Okay, dammit...where do I send my application???

[Fat Hack]

Have we had a magazine bashing session yet this week? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Okay, SERIOUSLY...I try to give our buds in the magazine world a break. I know how hard they work and how thankless their job can be, and I appreciate the pressures of deadlines and such...

...but enough is enough, dammit!

Using 'spellcheck' to edit text does NOT catch all the blatant grammatical and word use errors! Case in point? The article about the blue Willys in the new STREET RODDER mag...saying the owner "did not want to altar the car's...".

What the Hell is THAT? He's afraid to drive it to CHURCH??? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

I know it's a little thing, but I see it EVERY MONTH in national publications, and it makes me wanna SCREAM! It's one thing to use "sloppy" grammar and spelling in casual conversation on a message board or something...but when you call yourself a professional writer and do it for a living under a byline...your signing your name to your work and putting it out there for all to see!

If you let little slips like that go by, then pretty soon it becomes okay to let bigger flubs go, and before long we'll be trying to decipher barely coherent ramblings written in caveman English!

I know, the average reader may only read on a fifth grade level at best, but that doesn't mean that the professionals should slack off since nobody is likely to catch it!

If it was just a rare mistake here and there once a year or so, I could buy that as fitting into the realm of natural human error, but when nearly every article every MONTH contains such errors, it gets to the point that it WORRIES me!

These are things that I could NOT have gotten away with on my old school newspaper without the editor and/or teacher chewing me a new asshole over it...and here's people getting paid good money to write for a WORLDWIDE publication and sign their name to such workmanship? That makes me want to CRY it's so sad!

I realize that it may not be the WRITER'S fault...the error could occur after he submits his copy for print, but it's HIS name on the article, and any such obvious errors become a reflection on the AUTHOR...not the nameless underling who may or may not have been responsible for the goof. You see what I'm saying? It's YOUR name and reputation on the line...as well as your image as a professional writer. If someone under you is getting away with butchering the language in your name, then you owe it to yourself to find out WHO and put their ass back in grade school until they can pass basic English!

I know, the pressures of the job, the travel and long hours can lead to oversights in the minor details, but part of being a professional is being able to take great PRIDE in your work and insure that it's RIGHT before submitting it to the customer!

Yes, the CUSTOMER! Advertisers may spend the big bucks to get favorable reviews and see their name and products in print, but without CONSUMERS spending their money to BUY the magazine, it would soon evaporate! You send a poor quality product to the customer often enough, and pretty soon they will go elsewhere!

*sigh*

What the Hell, I probably represent a microscopic fraction of the population who even CARES. Maybe it only bugs me because I know better, and though I don't claim to be a professional writer, I certainly doubt that I could do any worse than some of what I've been attempting to digest as of late!

I still have my stacks of old magazines from the 70s, and just you take a look at them. Go ahead. You WON'T find nearly the number of STUPID mistakes in them as you do in magazines today. Back then, journalists were held to a higher standard, and real, live PEOPLE did the proofreading! People will catch moronic word use whereas a computer will just see that the word is spelled correctly and rubber stamp it as being acceptable!

Lets also try to watch the use of words such as "doable" in print. (Yes, I have seen it in several magazines spelled just like that!). It's piss-poor slang that may pass in casual SPEECH, but just burns like acid to the eyes in PRINT! "do-able" would be a tic better, but it's still goofy ass laziness!

I've been told time and time again to get a job in the magazine industry, and I get messages all the time encouraging me to do so! WHO THE HELL AM I??? I'm no damn English Professor...I'm just a marginally educated slob who digs cars and has SOME writing ability! Am I of the proper caliber to write for a magazine? Years ago I may have questioned it...but anymore...I'd almost give it a shot!

Butt eye aint sew sure aye wood bee wright four watt gets bye the editors and proof reeders two day!

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

[OGNC]

There are worse things then spelling errors in a lot of the rod mags. How about the new Ol' Skool Rodz where the guy spends the entire feature about that bad ass little T-coupe from San Diego calling it a ROADSTER!?!?!? Did it like 4 or 5 times in the same story.

[manyolcars]

Language is the basis of civilization. It is ABSOLUTELY unacceptable for the writers in the magazines to use improper words, misspelled words and to mis-identify the car. Calling a car a cabriolet does not make it one. Recently I have seen several articles talking about channeling a car the 'width' of the frame rails when it is obvious they mean the height of the frame rails.

