Oxford Comma

[Ben Kenobi]

Who said that? Ben's and Dave Floyd's Jesus, Capitalist Jesus™?

What ever gave you the impression that I'm a Randian?

[Al B. Sure!]

What ever gave you the impression that I'm a Randian?

The opportunity was too good to pass up. "My parents, Ayn Rand and God" is as though Ayn Rand is substituted for Mary as the mother of Jesus. Considering the recent debate in the other thread about your (and Dave Floyd's) claims of the capitalist underpinnings of the Gospel, I thought alluding to your Capitalist Jesus™ in this instance was a good opportunity.

It is not to be taken literally. It was an attempt at humor.

[Dinner]

Crap. Anything that Ben AND Albert agree on must be the wrongest thing ever... like a in the closet gay form of wrong-ness

Fixed!

[Asher]

Only a ****** like Albert would think it means Ayn Rand is your mother.

Also, you could just rearrange the order. "To Ayn Rand, my parents and God". What is so difficult about that?

edit: hey, I just found a counterexample on Wikipedia. "To my mother, Ayn Rand, and God". Sounds like a rather ambiguous way to make lists.

The counterexample is stupid because that is not a list. It was a poor stylistic choice better serviced by paranthesis.

[giblets]

Yes, it is a list. A list of things that something is being dedicated or directed to.

[Ben Kenobi]

It is not to be taken literally. It was an attempt at humor.

I did laugh, but wanted to be sure that was the intent. You're not the first who's said that btw.

[Asher]

Yes, it is a list. A list of things that something is being dedicated or directed to.

It's simply a poor stylistic choice. It's not a list because there's not three distinct items in that quote.

"To my mother, Ayn Rand, and God"

Should obviously be:

"To my mother (Ayn Rand) and God"

or:

"To God and my mother, Ayn Rand"

An Oxford Comma is only to be used when there are three or more items in a list.

[SlowwHand]

Crap. Anything that Ben AND Oerdin agree on must be the wrongest thing ever... like a Platonic form of wrong-ness

Wrongest?

[Darius871]

Wow, 26 years and I had no idea such a vast debate or such specific nomenclature even existed until reading this thread. I'd simply assumed that delightful little before-the-"and"-in-a-list comma was required for the common-sense reasons stated here and I'd simply felt the uncontrollable urge to disembowel and skull-**** the writer of anything I read that omitted it. Good to know there's some good authority behind those instincts.

[giblets]

It's simply a poor stylistic choice. It's not a list because there's not three distinct items in that quote.

"To my mother, Ayn Rand, and God"

Should obviously be:

"To my mother (Ayn Rand) and God"

or:

"To God and my mother, Ayn Rand"

An Oxford Comma is only to be used when there are three or more items in a list.

What? Ayn Rand, your mother and God are three different things. But if you use the Oxford comma then it looks like two different things because Oxford commas are stupid.

[Darius871]

Oxford commas are stupid.

Die horribly.

[Felch]

I didn't know that it was called an Oxford comma earlier today. I thought a vote against the Oxford comma was a vote against Oxford. Since I now realize what it is, I'm no longer opposed to it.

However, I still hate Oxford.

[Provost Harrison]

Hmmm...

[MrFun]

☺

[Felch]

Hmmm...

It's a jealous hatred, knowing that I'm not good enough for it.