Why apostrophe abuse make's respecting the writer impossible

This wall is to educate visitors about Navy Pier "and It's Gigantic Ferris Wheel."Seth Godin posted the other day about my absolute least favorite thing in the written world: flagrant apostrophe misuse. Says Godin:

When I get a manuscript or see a sign that misuses its and it's and quotes, I immediately assume that the person who created it is stupid.

I understand that this is a mistake on my part. They're not necessarily totally stupid, they're just stupid about apostrophes.

It's a moral failing on my part to conflate the two, but I bet I'm not the only one.

Unlike Godin, when I see an apostrophe misused in a professional or commercial context, I don't immediately assume that the writer is stupid. I assume something much worse: that the writer is not stupid. That the person knows that well-established guidelines on apostrophe use exist, but simply doesn't care enough to learn or adhere to those guidelines - or worst of all, is actively resisting adherence to those guidelines because they're "too complicated."

Personally, I find maps and navigation "too complicated." I have a terrible sense of direction, seriously deficient spatial skills, and an uncanny ability to get lost within a one-mile radius of my own home.

I could probably get better at this if I learned some tricks and devoted some practice, but frankly, it's not that important to me, and it's not necessary for most of what I do every day. But if I were a pilot, or a U.S. Marine, or an ambulance driver, I'd never be able to keep my job if I refused to address this deficiency. And yet, this is exactly what happens when people whose job it is to use written language throw up their hands and say, "I give up. I'm so confused. It's too complicated."

Nope, can't respect that. Sorry.

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