George Will and the ideology of punctuation ... [Media Matters]

George Will and the ideology of punctuation ... [Media Matters]: "Will and the ideology of punctuation

Washington Post columnist George F. Will, in his November 20 Post column, pointed to proper punctuation as a way of distinguishing 'liberal' and 'conservative' sensibilities. Will lauded author Lynne Truss, whose book Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation (Gotham, 2004) brought her international recognition. Truss, a self-described 'punctuation vigilante,' wrote in Eats, Shoots & Leaves that her book 'gives you permission to love punctuation.' According to Will, Truss's book 'established her as -- depending on your sensibility -- a comma and apostrophe fascist (the liberal sensibility) or a plucky constable combating anarchy (the conservative sensibility).' Will offered no explanation for how he concluded that liberals oppose proper punctuation or that punctuation breaks down along ideological lines. Media Matters for America, however, was able to identify at least two writers -- one conservative and one liberal -- who do not fit into Will's punctuation paradigm, as evidenced by their views on the semicolon."