Words and Letters -- Rant Ahead

I've been thinking about words, letters, writing... not surprising, all things considered, but still...

Does it make you crazy that people can't spell anymore? That the IM and texting generation, the LOLCats (regardless of how funny -- srsly, would they be any less funny if we spelled the words right?), and so on have so penetrated our society that people don't feel the NEED to spell correctly?

Spelling is only a small part of my general annoyance with people and the English language. I KNOW English is hard. It's stupid. It's full of rules that we turn around and break on a regular basis. But, it's MY language, doggone it, so it's my responsibility to speak (and write) it correctly.

It's (not its) not hard to remember which (not witch) word to (not too or two) use when you're (not your) writing something. There is a difference (not deference) between "affect" and "effect".

Why are people so lazy or apathetic that they just don't care?

Just the other day, I was reading a blurb on a book that had received a glowing review at a site I frequent. And in said blurb there was this: "...save her from the hoards of...monsters..."

WHAT???

Do you mean someone is collecting these monsters? That they are... yanno... HOARDING them?

Um, no. Of course they mean "hordes". But, I am horrified that such a basic error was missed by the author, the editor, and eventually by whomever posts the blurb on the site. And, despite the glowing review this story received, I'm loathe to buy it because, if the blurb has such an obvious error, what must the rest of the book be like?

Am I alone in this? Do the rest of you simply overlook these types of things? How do YOU feel about grammar errors and the general acceptance of them in today's world?

Pholph's Scrabble Generator My Scrabble© Score is: 24. What is your score? Get it here.