Sorta OT - Phrases, arguments, and memes that annoy

Semicolon use is a rite of passage, a demonstration that the author's mastery of grammar has reached a point at which they [sic] feel comfortable exploring the next echelon of punctuation. Too often, however, I see people throwing out semicolons just for the sake of proving themselves a grade above the literary hoi polloi. A properly used semicolon can be a mark of prestige, a note to your readers that your writing is so evolved that your point must be given similar credence. But don't overdo it. Often, a period will do just fine. However, I am totally fine with use of the plural pronoun for a subject of ambiguous gender (see my use of "they" above). English isn't French; we're an evolving language. Maybe a hundred years ago, when gender roles were far more rigidly defined, there wasn't such a need to worry about excluding half the human population from a hypothetical phrase. But today, men and women are essentially interchangeable as potential subjects for the verbs of our endeavors (e.g. posting on a website). We need a tool for this, and the vernacular has already picked up the plural subject of "they" without causing any confusion. It is high time, I believe, to do away with "he or she" and be comfortable the natural evolution of language complimenting that of our society. Finally, e.g. and i.e. -- i.e. translates to id est, or "that is," but should be used as a replacement for "that is to say," or "in other words." It is not, as a friend once so seriously stated, "in example." If you want an example, use a "great example," or in Latin "exempli gratia," or "e.g." for short. Of course, if your meaning is conveyed, then I have no beef with you. The purpose of grammar is politeness. It shows you made the effort to word your statement by agreed-upon maxims so that your reader doesn't have to expend effort to understand you. You know what, on second thought, fuck politeness; fuck all you, e.g., i.e., he or she farted.