The King County Council voted unanimously for the Oxford comma on Tuesday.
The motion was sponsored by Councilmembers Joe McDermott and Jeanne Kohl-Welles.
A bit of Twitter drama ensued after the vote, with one person commenting a popcorn GIF in response to a tweet from McDermott.
It started when Washington Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal disagreed with the vote and tweeted, “A moment of enormous disagreement between me and the County Council!! As a Lit major, have never been a fan of Oxford comma as a rule. Use as needed for clarity. Otherwise, it’s putting a giant unnecessary dam in & stopping stream of literary flow.”
McDermott quoted the tweet and said, “My Member of Congress & I agree on so much, but @RepJayapal is standing in the way of consistency & clarity. As my remarks in the article suggest, her reputation could be on the line. I stand with the Oxford Comma. (And am honored to have her sister @SusheelaJayapal‘s support!)”
Kohl-Welles then quoted McDermott’s tweet and said, “I find @RepJayapal‘s disagreement with the @KCCouncil‘s unanimous approval of using the Oxford Comma unfortunate. Sponsored by @JoeMcDermottWA and me and requested by our code reviser, its usage is sensible, clear, and consistent.”
Hear ye, hear ye, we are entering the age of the Oxford comma! pic.twitter.com/mUYCcZan3q
— King County Council (@KCCouncil) March 31, 2023
A moment of enormous disagreement between me and the County Council!! As a Lit major, have never been a fan of Oxford comma as a rule. Use as needed for clarity. Otherwise, it’s putting a giant unnecessary dam in & stopping stream of literary flow. 👀 https://t.co/iidOcwNn66
— Rep. Pramila Jayapal (@RepJayapal) March 31, 2023
My Member of Congress & I agree on so much, but @RepJayapal is standing in the way of consistency & clarity. As my remarks in the article suggest, her reputation could be on the line. I stand with the Oxford Comma. (And am honored to have her sister @SusheelaJayapal’s support!) https://t.co/lsBjDJaXOo
— Joe McDermott (@JoeMcDermottWA) March 31, 2023
I find @RepJayapal’s disagreement with the @KCCouncil’s unanimous approval of using the Oxford Comma unfortunate. Sponsored by @JoeMcDermottWA and me and requested by our code reviser, its usage is sensible, clear, and consistent. https://t.co/aeMCiUXuNU
— Jeanne Kohl-Welles (@KCCKohlWelles) March 31, 2023
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