Grammatical Correctness

Those who protest against the concept of grammatical correctness are much like those who say our college, and the nation, should have no hard and fast rules but instead should do everything on a case-by-case basis. They are unwilling to consider that rules, even non-absolute, informal ones, might actually make interaction and communication more rational and relaxed.

Relativist grammar begets sloppy thinking, which, once planted, springs up everywhere. For example, Brown is the only place I've been where people use the term "semiformal" to denote people wearing jackets and ties, and call black ties "formal." They thereby rob the language, and their minds, of any word which can communicate the distinction between a tuxedo and actual formal wear (white ties and tails). Is it a coincidence that Brown is also the only place where people believe there is no distinction between speech and other actions (thus robbing the first amendment of all meaning)?

The most tangible effect of sloppy writing is not that people won't be able to decipher it, but that they will be so busy noticing its illiteracy that they won't even try. The choppy, insincere elocutions of George Bush or the Banner [a campus magazine] lead me to contemplate their mental states, not their arguments.

Under grammatical correctness, you can say anything you want, but only in such a way that people understand what you mean. This is desireable for most people, though not for everyone.