Firestorm

Recently a good friend of mine, who works at the Messenger, L. David Wheeler, the editor of the newspaper’s Steppin’ Out magazine, initiated a minor firestorm of sorts, ranting on his Facebook page about misuse of “affect” and “effect.”
“‘Effect is the noun, ‘affect’ is the verb,” he said.
“Doesn’t matter,” said someone. “If you can understand what people mean, correct spelling and grammar don’t matter.”
This is the same response as my blowhard brother-in-Boston, who noisily badmouths everything I do or say.
He can’t spell.
He’s a tub-thumping Limbaugh Conservative, so I quickly made a comment about the Grammar Police being tub-thumping Conservatives.
David, quite rightly, pointed out that it isn’t always Conservatives that go ballistic.
But that the so-called “Grammar Police” are “self-righteous” and “superior.”
He also responded that he was an editor, and was paid to use the language properly.
He also commented misuse of the language fuzzes it.
I heartily agree.
I think it’s because we’re both graduates of Houghton College, a liberal-arts college (dread).
The previous Executive Editor of the Messenger, Robert Matson, was too.
We’re fighting a losing battle, or so it seems. —Trying to make communication precise.
It mattered at Houghton.
I was never that sure on grammar; I relied on David. He knew all that stuff.
But I could use a spellcheck. I also have an online dictionary. Plus the Internet. Nothing wrong with looking things up to stave off the Grammar Police.

• The “Messenger” is the Canandaigua Daily-Messenger newspaper, from where I retired almost four years ago. Best job I ever had.
• “Houghton College,” in western New York, is from where I graduated with a BA in 1966. I’ve never regretted it. Houghton is an evangelical liberal-arts college.