I get heaps of e-mail every day, mostly from consumers wanting my help or advice. In the 13 years that I’ve been writing a consumer column, I’ve noted a sharp increase in the number of e-mails written in barely understandable SMS-speak.
No capital letters, no punctuation, no spacing – just a stream of thought, punched out any old how. And ironically, most of the culprits have names that suggest that English is their first language.
How do these people think this is an acceptable way to communicate with anyone but a close buddy?
Do they think that because they’re sending the e-mail from their BlackBerry, SMS-speak is okay?
An example: “Hi we r gettin rippd off .bought a monthly ,bus only ran 4 th íst week thn they stoppd th buses 2 the plant.we pay R620.00 4th seervice an cant get our money back or our tickets extended. IT seems tht n obody can oppose this abuse…”
He didn’t even sign his full name. I can’t take up every case, so the chances of me quickly closing this e-mail and moving on to the next, less chaotic, disrespectful one, are pretty good.
Before I could take up such a case I’d first have to respond to the writer, seeking clarification and a lot more information, then rewrite the e-mail into English before forwarding it with my comments to the company concerned. The sad thing is, it’s probably a legitimate complaint – the writer just does himself no favours by taking so little time and effort to communicate it properly.
I’m not the only one who is allergic to inappropriate SMS-speak. This week The Mercury’s family therapist, Rod Smith, wrote this in response to a woman who’d written such a letter to him about her love triangle dilemma.
“Drop all dating. Forget the very idea of romance. Focus all of your energy on using the correct spelling and grammar. Pursuing spelling and grammar will alert you to ‘rules’ and expectations transferable to life, relationships and common decency.
“If you can write this lazy, careless letter – there are indications that you know better – to me, a stranger, with no concern about how it represents you or reads, I am not at all surprised that you can engage in duplicitous romantic relationships with such abandon.”
I daresay several English teachers have read that out to their pupils.
A harsh judgement, perhaps, but the point is that those who choose to send such sloppy letters to strangers, especially strangers whose help or co-operation they seek, are not doing themselves any favours.
SMS-speak has its place – personal communication between friends and family only.
Get Real!
Being forty-something, I read reports about the UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) banning future publication of two cosmetics adverts – featuring airbrushed pictures of forty-something actress Julia Roberts and supermodel Christy Turlington – with keen interest.
Both stars were used to advertise foundation products – Roberts for Lancôme’s Teint Miracle and Turlington for Maybelline’s The Eraser, both part of cosmetic giant L’Oréal’s stable.
The complainant, British politician Jo Swinson, argued that the images of their faces had been digitally manipulated until they were “not representative of the results the product could achieve”.
The company disputed this, saying that despite Turlington’s photo having been retouched, signs of ageing were still visible, such as crow’s feet, and the image “accurately illustrated” achievable results.
It admitted that digital post-production techniques had been used on Roberts but said they weren’t “directly relevant” and the photo was “aspirational”. But get this – apparently the ASA was denied access to the original, non-enhanced images of Roberts because of contractual agreements with the actress.
So, the regulator wasn’t able to evaluate the extent of the digital manipulation.
“On the basis of the evidence we had received, we could not conclude that the ad image accurately illustrated what effect the product could achieve, and that the image had not been exaggerated by digital post-production techniques,” the ASA said.
Swinson said: “It shows just how ridiculous things have become when there is such fear over an unairbrushed photo that even the advertising regulator isn’t permitted to see it.”
The truth is that such luminous, line-free perfection can’t be found in a jar or a bottle.