[OGNC]

Yeah, unfortunately I may be partially at fault. I have had more than my fair share of blunders make it past out crack crew of copy editors over the years. Most of the time it has something to do with trying to slide a story in right before the drop-dead date (deadline).

[RileyRacing]

I always thought grammar was my ma's ma... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

I think you should start FatHackRodz mag... where you can spread the disease of 2.8's, homebuilt shifters and tell of the after effects of tetanus shots. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

ps, spellcheck your last response, dude! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Jay

[Junkyard Dog 32]

I no wut yue meen.

JOEhttp://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Machinos]

I TOTALLY agree. Everyone makes mistakes, but bad grammar or spelling in a national publication is a bit different than in a high school history report. Don't they all have people on staff that are supposed to check for that kinda stuff?

I've seen spelling errors (actual spelling errors, not something a spellchecking program would miss) in recently published novels too. ARGH!

[Germ]

I'm trying and am in the SECOND PHASE, kinda,, of WRITING a HUMOR SECTION in "STUFF MAGAZINE"...
I will be answering READERS QUESTIONS,, with my style of SHIT GRAMMAR,,,
the EDITORS can fucking SPELL CHECK it

JUST send me my PAY CHECK..
I t will be nice to get PAID every month for 3 hours of WORK,,,

questions LIKE how do I introduce my GIRLFRIEND to ROLE PLAYING?

Shit like that,,,

we'll see...
WRITING for HOT ROD magazines is BULLSHIT,....
You can NEVER say what NEEDS to be SAID,,
It alwasy has to reflect their fucking OPINION.,....
I use to WRITE COLUNHS for MAXIMUM ROCK N ROLL,, and have also DONE GHOST WRITING when I needed money for SUBSTANCE abuse,,,

I am ACTUALLY a REALLY good WRITER believe it or NOT,,,,
Poetry is my DARKNESS, and I get it really TWISTED,,
I wrote BETTER suicide NOTES the sylvia plath in the 5th grade

GO FOR IT HACK, you HOMO,
I will read it..

[hatch]

Hey Fat...I was reading and enjoying your rant until I came to the blatant misuse of the english language in one of your statements...you used "your" when you should've used "you're"....if this kind of crap continues, I'm going to suggest to Ryan you get banned for life..(or longer) ...let this be a warning....or next time you build a prostreet car, I won't come over and help you "shorten" the rearend!!!!....meet me at the libary and we can do some research.

[Bob K]

huked on foniks werks fer my

[Smokin Joe]

The Difference Hack is that you had to pass the class to graduate. Today, if the kids show up for 2/3 of the year or have a note from their parole officer they graduate.

I lucked out today. I took the Chevelle to the Twin Falls car show and some punk keyed my pickup sitting in my driveway.

[Bigcheese327]

[ QUOTE ]
How about the new Ol' Skool Rodz where the guy spends the entire feature about that bad ass little T-coupe from San Diego calling it a ROADSTER!?

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, re-read HGF's Hot Rod critically, sometime. He speaks of Bud Crayne's coupe as a "roadster" repeatedly and talks about him saving up for things like a "chrome camshaft." Admittedly, however, writing fiction about driver's training and writing a magazine feature are two different things. The OSR crew ought to be "car guys" unlike Felsen who was just a concerned dad cribbing from Hot Rod Magazine and the like, I'm sure.

[34Hupmobile]

There was a time long, long ago when proof readers were employed by every publisher. Unfortunately "down sizing" has affected even the fourth estate. Gone are grammatically correct complete sentences, replaced instead with incomplete idioms, half thoughts, ebonics and gross misspellings. The bar has been lowered to now include editors that 30 years ago wouldn't have qualified to work in the mail room. Correct English has gone the way of the buggy whip. Those able to spell or write a proper sentence are, like the buggy whip, considered vestiges of the past.

[hatch]

You know...it's really scary....the world of communication is becoming keyboard only...and some people just can't do it....just like calculators took away mental math. I am ashamed that people in the US can't read or write as well as some of the European Hambers....WTF happened????

