A Literary Slap in the Face

... or not. The video entitled A Dramatic Reading of an Actual Breakup Letter is one of the funniest videos I have ever seen on YouTube. The amusement comes not only from the hilariously bad writing but also from the narrator's reading.

After watching and laughing multiple times, I began to think about the background of the letter. Where did it come from? Who wrote it? Has the writer EVER had an English class... ever? Some part of me also began to feel sorry for the person who wrote the letter in the first place. Whoever this person is was obviously subjected to a terribly ridiculous relationship. If the horror of having a terrible relationship was not enough, the letter written was then placed on YouTube and made fun of in front of anyone who wants to watch. Viewers laugh at the relationship described, the funny voices used, the first grade writing.

When you think about it, this video is really just an example of a piece of writing gone bad. The author meant for the letter to hurt "Chris" and convince him that she or he (we can't assume) was done with the ups and downs of the relationship. Unfortunately, that purpose was completely shadowed by the horrible writing. No one can take the letter seriously with so many misspelled words, run-on sentences, and ridiculous "text talk."

So what can we learn from this? There really are stupid people out there. No, just kidding. We can all learn that good writing techniques are important. In order to properly express a point, authors need to know how to write properly. If a reader cannot understand what is being said in the plain-Jane text, then they will never understand the main purpose of the passage or the subliminal hints.

Moral of the story: pay attention in English class! That way, when you want to break up with someone via letter, they will actually pay attention instead of going on YouTube and making fun of you.