I Am a Snob!!

I find that the older I get, the snobbier I get.  Maybe others feel the same way I do, but if you cannot speak English properly, you need to go back to school.  Is that terrible of me to say?  When I hear someone bastardize the English language, particularly people who are born and educated here, it drives me completely insane.  Now, I know I'm smart and educated and have had advantages over many other people.  I should be more tolerant, but I just can't seem to get past bad grammar.

I suppose that in a social situation, bad grammar - while still annoying - is a little more excusable, but in a corporate setting, it's just bad form.  I was temping at an organization recently in which the other admin I was working with was on a phone call representing the President and CEO of this organization.  She was using double negatives and improper grammar while trying to negotiate a meeting room with an outside vendor.  Frankly, I was embarrassed for her and if I had been on the other end of that telephone call would have assumed that I was dealing with someone of low intelligence.  Now I know that makes me a snob.  I just cannot help it.

One of my daily guilty pleasures is watching Judge Judy.  I know, I know, but I find her completely entertaining.  She also seems to have the same issues that I do with bad grammar and actually calls people on their mistakes.  I think "Huzzah, why can't I do that??"  Oh, right because I live in the civilized world where correcting people on their bad habits, grammar and anything else is considered rude.  Yet, the rest of us have to tolerate this behavior.  Maybe we can find a middle ground.  Is there a way to gently correct people without seeming like a schmuck? 

I think this is one of the reasons I feel the need to teach.  As an educator, I can (hopefully) help students achieve their full potential and can actually fix bad grammar habits.  Perhaps I can make a difference in a young person's life.