[old beet]

I'm not too smart, but I never had to AXE myself anything!!!..........OLDBEET

[19Fordy]

Why are you surprised? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif Seems like lots of folks under 30 and almost every teenager today has A.D.D. or some other "disorder" and an attention span of about ten minutes. If you can't pay attention, you don't learn.And if you can't learn and apply what you learn you have what's called the "dumbing down of America." Get used to it, 'cause it's the way it's gonna be. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

[old beet]

When I was a kid, ADD was called "sit down and shut up"..........OLDBEET

[williebill]

My kids think I'm the spelling Nazi around here.They roll their eyes when I raise hell over all the mistakes the local TV has on the news scroll,the stupid spelling mistakes I see on billboards,and especially their own mistakes.Go read the local college newspaper sometime,it'll make you cry.None of the 20 somethings that have worked for me the last few years can even spell 4 letter words.Axle becomes "axel",brakes is "breaks",adjust becomes "ajust".These are college kids.When I give them shit over it,they are always surprised,because NOBODY gives a shit anymore,except old farts like me.A guy I know teaches English at the high school,and he tells me that english is an "alive" language,and the speech of 20 years from now will not resemble the speech of today at all.My theory is he doesn't give a damn about his students speaking and writing Ebonic bullshit.Sorry to be long winded about this,I may be old,fat,and stupid,but I can read and write a fucking correct sentence.Seems like they taught that shit years ago,didn't they?

[choprods]

Maybe they get DGS after a few years working at a magazine.......
Ive written a couple of car articles that were printed-But I did't really write for anyones book seriously, [but I CAN spell].
However I tend to be typing along and realize I left off the last two letters of a few words I typed![Oh yeah-DGS-dont giveashit] http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[C9]

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah, re-read HGF's Hot Rod critically, sometime. He speaks of Bud Crayne's coupe as a "roadster" repeatedly and talks about him saving up for things like a "chrome camshaft."

[/ QUOTE ]

Read an interesting and well done article about HGF in one of the car mags a while back.
HGF admitted he didn't really know that much about hot rods, but he did say he was a good enough writer to make the reader think he did.

My favorite error from a few years back - in a car mag - the writer talked about a particular problem popping up time and again and called it a perineal problem.
Which is I suppose, one way to call a recurring problem a pain in the ass.

Editing the stuff you write is tough enough, it's gotta be even tougher when you have to edit stuff for others.

I do ok in the spelling dept., but the lack of punctuation, capitals and paragraph breaks in posts are what gets to me.
Doesn't have to be right on, just stick a period or comma in there once in a while and indicate a new paragraph by using a blank line.
Indents denoting an new paragraph don't work on Internet boards - as most of us have discovered....

[redmeat]

<font color="red"> YOU UPPITY BASTARDS WITH YOUR ...I CAN READ...I CAN WRITE!!!.......... I will stick to having the 9yr old girl across the street coming over to read these posts to me and them taking dictation and writing back to you all! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

R E D M E A T </font>

[customcarpainter]

The reason so many kids have A.D.D. nowadays is due to them being in front of a television ALL the damn time and not having to get outside and use their imagination for anything.

[Hot Rod To Hell]

Hell Yeah Hack!!! I wonder what they'd say if you submitted an application for employment with 4000+ references on it!!! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[himmelberg]

In a world where young people emulate and champion 'urban poor' as a style, there is little lower to go. Not slamming urban poor folk, just saying that we have looked up for something to inspire us... found little... so we looked down. Since many on this board lean toward "traditional" it comes as no surprise that poor quality communication annoys. In my job I get to see first hand how poorly we teach children. Not that teachers are bad... but here in TX we teach our kids how to pass tests. We teach strategies... don't let them develop their own. Kids are in 'revolt' against the standard... they always have been. We were. Now we hold to a standard that is over 50 years old , our traditional rides... surely the plastic buzz bombs from our eastern brothers can't hold a candle to them. Values are in decline across the board. It is gratifying that so many of us are encouraging younger guys to keeping things cool. It is nice to know that so many younger guys respect tradition, too.

