Comments for Alysson Fergison - My Thoughts On...

Comment on DANGER – Pit Bulls Are MONSTERS! by Alysson

Alysson — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 20:16:14 +0000

+1 for snark factor! Thanks for stopping by, Bill. Have you registered that domain yet?

Comment on DANGER – Pit Bulls Are MONSTERS! by Bill

Bill — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:15:28 +0000

From Dogsbite.org: “In the 3-year period from 2006 to 2008, pit bull type dogs killed 52 Americans…at least eleven U.S. State Supreme and Appeals courts have ruled that pit bull terriers pose a significant risk to communities and can be regulated accordingly.”

In the same three-year time period, 198 Americans were killed by plane crashes. Planes pose an even more significant risk to communities! Stop the planes! Visit my urgently needed website, Planescrash.org. After all, there are two sides to every story. I hope you will let this information stay up on your website so paranoid, misinformed individuals can make up their own tiny minds.

Comment on Grammatical Jeopardy – Couldn’t Care Less or Could Care Less by Alysson

Alysson — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:36:50 +0000

I don’t disagree that one’s audience is likely to be able to decipher the meaning of a statement even when the wrong word is used. However, I find that when it comes to the spoken word, mispronunciation is typically, but not always, indicative of two things: 1) ignorance; and/or 2) lack of attention to detail.

As for the written word, I completely understand. Many people don’t seem to understand that one of the purposes of punctuation is to help convey the tone that is lost when not communicating verbally. I believe this article from About.com helps to illustrate your point and the importance of proper punctuation: http://grammar.about.com/od/punctuationandmechanics/a/punctmatters07.htm

Comment on Grammatical Jeopardy – Couldn’t Care Less or Could Care Less by Alysson

Alysson — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:26:39 +0000

Believe me, Hunter…I’ve got a long list of pet peeves, as well. That’s probably the reason my “Grammatical Jeopardy” category only contains one post thus far. I fear that if I let myself get started and on a roll, I’ll never get anything else accomplished! This post gets a surprising about of traffic, so you’re certainly not the only one who wondered whether it was “could” or “couldn’t”.

By the way, “Neanderthal swag”…hilarious! Well, it’s hilarious now. The humor may be lost when your prediction comes true.

Comment on Grammatical Jeopardy – Couldn’t Care Less or Could Care Less by Alysson

Alysson — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:18:36 +0000

Hi, Hunter. I’m glad you found the post both useful and easy to find. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment!

Comment on Grammatical Jeopardy – Couldn’t Care Less or Could Care Less by Hunter Workman

Hunter Workman — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:09:14 +0000

I disagree, to a certain extent. Although misused and neglected words are frequent, I find that misplaced and forgotten punctuation is much more common, most noticeably when writing, of course. Commas are especially troublesome. When they are neglected, the meaning of what is being said can almost not be determined, since the tone of speech has a lot to do with its meaning. When someone uses a word that they feel is “close enough”, it is usually still pretty easy to figure out what they’re saying. I wish I could think of an example to illustrate my point, but, unfortunately, I’m drawing blanks. I’m sure someone knows what I’m trying to say and can make it easier to understand. There are times when the proper words escape me.

Comment on Grammatical Jeopardy – Couldn’t Care Less or Could Care Less by Hunter Workman

Hunter Workman — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:54:04 +0000

Also, since we’re all stating our grievances with how other people speak, a few of my biggest pet peeves are people thinking “lay” and “lie” are interchangeable and that “allusion” only exists to make the dictionary a little bit longer. I’m actually really glad that I was doubtful enough in my own knowledge (a rare occurrence, I assure you) to look this “could/couldn’t care less” issue up. I never knew there were so many other people who felt the same way about spoken and written language as I do. I’ve always strongly believed that humans will eventually return to communicating through a series of grunts and whistles. They’ll call it “Neanderthal swag”, and it will be the next “big fad”. There really should be some sort of society for people like us. It would make everything much easier.

Comment on Grammatical Jeopardy – Couldn’t Care Less or Could Care Less by Hunter Workman

Hunter Workman — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:30:29 +0000

I’m a bit of a grammar buff myself, so I like to say things correctly whenever possible. This was one of those phrases I was on the fence about. I knew that “I could care less” made no sense, but I thought it may be one of those things that has a history behind it, giving it meaning. It’s nice to see I’ve been saying it correctly. It’s also very convenient that this post was so easy to find. Saved me time asking around.

Comment on DANGER – Pit Bulls Are MONSTERS! by Alysson

Alysson — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:40:50 +0000

I completely agree with you, Dixie. However, during the process of training a willful, intelligent and potentially physically overwhelming animal of any kind (dog, horse, et al.), both physical & emotional strength give you and the animal the greatest chance for success. Based on my pet sitting experience, I can say with confidence that there have been times when my physical strength was the only thing standing between my clients’ dogs & other aggressively approaching animals is my physical ability to stop the confrontations before they turned truly ugly.

Thanks for taking the time to share your insight!

Comment on DANGER – Pit Bulls Are MONSTERS! by Dixie

Dixie — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 06:11:13 +0000

While I appreciate exactly what you’re saying and in a lot of ways agree I have to say the strength of the person physically isn’t really what counts in my humble opinion. I have a 132lb purebred mutt…..part Dane part Pit and part Lab. I am an over 50 female with 4 major back surgeries behind me and don’t even weigh as much as the mutant. BUT….due to training and committment to him knowing that there are some things he is NOT allowed to do with momma means I can walk him, play with him, and snuggle him just as if he was half the size he is. The same goes for my 87lb beagle/border collie mix. They don’t pull when walking and are not prone to get overly exuberant when I play with them. Yes, being strong enough to handle a bully breed is important the same can be said for having the good sense to train your dogs properly regardless of breed.

