The "is-is" Epidemic

I dig it man. The end of the video pretty succinctly acts as a video clause of [what the problem is].

i've said it ONCE.
one of my bosses is a huge, unknowing is-is fanatic.
once, i overheard him say, 'the funny thing WAS.. is that...'

steve, he needs a lesson from you!

(great video, btw. i'm not a fan of root beer, but i like how you used that as an example to visually differentiate btwn what's grammatically acceptable and what's not.)

I must be a hopeless case. It won't work for me.

very entertaining... but what my minor quibble with this piece is is that that particular grammar faux pas pales in comparison to what I consider to be the two most pervasive, insidious affronts to the English language as typed on the internet:

1. Spelling 'lose' as 'loose'
2. Using apostrophes to denote plurality

...and all people who disagree with me are a bunch of looser's!!!

I like it! great video, especially the quick cuts towards the end (quick but i still clearly saw the cheney sneer)

I blame the now infamous quotation, It depends on what the meaning of is is for our current situation. So the problem is what the meaning of is is isn't it?

Klenga, you hit the nail on the head.
apostrophes to denote plurality - THAT'S THE WORST!
I think that began with an initial confusion as to how to pluralize things like DVD and VCR.

But now it's spreading. People are putting apostrophes on third person present verb conjugations, for example "He want's to..." !!!*^&$%!*^&$%!*&^

I love your observation. Awesome!

You guys are mean as poverty. I do all that. I also put a coma wherever I please. Doesn't mean I'm not a good person.

very true, Marilynn Murray... as the saying goes, "is is" is what "is is" is, isn't it? ok, I need to get away from the computer...

I'm glad you finished off with recognizing some of the bigger issues we face today. That Britney Spears is indeed a problem.

It is cool. What I liked is is that it is amusing, that is that I is entertained by it.

Way to wipe that loogie off the face of common grammar!
Both face-paced and engaging. Nicely edited.
The ending was excellent.

i LOVE this.

Keep making videos...this one is great..tj

Stephen! I love this. It morphed from an entertaining and charming "nitpick" of a cultural phenomenon to a much greater reminder that we've got other problems. Your montage was great. It actually made me laugh at first, because of the contrast between the is-is problem and real world problems. But the point you make is bigger than the sum of its parts. The point is in many ways, language. The definition of torture. The laws that are written to leave out language defining global warming and scientific findings. The fuzzy logic that allows injustice to persist. The inflammation of the corporate media's words drawing our attention to what is not a problem - i.e. Britney so we ignore actual problems.

Words are power.
Watch your language indeed.
Well put.
And bravo.

"Is" is static and not changing.

Very good never noticed that before, i think will now!

Great pod, Steve.
Know what I'm sayin'?

I loved this, I want more "Watch Your Language" pods!

However, I argue that the "is is" epidemic is not related to grammar. I think it can be considered as an example of phatic language.

"It depends on what the meaning of the word 'is' is. If the—if he—if 'is' means is and never has been, that is not—that is one thing. If it means there is none, that was a completely true statement."

---- Bill Clinton

That is is fuckin awesome.

Good good job job steve steve.

You would've gotton me that English GCSE!

This is great -- really kind of mean-funny commentary on the media. Your ire at the world for mistaking cultural questions for the important things. "Status:epidemic" -- that's classic. Where's the music from?

Now that is a great video. Beyond the content, which I liked, the craftsmanship was excellent. Really well edited. Great music and sound design. Even the graphics are well designed and executed.

I hope you do more.

Alas, I'm sure I make all of these grammatical mistakes and more. I blame computers. How do you pluralize DVD and VCR? Or STD? Or WMD...that would be a good thing to know.

Excellent stephenthompson! (Bet it's been hard for you not to correct us on the posts!)

Very nice work! I like the music too!

I will be waiting for you to tackle more of these grammatical aberrations, perhaps with the same wit and depth. I'm not a native English speaker, so grammar is very important to me. How about "very unique?" Or any modifier for the word? It drives me insane...
You have a nice presence in front of the camera.

Very thought provoking! Especially enjoyed the ending.

In my opinion the last 30 seconds of this video should be attached to the end of every other video. Just to remind people of what the real problem is.

I totally agree with it! Thanks for bringing that up "stephenthomson." We should always try to improve our talking and writing. Ha! I am notorious for making some grammatical mistakes myself. The important is that I am aware of it and when I have the time I go back and edit it. Despite of it, I do recognize that, there are big differences in English Language between "phonetic" and "writing."

By the other hand, I think people should not be too much concerned as many times the importance of the information overwrites the importance of style or grammatical correctness.

-What do you think about it?

YES! I feel like such a grammar fiend when I feel the need to correct such things. I also really enjoy the "WTF" blocks in the intro and outro.

Yes, there may be problems in the world that appear much more serious than a "simple" grammatical flaw, but it just points to the global level of eductation in general. If we were all more intelligent with our semantics, would that benefit our intelligence in other matters? Do "smaller" problems inadvertently lead to bigger problems?

Nice one Stephen!
I was cracking up.
The thing is is that it came together nicely.

Stephen you are a genius!

thanks for putting things in perspective. I dont think i would have have caught myself doing that.

It's great to learn
Cause knowledge is power!

it also bothers me when people say ATM machine

I really, really like this!

This is is is so good.