Alright, this internet practice of spelling words with numbers and other symbols in place of the proper letters needs to go. We’ve all seen it before…teens and casual gamers using terms like “l33t” and “r0x0rz” and “pr0n” and “teh” and whatever else they can think up to distance themselves from intelligent thought.
I don’t know where this whole mess began, but it had better f*cking stop. How anyone could even possibly find it a passable form of speech…well, it boggles the mind. (Then again, that level of mental ineptitude would easily explain the popularity of EA games, reality TV, and Republicans.) For the love of whatever you hold dear, learn how to use a f*cking spell check or grammar check. Proofread your posts on message boards and whatnot. It’s really not difficult; a damn monkey could do it.
While we’re on the subject of stupid terms that need to be deleted from memory, I’d like to add the improper use of the verb “own” to that list. Look, if you babble things like “that ownz” or “you got owned!” (or worse, “pwned”), then you need to retake your grade school mastery tests. The verb “to own” defines ownership of an object. “You got owned” makes absolutely no sense; other people are not in possession of you, and anyone who uses such ridiculous terminology (like the annoying Jake from Advance Wars: Dual Strike…ugh) has a malfunctioning brain.
And don’t even get me started on grammar issues in general, like missing punctuation, run-on sentences, flagrant misuse of adjectives and verbs, etc…I might strain myself.