A Flavourful and Skilful (not really) Comment

Forever I have been plagued by a curiosity as to why, oh why words in England are spelled/spelt differently. Is it really necessary? Why can't we all just get along?

Historically speaking, the differences date back to the 19th century when good old Noah Webster first published his dictionary of the English language (according to the interweb, 1828). His reason for changing -our to -or and -ise to -ize, among other things? To show that the English spoke by Americans was unique from that of the Brits. Wow. Yet another excellent display by Mr. Webster (I've never been a huge fan, as an amatuer historian of education: the lesson plan, among other things).

A little more browsing on the ol' Google leads to some comments by some famous names! Hooray!
-GB Shaw said that the US and UK are "two countries divided by a common language."
-Later, Oscar Wilde is quoted as saying that the US and the UK "have really everything in common...nowadays, except, of course, the language."

What got me on this topic, you ask? Well, as I am enrolled in a university (or is it universitie?) in England, I've already been exposed to a fair share of these different spellings. It is just odd to read an academic journal or a handout in class and have the word program spelled 'programme' over and over again. On a minor tangent, the weirdocity went a step further today in my Frameworks for Environmental Management class. We are currently in the middle of learning about and discussing environmental law, so naturally we are discussing the governmental bodies associated with environmental legislation and enforcement. But instead of the EPA, Congress and the Justice Department, we're discussing the European Commission and it's relations with the European Environment Agency, the Commission, the European Parliament and the Court of Justice. Why is this weird? Because any course discussing juridprudential history in some way has been about America. I understand that this sentiment for someone who so desperately ached to attend graduate school in England is a bit, well... stupid, but you have to understand where I'm coming from hurr.

Regardless, I'm sure there will be more ridiculitude of this nature to come, as I am nuts and these people can't spell (although I now write the date and time as they do here: 2.30PM; 2.10.08 for October 2nd, 2008).