If 80% of people can't use “lay/lie” correctly, why don't we make those words interchangeable?

In response to last week’s questions, “If 80% of people can't use “lay/lie” correctly, why don't we make those words interchangeable?”, my friend Tracey may have been thinking forward when she wrote, “Are you telling me they aren't?”

My friend Vivian knew that “It wouldn't be so much fun especially when you have a nutty English teacher in high school trying to teach our class of goofy teenagers about lie/lay. Of course, our minds weren't always in the best place…Who us?” My flying friend Ted was a bit more mischievous when he responded, “If we were allowed to use these words interchangeably, we would have no way to piss off our English teachers.” Equally mischievous, my colleague Bill maintains his respect for his high school English teacher, Mrs. Bland.

While my cousin Valarie noted, “There's nothing humorous about dumbing down; eventually we'd return to the days when the masses couldn't read or write and have to paint frescoes on the wall to tell our stories,” her daughter Adare shared her feelings, “Ignorance is not bliss; ignorance is irritating."

My sailing friend Kate queried, “Well, it is sort of a dirty trick that the past tense of lie is lay. What is up with that?”

My neighbor Dick didn’t seem worried as he responded, “You know that 65.5% of all statistics are made up out of thin air (like this one).”

My birthday bud Jon is OK with the change “especially since many people will lie (in either meaning) for a lay.” Possibly recalling his high school youth or his current (SC) governor, my dad’s beach buddy Bob observed, “You may lie about with whom you lay on occasion.”

Please share your thoughts about "things that make you go 'Hmmm' ":

If you need a permit to have a gun, then shouldn’t you need one for
having kids? (from my friend Diane)

Live well...laugh often..be happy and have a good week…

Hal

From last week, my colleague Tara concluded “This one was just wrong…. LOL” while my neighbor Dick observed, “Did you ever wonder why the topic of "being naked" got so many responses? Must be a lot of "closet" nudists here.”