On some silly George-Takei-directed message board about the Oxford Comma, I was enjoying the ridiculous debates about the "ands" and the redundant commas.
I wrote: "People could always choose to write more clearly if there is the possibility of miscommunication — even if the thing you are trying to communicate is obvious, a serious point goes down the drain once people turn it into a grammar joke.
"For example, instead of: 'I had eggs, toast and orange juice', how about 'I had eggs with my toast and orange juice'? Or instead of 'we invited the strippers, JFK and Stalin', try 'we invited the strippers along with JFK and Stalin'."
Of course someone chimed in (as everyone is welcome to do — I always welcome an intelligent debate).
The reply was: "So, just to avoid putting an extra comma, you should make your sentences more complicated? Got it."
A bit snarky, so I wrote: "Adding one or two words to uncomplicate a sentence complicates it for you? I am not for or against the Oxford comma; I am for clear and understandable communication of thoughts."
And if she writes back I want to reply (but I won't): "I think you're just grasping as silly reasons to try to be argumentative toward no real purpose. Or, if you prefer the less-complicated version: 'I think you're grasping, silly and argumentative.'" ;)
