There’s something to be said about those who think perfect grammar makes you a good writer. I think it makes you a writer who could be understood better than most, but not necessarily a good one. I’ve read terrible published novels with ship-shape grammar, and amazing stories online that could probably have benefitted from a copywriter. If your writing is the machine, perfect grammar is the tool you apply to make it run better, but not something you necessarily need to focus on. There’s still the ideas, the themes, the connections you need to draw that help run that machine like tiny little interlinking gears.
I’ve worked as an editor before, and you’d think that would make me more strict on grammar, but really it’s only made me more slack with it. I don’t care how you use your commas or periods or even if you capitalize or not, I care if you’re weaving together a coherent piece of writing that means something. Often, I’ve worked with pieces that came from people whose first language wasn’t English, so reading something like Kyle Weins short piece makes me honestly think how obnoxious his sentiment behind that piece is.
I think Lavenda Oluoch’s essay has it right. Perfect American English is a privilege, one that many immigrants can’t afford to obtain. This only reveals a whole systemic issue of classism and racism where employers need employees who can communicate “good English”, but immigrants can’t get those jobs just because English isn’t their first language. Oluoch says, “Using other languages other than English should not be viewed as an inconvenience to americans.” It’s a statement that couldn’t be more true. You won’t believe how intelligent one could sound in their native language until you give them the chance.
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