Still Miss Informed

About a year ago, I wrote a post detailing 84 etymological falsehoods that Louisa Cook Moats published in a single table in the 2nd edition of Speech to Print, in 2010.

This is Louisa’s response to my work of calling out the errors in the work promoted by the Dyslexia Industry, including hers:

The Emerson in question is Emerson Dickman, the tautonymic former president of the International Dyslexia Association. Emerson accuses me of “personal attacks,” because saying, “That is not actually the title of my article,” or “boutique is not a Norman French word,” is apparently a personal attack so egregious that even degreed professional women require a manly lawyerman to rush to their defense in a breathless public Facebook post. Dickman has repeatedly told me that if I were more humble, my work would be “taken more seriously,” but he refuses to answer me when I ask, by whom? It’s the same old misogynistic tone-policing that many professional women have long faced, and not just from old men. It’s that old “You’d be prettier if you smiled more” trope, in a more expensive suit.

Well, anyhow, there is now a 2020 edition of Moats’s Speech to Print, so it’s time for me to personally attack Louisa Moats again by checking her etymological claims. I have been procrastinating writing this post, because I thought it would take me a long time to go through and double-check her all-new examples a second time. Turns out it took no time at all! She didn’t edit the table in the least. She just went right ahead and published exactly the same abject bullshit as she did 10 years ago, only now it costs $10 more.

You know, even if she smiles while she does that, it ain’t pretty.

Emerson is very concerned about the opinions of people he thinks are important.

So am I.

The difference between us is in whom we consider important, whose opinion matters. For me, it’s the kids and families, the teachers, tutors, and adult dyslexics who come my way, seeking the comfort of a real understanding. For me, it’s the teachers who are told not to speak up in their OG training classes. It’s the speech paths who have a bunch of literacy triage to do, and no literacy training. I lose no sleep worrying about what the IDA board thinks of me.

I cuss, and I don’t mince words, and perhaps too often I betray the rough-edge hillbilly in my DNA, but here are a few things I deliberately do to demonstrate my respect and admiration to the people I am lucky enough to work with:

• You can retake LEXinars for free.
• My LEXinars and materials are very affordable compared to the books and classes that will lie to you. 
• I will say something nicely the first two or three times, but some things are worth raising your voice over. For example, check your own damn time zone.
• I will never, ever send you unsolicited mail or emails, advertisements, or marketing campaigns. You want me, you know where to find me.
• All of the linguistic resources offered in my store are as accurate as I know how to make them.  Every single example is looked up and verified.
• When I make a mistake or a false statement in my work, I remedy it as soon as I know I’ve done so.

So to all of you reading this who take my work seriously — and I know who you are, and why you do — thank you.