Tiny Taste of Buttnumbathon - Free Screening of Son of Rambow Tonight

Sorry, I have to jump in, because that's just the kind of person I am.

I've been with Austinist since its humble beginning, and the use of first person plural wasn't a style choice made just for this site. It's utilized by the entire -Ist network. Gothamist started it, and every -Ist site established since then (notice the links to other cities at the very top of the page?) has followed suit. With the exception of maybe LAist - they don't seem as dedicated to FPP from what I've read recently. But hey, that's LA. They do their own thang.

I'd also like to reiterate that this is a BLOG on the INTERNET, written by people who DON'T get PAID. Although that doesn't excuse rampant grammatical errors, there are different standards for writing on the web, and a looser, more carefree use of language is all part of the tone of this site (see: anything written by Truecraig). It's all part of the tech-revolution, and if you don't like it, well, I'm terribly sorry. Life is totally unfair, isn't it?

No! Steph, don't wait for Allen! We have to change the tone of all websites NOW! If we can't agree that everything everywhere has to adhere strictly to the Chicago Manual of Style, then what will our great grandchildren do? They'll all be cray confused - wait, I mean crazy confused! Cray isn't even a word, even though it's fun to say!

Shwoo! That was close!

Wait... is "shwoo" a word? It better be, because if it isn't listed in the Oxford dictionary, I might not be clearly communicating the sound of relief and general forehead wiping that I was going for!

Also, I think the Austinist should stop allowing exclamation points in their comments. There are just too many of them!

Clever.

The following should be read in the tone of a pleasant phone conversation, as I know that black letters on white screens can seem more confrontational than intended. Add a couple of chuckles if you like.

I apologize, I was referring to First Blood, as referenced in the aforementioned blog, which is also what the film Son of Rambow references.

I am still not sure that we are trampling on the altar of grammar. However, I do know for a fact that I don't see any of the money from advertising revenue, so I actually am trying to inform people in my "online community" of happenings and such with absolutely no regard for webstats. There - I was honest.

I do agree with you re: Harry Knowles - he has been a bit rude to some filmmakers that I know in the past, but I still respect what he does for our town, a town which I still love after almost 28 years and myriad changes.

And I too was alive during the Reagan years - all of them - but I was still teething in the early years, so my thesis on why Barbie is bad had to come post-cold war.

I'll talk to Allen Y Chen about our stylistic choices, but my final word on this is that it will not change anytime soon, so just skip over any entries that don't have a disclaimer denoting that they are columns, or learn to love the first person plural. I know I do, I mean, We do!

Oh yeah, I did see Rambo as a child. While the blood/guts/gore holy trinity of horror pleased the masses, I thought the film paled when compared to First Blood. The first Rambo film highlighted the issue of Vietnam Vets struggling to reintegrate onto an apathetic society that would just as soon let them die. The second film debased that message into the Vets resorting to nihilist-like behavior resulting in the aforementioned bloood/guts/gore trinity.

I actually DID write my Oxford thesis on the sociological ramifications the two films had on American politics during the Reagan years (during which I was alive, thank you very much). Unfortunatey the punch cards on which I saved the final version has since turned to dust, much like proper grammar in this amazing Internet age.

Steph,

With all due respect, there's a larger issue here of basic grammar getting trampled underfoot by the Austinist's "style guidelines." I understand the goal is to "build community" (i.e.boost your webstats & thus charge more for advertising--fair enough, we all gotta eat but let us try to be honest, kay? kay.).

Specifically the clarity of your writing gets watered down and muddled in this "Austinist" style.

Clear communication is challenging even under the best of circumstances. Adhering to long-established grammatical guidelines helps ensure readers for generations to come will have the opportunity to enjoy your astute analysis and keen observations on such life-changing events as Harry's legendary Butt-Numb-A-Thons (absolutely no sarcasm intended in that statement; Harry is one of the best lights shining in this little melting iceberg called Oztown).

Dearest t0n3d0g,

It's called "first person plural" and it is how Austinist writes all of its pieces that aren't columns. I've seen you complain about this before, and what you don't seem to understand is that the whole point of this blog is to create a sense of shared community amongst our readers, therefore making us all "we". I would write a column if I wanted to use the personal pronoun of "I", or I would write my own blog separately from this.

To call someone "amateurish" is to assume that the finger-pointer is a "professional" and until you send me a copy of your doctoral thesis in English from Oxford, I suggest doing a little more research into the method behind Austinist's madness before making such disparagements. I respect my readers very much and would hope that they will return the favor.

Also, I am very sorry that you did not see Rambo as a child, because it totally kicks ass.

Kisses,

Steph Beasley

Oh, steph,

An otherwise well-written blog is hurt by your amateurish abuse of the English language.

I can not understand why you insist upon writing articles using the "royal we". Do you believe this lends additional weight to your thoughts or perspective?

It sounds both silly & presumptuous to suggest that "we" saw Rambo as a child or "we" had certain expectations for a film.

Please in the future show more respect for your readers. I am perfectly able to articulate my own opinions and certainly don't need ANYONE else to speak on my behalf.