume that the United States’ foreign policy is an excellent topic of discussion. Furthermore, many also seem to automatically assume that everyone shares the opinion that the U.S. is an awful place with stupid people and ridiculous policies.

It may be that everyone taking part in the discussion does actually think that way. But regardless of that, it doesn’t seem to be so polite or friendly to immediately start picking on someone’s homeland, particularly if that person has not first brought up the topic him- or herself. It can just lead to awkward conversations and hurt feelings.

--Curly

The Princess Hide

Many months ago now, I met a young gay boy. His religious family was strongly anti-gay and he felt unable to tell people about his homosexuality. On a social networking site, he had a list of his favorite movies and this included “The Princess Bride”. Beside his list of movies, some of which might be considered to be “chick flicks”, he wrote: “I’m not gay, honest!”

Does this strike anyone else as very sad?

--Curly

How to Annoy an Agent

Apparently the team at Writer's Digest has an article coming soon on "literary agents' chapter 1 pet peeves," featuring what agents really and truly "hate to see in chatper 1." And apparently there was too much information to include in said article. So you'll find some of it here.

--Prunella

Some Like It Hot

Where others have a sweet tooth, I have a spice tooth. I love my food spicy. People have watched in shock and disgust as I pour half a bottle of Tabasco sauce over my food or as I sprinkled dried hot chili flakes on top of whatever I happen to be eating. Sometimes, I think my culinary heaven might be a place where I am chowing down, tears running down my cheeks, my mouth on fire. On second thought, maybe hell would be a better place for me.

But instead, what actually makes me want to cry is spicy food that is anything but. I go to restaurants that offer warnings on their menus. Three printed chili peppers next to the name of a dish indicate that the food is fiery, perhaps only edible by natives or by people crazy enough to think they can handle it. Naturally, I order it. And what do I get? Food that I wouldn’t even label medium-hot.

Come on! I’m a real spice girl (despite my dislike for the word “girl”) and we like it hot! Spice it up!

--Curly

A Plethora of Peeves

From one of the Chronicle of Higher Education's contributors:

It is my job, as I see it, to combat ignorance and foster the skills and knowledge needed to produce intelligent, ethical, and productive citizens. I see too many students who are:

*Primarily focused on their own emotions — on the primacy of their "feelings" — rather than on analysis supported by evidence.

*Uncertain what constitutes reliable evidence, thus tending to use the most easily found sources uncritically.

*Convinced that no opinion is worth more than another: All views are equal.

*Uncertain about academic honesty and what constitutes plagiarism. (I recently had a student defend herself by claiming that her paper was more than 50 percent original, so she should receive that much credit, at least.)

*Unable to follow or make a sustained argument.

*Uncertain about spelling and punctuation (and skeptical that such skills matter).

*Hostile to anything that is not directly relevant to their career goals, which are vaguely understood.

*Increasingly interested in the social and athletic above the academic, while "needing" to receive very high grades.

*Not really embarrassed at their lack of knowledge and skills.

*Certain that any academic failure is the fault of the professor rather than the student.

About half of the concerns I've listed — punctuation, plagiarism, argumentation, evaluation of evidence — can be effectively addressed in the classroom. But the other half make it increasingly difficult to do so without considerable institutional support: small classes, high standards, and full-time faculty members who are backed by the administration.

Well, this writer has summed up, impressively, most of the aspects of teaching at the undergraduate level (and, for that matter, studying alongside a particularly cohort of "peers" on the graduate level not too many years ago) that have most peeved me.

--Prunella

Writer, Heal Thyself

Yes, we all know about my little obsession with punctuation, especially apostrophes, so I won’t go on yet another rant. All I want to mention right now is a sign I saw not long ago. It was advertising a new writing group and it said something along these lines:

“Writer’s, come share you’re work! This is a new writing workshop and its for fiction, poetry, and non-fiction.”

These are writers??

--Curly