Comment on DANGER – Pit Bulls Are MONSTERS! by Alysson

Alysson — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:56:55 +0000

Experience is always the best teacher, Reda…and always more powerful than preconceived notions. I’m glad you were open-minded enough to base your opinion on your experiences, rather than simply relying on the maliciously inflated danger this breed supposedly poses. Thanks for stopping by and for volunteering at your local animal shelter. I’d hope others reading this right now will be inspired to do the same!

Comment on DANGER – Pit Bulls Are MONSTERS! by Reda

Reda — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:47:01 +0000

I too was one of the skeptical people who thought “what are they thinking” when my cousins brought home a pit bull when they had 2 small kids in the house. I thought of all the stories I heard the injuries.
Then I started volunteering at an animal shelter that takes in pit bulls and works closely with an pit bull rescue in the area.
Now I hear all these wonderful stories of them rescuing someone, the shows dedicated to the breed, the rehabbing of the fighting or bait dogs and of course hands on relationship with the breed.
I love dogs. I grew up with doxies, had a couple bassets and now have a coonhound and boxer.
I cannot own a pit bull because of the laws and insurance requirements. But I love them and would lay beside one anyday over a small dog. I’m not knocking the small breeds…I love them too. I just prefer big dogs.
There are so many advocates now for pit bulls that hopefully legislation can pass reforms so that the breed isn’t discriminated against, then insurance follows thru to not exclude specific breeds…THEN and just as important, tougher laws on owners who fight these dogs. These dogs as so many just want to love and be loved.
Thank you for listening!

Comment on DANGER – Pit Bulls Are MONSTERS! by Alysson

Alysson — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:18:25 +0000

Well…um…your words. Not mine.

Comment on DANGER – Pit Bulls Are MONSTERS! by Alysson

Alysson — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 23:17:45 +0000

Thanks for stopping by, Megan. My sister owns a local pet sitting business. Our experiences are very similar to yours, in that Pit Bull-type breeds have never caused either of us any problems, but other breeds - particularly small breed dogs like Chihuahuas, Pomeranians and the like - are often far more aggressive and prone to bite. Granted, the damage they do is far less than that of a large breed, but tell that to the girl who ended up with 20 stitches after having been attacked by her grandparents 3 Chihuahuas. I don't recall anyone ever calling for a ban on Chihuahuas...

Comment on DANGER – Pit Bulls Are MONSTERS! by You're an idiot.

You're an idiot. — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:56:00 +0000

LOL. Dogsbite.org is a crock of shit, and if you listen to them, then your are worse then retarded.

Comment on DANGER – Pit Bulls Are MONSTERS! by Megan

Megan — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:49:14 +0000

I own 3 APBT’s and love them to pieces! All have their own quirks but are SO lovable and everybody that knows them just loves them to pieces! I adopted my oldest from a rescue, they called her a ‘Lab/Weimaraner mix’ which was a total lie but i didn’t care, and i have never looked back, my second i got from a byb before i knew much about the breed and my third is my first show dog and they are all just great dogs. everyone is always going to have their thoughts and we are always going to have people that are afraid of pit bulls but the more people that spend time with these beautiful and amazing creatures the more people whose minds we are able to turn! i would say 90+% of the people that ‘hate’ all pit bulls and want them all to die have probably never actually met one, and are just feeding off of the media frenzy! my dogs are always properly contained and never off-leash other than in their own backyard. they are properly socialized (i am a dog groomer) and they come with me to work most days of the week and love to greet the customers! we have the occasional customers who have problems with those ‘pits’ (i hate that term) but if they stand and pet the dogs they get over it. as far as my experience goes, the small dogs are the problems. the dog is small so nobody cares to socialize or train it. the dog barks and snarls, so the owner picks it up. how is that a correctional behavior? regardless, any dog can be aggressive and if they ban all pit bulls they will just continue through all the breeds until we can’t own dogs anymore. what a shame!

Comment on Grammatical Jeopardy – Couldn’t Care Less or Could Care Less by Alysson

Alysson — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 04:56:44 +0000

I see what you’re saying, Hal, but I have to disagree. Based on the meaning of the words in context, it simply does not make sense to say “I could care less” for the reasons I’ve detailed above. Colloquialism or not, words are either used accurately or inaccurately based on their meanings. I’ve not heard “Astigmatism” in place of “stigma” – though I’m pretty sure I’d literally laugh out loud. At least “Astigmatism” is actually a word…unlike “irregardless”. Thanks for stopping by!

Comment on Grammatical Jeopardy – Couldn’t Care Less or Could Care Less by Hal

Hal — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 02:55:32 +0000

Great post! I never say “could care less” because I don’t want people to think I’m an idiot. However, while I am not a fan of its use, I’d argue that it is not technically incorrect to say it. It is an American colloquialism and has become generally accepted over time. BTW – my favorite is when people use “Astigmatism” when they mean “stigma”. I swear I have heard this at least 3 times.

Comment on Grammatical Jeopardy – Couldn’t Care Less or Could Care Less by Alysson

Alysson — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 23:28:04 +0000

Thanks, Jackie. I’m glad you enjoyed the post. And welcome to my Twitterverse!

Comment on Grammatical Jeopardy – Couldn’t Care Less or Could Care Less by Jackie

Jackie — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 04:41:45 +0000

Loved it and it’s amazing to me that people are so angry about it. Wow. I’ll be following you on twitter now. Love love the witty banter! Good job!