Look how Obama was chastised for articulating and pronouncing nuclear, Iraq etc.. The media hounds him to this day because he annunciates.
Since when does the media hound him for actually pronouncing words properly? Bush was hounded mercilously for sounding mildly retarded, yes, but I can't recall anyone make fun of Obama for being articulate.
Even though I think his politics are shit, I personally appreciate the way Obama goes out of his way to pronounce words properly. He pronounces Pakistan and nuclear properly, instead of sounding like a half-wit, mongrel fucktard.
Schools are barely getting children by. I learned better writing skills AFTER high school than while IN high school (no college). It is a daily occurence, like I said, to read something, or hear a program that has either horrible spelling or atrocious grammar.
Shit, I just took college writing course where my professor was asking me for writing tips... Seriously!
I would also say that most American's vocabulary is pretty slim, so using eloquent words when writing blows right past your audience.
I agree, which is why I enjoy writing on here and on college papers.
The way we speak in public is often dumbed down for the sake of the intellectually lazy. Those who are articluate and eloquent either don't want to sound snobby or they don't want to sit there and define every $10 dollar word I used in a sentence while in the middle of a conversation. I think people tend to abstain for those reasons. They also don't want to be ridiculed for actually being able to formulate a coherent sentence. Heaven forbid we actually utilize our vocabulary!
"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from mistaken conviction." — Blaise Pascal