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Politics & Current Affairs —

The Latest Wedge Issue Dividing the U.S.? Spelling.

A series of spelling errors has educated Trump opponents laughing.
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The presidential election of 2016 exposed fractures — really, more like chasms — between various groups of U.S. citizens. Of particular note is the division between those with or without college degrees, as cited by the Pew Report:

College graduates backed Clinton by a 9-point margin (52%-43%), while those without a college degree backed Trump 52%-44%. This is by far the widest gap in support among college graduates and non-college graduates in exit polls dating back to 1980.

At its heart, this is a form of class warfare, with each side considering themselves superior to the other, and it’s unfortunately not going away any time soon, it would appear. The latest battlefront in this American-on-American battle? Spelling.

Look, it’s definitely the case that some people love and care more about words than others. Not all educated people are good spellers, and not all people without a degree are bad spellers. This is even truer when it comes down to raw intelligence vs. one’s level of education, since that can also be reflective of simply being able to afford college.

Having said that, the good spellers are having a field day with how frequently the Trump White House cnt spll. For them — FULL DISCLOSURE: and me — it’s hilarious. (Also horrifying, especially considering that most of the administration’s staff is highly educated and bad at it anyway.)

The fun started gaining steam after controversial Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos took control and maybe showed how “seriously” her Department of Education would be taking spelling (and competent proofreading). Which is to say, not.

Education must not simply teach work – it must teach life. – W.E.B. DeBois pic.twitter.com/Re4cWkPSFA

— US Dept of Education (@usedgov) February 12, 2017

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