Why It's OK to Have Bad Spelling and Grammar

Grammatical errors and orthographic mishaps are often played for laughs, but this subtle sanctioning by the sticklerocracy can have real social consequences too. Jessica Flanigan argues that grammarianism often maintains existing hierarchies and imposes arbitrary barriers to knowledge production and innovation.

Jessica Flanigan is the Richard L. Morrill Chair in Ethics and Democratic Values at the University of Richmond, where she teaches Leadership Ethics, Ethical Decision Making in Healthcare, and Critical Thinking. Her research addresses the ethics of public policy, medicine, and business. In Pharmaceutical Freedom (2017), she defends rights of self-medication. In Debating Sex Work (2019), she defends the decriminalization of sex work.

Introduction 1.Grammarians And Grammar School 1.1 Education, Economics, And Citizenship 1.2 The Problems with Literacy Instruction 1.3 Disability and Disadvantage 1.4 Spelling Rituals and Parent Choice 1.5 The Style Guide 1.6 The Golden Age 1.7 Conclusion 2. Spellocratic Sanctioning 2.1 Language and Law 2.2 The Ethics of Social Sanctions 2.3 Advice 2.4 Manners 2.5 Grammarian Gaslighting 2.6 Offense 2.7 Conclusion 3. Sticklers And Stigma 3.1 Social Egalitarianism 3.2 Class 3.3 Gender 3.4 Sexuality and Sexual Identity 3.5 Race, Ethnicity, And Regionalism 3.6 Culture, Language, And Appropriation 3.7 Pronouns and Politics 3.8 Gender, Grammar, And Politics 3.9 Egalitarian Language Policing 3.10 Conclusion 4. Pedants And Progress 4.1 The Anarchic Origins of Language 4.2 Flexible Language Today 4.3 Linguistic Solidarity 4.4 Linguistic Innovation ¯\_(-)_/¯ 4.5 Linguistic Conservativism 4.6 Conclusion 5. A World Without Word-Warriors 5.1 Dispositions 5.2 Sticklerlessness 5.3 Is This Argument Self-Defeating? 5.4 Poor Spellers Untie! 5.5 Conclusion 6.