Dot Dot Dot

Is Bad Writing American?

I just finished reading a conference paper submission written by a graduate student. His writing was simply impeccable if you ignore his inability to construct sentances, use english grammar, and weave a clear thought through the entire text. How does this happen? I suppose the answer is obvious. Bad writing is American.

First, we teach our kids that they only need one language in life: English. Then we fail to teach them how to use their one-and-only language since they might feel bad about themselves when they make mistakes. Finally, we treat them like two year-olds their entire life by innundating them with media written at the level of intelligent slugs.

So maybe bad writing is inherent in being American? But I would rather like to blame public school. After all, what successful system gives institutions money before they do their work and provides no measure of accountability to those it claims to serve? And the media? Just an inevitable product of those schools.