We have a problem in the US, and that problem is spelling.
Our over-reliance on the little, red squiggly lines below misspelled words has completely ruined our ability to think through proper spelling and word usage. And we wonder why the Scripps Spelling Bee is on TV. Apparently those few dozen kids are the only ones left in the country who can spell basic words like necessary, tomorrow, and committee without spell check.
Add the inability to spell to social media and you get a recipe for disaster.
The most recent occurrence took place Saturday night on Twitter. The platform is notoriously bad for people misusing your and you’re or there and their or then and than. But surely the #1 movie in America this weekend wouldn’t fall victim to widespread misspelling.
But it did.
I saw this early Saturday evening from my friend Elizabeth Hyndman.
See someone type “American Snipper.” Search Twitter for “American Snipper.” Text @KelseyLynn7 the results. #SaturdayNight #Party
— Elizabeth Hyndman (@edhyndman) January 18, 2015
So, I did what anyone would do, I went to watch the train wreck for myself and found these gems.
I suggest everyone and there grandma see American Snipper — Mike Gasiewski (@YourWeirdUncle_) January 18, 2015
American Snipper got me feeling some type of way
— Hannah Lee♡ (@Hannahlee_98) January 18, 2015
American snipper is the realest movie out there idc
— JERRY MEDEU$ (@JerryMedeus) January 18, 2015
And my favorite:
American Snipper is an amazing movie! Makes u PROUND to me an American! — CKourtlen Duhon (@Duhonof5) January 18, 2015
I wasn’t the only one who noticed this spelling crime, though. Some fought with snark:
Is American Snipper the one where Bradley Cooper cuts people’s hair? #film
— Sheri (@SherandtheCity) January 18, 2015
Some with humor:
@edhyndman American Snipper, brought to you by Hobby Lobby. — Kelsey Alexander (@KelseyLynn7) January 18, 2015
And others with frustration:
If I see another person say “American Snipper” instead of “American Sniper” I might just lose it…
— Chedon Shockley (@CheBaby17) January 18, 2015
S.N.I.P.E.R, PEOPLE! SNIPER! Snippers snip. They don’t snipe. #AmericanSniper — Eric Schumacher (@emschumacher) January 18, 2015
Do you ever see any common misspellings online? Did you see American Sniper this weekend? How was Bradley Cooper’s hair?
The next time I read a blog