Last week, Donald Trump was chosen as our next president. Some people were happy, others were not. Some people were scared, some had no concerns. Some people won and some people lost.
This post isn't about how we should all band together because we're all Americans because millions of people are saying that, and I'm still not sure exactly where my brain is at this moment in time. No, this post is based off of the safety pin movement, which was based off of the election. (Wear a safety pin to show that you are an "ally" to any of the groups that were targeted by Donald Trump's harmful rhetoric.) But you see, as I've grown older, I've noticed that lots of little things have come to stand for big movements. A semi-colon to show support for people with depression, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, and other mental illnesses. Red lipstick to show support for sexual assault survivors. A little pink ribbon to show support for those currently fighting, or who have fought, breast cancer. In my own school, a dollar bill placed above the knee to fight the dress code. These are little things. Insignificant, mundane, household items. Items that are taken for granted have come to stand for something of great importance. I think it's incredible, the way things can build you up or tear you down. I think it's incredible, the words that are behind these symbols, these movements. Though they be but little, they are fierce. Though one voice may be small, it starts the ripple. And while the ripple may start small, it grows big and powerful and strong. These small symbols have a strong message: I am with you. I'm sure some of you are asking yourselves (or me) "What on earth is the Oxford comma?" Well, I shall explain it post-haste.
The Oxford comma is the comma that comes before the word "and" when you are listing things. For example: The American flag is red, white, and blue. Did you notice the bolded comma before the "and"? That is our dear friend, the Oxford comma. Unfortunately, some rule was made up a few years ago, and it is now acceptable to not use the Oxford comma. For example: The American flag is red, white and blue. (You will never know how much it pained me to not put O.C. in there.) Now, to some people, leaving out the Oxford comma is not a big deal, but to me, it is. Not only does it look really weird and pain me emotionally, leaving O.C. out of sentences just doesn't work in many cases. Here is an example of a sentence with the Oxford comma: She took a photograph of her parents, the president, and the vice president. (Meaning, she took a photo of her parents, a photo of the president, and a photo of the vice president.) Here is the same sentence without the Oxford comma: She took a photograph of her parents, the president and the vice president. (This sounds as if her mother and father were the president and the vice president, which isn't what the sentence is actually saying.) I suppose the war between the Oxford comma believers and non-believers is somewhat silly, is not life-changing. But I believe that the Oxford comma is very important. I've grown up using it, and I'm not going to drop it, no matter what. I shall continue to use proper punctuation the proper way. |
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April 2018
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