lowercase vs. Uppercase.
i don’t capitalize because there’s no reason to. grammar, schmrammar. i was an english major for two years which means i have creative license. […] also, the source css for my tumblr includes a “text-transform: lowercase” element because i like the way that it looks, having everything in lowercase. it’s an aesthetic choice that doesn’t compromise the functionality of language.
You can write however you want. I don’t care. (Also, I think your statement about having creative license because you partially completed an English degree is stupid.)
But recognize what you’re saying. All-lowercase writing expresses additional meaning that you may not intend:
- You’re lazy.
- You’re careless.
- You’re uneducated.
- You don’t care about the legibility of your text. (Your theme supports this hypothesis.)
Capital letters, punctuation, and grammar exist to help codify ideas and clarify communication. Using proper case isn’t elitist or arrogant: it shows that I care about the appearance, mechanics, and legibility of my text. I feel that choosing a highly legible font, such as 16px Georgia instead of 24px pink Comic Sans, is also important for the same reason: I care.
You’re effectively saying that you don’t.
That’s fine. You can write however you want. But don’t imply that I wrote in your style.
ok, Marco, you win. kinda. i removed the text-transform element from my css out of respect for the integrity of the posts i reblog. i was unaware it was an issue and since it’s an aesthetic one and not a moral one, i hereby concede use of what little css i know.
next, my creative license quip was, as little orphan ammo pointed out, tongue-in-cheek & not to be taken as a serious excuse for poor grammar. the internets don’t convey tone as i would like. maybe the new iphone will though…
as to your four major bullets: i’m not the hardest working guy in the world, i don’t pay the most attention to detail, i don’t have a masters degree, and i don’t check my code for browser compatibility before it goes live (though i’m sure the ‘hover’ attributes work correctly, coaxing the user to pay full attention to the post in focus). i’ll give you all that and a pint of hefeweizen all the while giving you more reasons to believe the above.
however, if the Content of my posts indicate that i’m lazy, apathetic, stupid, and unaware that my posts are read other than in the dashboard, then no amount of Capitalization will save me or my tumblr. again, if what i say is so ineffective that it is trivialized by the lack of proper capitalization, then the sweet use of conventional majuscule is of absolutely no aid to me.
it seems that you and i use Punctuation in different ways. you use it to “help codify ideas and clarify communication” while i use it, especially Capitalization, to creatively call attention to the capitalized word (and to make you [sic]). until now, i had not yet heard from anyone who was put off by my lack of capital letters. if i think there might be confusion, i’ll gladly employ the ‘ole majuscules (e.g. ending a sentence with l.a. versus L.A.). in no way do i consider capitalization to be arrogant (please don’t infer that i do.). i properly capitalize in formal communication and business projects as necessary. i recognize there is a time & a place. i really do.
the funny (hahahaha) thing is that capitalization is pretty much the only grammatical custom that has escaped my convention. the eternal confusion between “good” and “well” drives me insane.
[EDIT: thinking about this on my way home, i’ve come to the conclusion that the way we use grammar is a reflection of our personalities, just like anything else. it makes sense to me that marco, an engineer & developer (whom i believe to be fantastic, considering i’m using his platform), would appreciate and uphold the structures of grammar whereas i, leaning far to the creative side, see structures as flexible, almost always in need of some tweaking, and insofar as my point is accurately communicated (by both parties), optional.]
