A mind is a terrible thing to display on the internet

"Isn't this sad? People who have been taught nothing about their own language are (contrary to educational expectations) spending all their leisure hours attempting to string sentences together for the edification of others. And there is no editing on the internet!"
- Lynn Truss

Dantzel recently got an email from one of her professors, of which to my delight, had the gumption to criticize college students on what seems to be an alarming trend among people who consider themselves educated:

First of all, I am amazed that I even have to write this message; however, a problem is arising that needs to be nipped in the bud.

Since this is a college course, proper capitalization and punctuation needs to be upheld--even in the discussions. Therefore, from this day on, January 8th, 2009, if students do not take the time to use proper capitalization, and punctuation, I will not take the time to grade the discussions and the students will receive a zero.

If you do not know what the rules are, there is a writing lab on campus that can teach you. If you don't live nearby, I'm sure if you go to your closest elementary school, a teacher there can instruct you.

Enough said.

It just doesn't seem right for a young adult who is spending thousands of dollars on education to refuse using punctuation, capitalization and other conventions on the internet. It's like a guy who buys a fancy sports car for twenty thousand dollars and then sinks in the river so nobody can see it.