[19Fordy]

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gifRemember when there was no television? You actually had to sit down, be quiet and pay attention to a little box that had a voice coming out of it! And if you did not have a radio, you had to actually read a book or a magazine. Kids today are really missing out and don't even know it. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

[oldandkrusty]

FH, I couldn't agree more (is that correct?)! I have been f#*king amazed at the pile of slop fed to us when we try to wend our way through the articles published in our favorite magazines. Holy jumped on Jaysus, don't the people who take the time to write articles, for which they are paid, care to do a simple spell check or grammar check? Is this what we should expect from professionals? I don't think so. But, when the prior President gave us all an English lesson on what was and wasn't sex, where is the reality of proper useage of English. Every day, I sit at my kitchen table with my cuppa and read my newspapaper. And, every damn day, I see one mis-spelling after another. When I travel I see the same thing in other newspapers. I'm not a language Nazi, but why-oh-why can't the professionals give us a professional product. I don't think this small requirement is too dificult to demand. Nor is it any less than we should expect of any professional. Do your damn job-that's what you're paid for!

[Flat Ernie]

FH - you nailed it! I get so annoyed at the "dumbing of Amerika" as Dan Rather (I think) proclaimed.

One of my (many) pet peeves is the lack of use of adverbs. Folks insist on leaving off the "-ly" from the end of adverbs &amp; it just grates on me. Worse yet, is the incorrect use of "good" when you mean "well."

Here's a neat site for those nit-pickers amongst us:
Common Errors (http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/)

No one really proof reads anymore, they run spell-check &amp; call it good. And as has already been pointed out, we teach kids to pass tests; we teach to the lowest common denominator instead of teaching to a standard. Social passing is more acceptable than personal accountability. It's frustrating to say the least...

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[porknbeaner]

I'm with you Hack. But a certain amount of flubs are gonna slip by.
Poor writing has been my pet peeve for years. Sometimes its done on purpose under the guise of poetic license, but more often than not its just poor editing. Seems to be getting worse. Really no excuse for it, deadline or no.
I guess that's why the guys on the other side of the pond say that we don't speak english over here.

[34Hupmobile]

The root of the problem is money. For the last 30 years we've been throwing more and more money at education, reducing class sizes, hiring more teachers, cops in schools and giving administrators enormous salaries. Our educational systems and the country as a result suffer degradation due to the removal from our schools of two things; discipline and God. When I went to school no one had ADD or took daily doses of medication in order to pay attention. If you couldn't behave an old fashioned ass whipping would convince you of the necessity. 1 Teacher, 36 students, no cops. If the teacher's punishment didn't straighten out an offending student they would be sent to the principle to meet his personal "board of education". The paddling wasn't really the correcting factor. It was the embarassment that everyone else in the class knew you were getting spanked. Suspension was the last resort and reserved only for the most dire offences. Nowadays suspension is the first act of punishment. Heaven forbid a hallway collision or a pulled pigtail. The school resource officer (cop) is called and students and parents end up in court. When I went to high school there would be enough guns hanging on racks in the pickups in the parking lot to start a small war at any given time but no one ever thought to use them. Every young man carried a pen knife but they were never pointed at anyone much less used as weapons. When God and ethics were removed from our schools our youth began an accelerating descent into chaos and ignorance. Money can't replace right thinking or old fashioned discipline.

[himmelberg]

The root of the problem is parents, Hup. Your parents didn't send a spoiled, undernourished, both physically and intellectually (you can add emotionally too if you want)to school to be raised by teachers. Money may indeed be a major factor as mom and dad both work... leaving not near enough time for the kid. Parents are the ones who hire lawyers to assert their little ADD darlings "rights". Parents abdicate teaching their children how to behave. Children are affected by the lethargy both physical and mental that television inspires, let alone a propensity for vulgarity and violence. Children do not eat proper types of food nor do they exercise... witness the high percentage of obesity in school children. Ill fed children are irritable, anxious, and hungry... at least their bodies are hungry for nourishment not just filler. We call these tempermental children "afflicted" with a syndrome. We could spank that syndrome into oblivion, but then we have the lawyer to deal with. Greed is, indeed, a big factor... teachers aren't overpaid, administrators are... small classes result in more learning... this is a fact.God and ethics were removed by parents and their lawyers... right thinking and discipline are surely the first step toward reform. best. himmelberg

[BELLM]

This problem has gotten so bad that I stopped using car magazines to home school my kids.

Actually my youngest is 21 and an elementry education major. My 25 year old daughter teaches third grade. Too bad their father is such a dumb ass.