words to live by, apparently

Last week, after returning the first sets of "big" papers to my students, I commented that they all seemed to be comma-phobic. Very few used too many commas; in fact, some papers didn't contain a single one. It was weird. I asked why.

One student chimed in that he'd been taught the adage "When in doubt, leave it out" to help him avoid the liberal sprinkling of commas that's wrought havoc in the blue states. Others agreed. I was dismayed.

Yesterday, our class had a conversation about current events after something I pompously called an "awareness quiz." One question asked how many people worldwide are infected with HIV/AIDS and how many people in the U.S. become infected each year. No one was close to the right answers, but we had a good discussion about safer sex and abstinence afterwards, the highlight of which came from the smarty-pants in the back of the room:

"When in doubt, leave it out."

Word.