Oh, look. At least some Americans have a spine.
is this actually in spite, or despite? i’m sure there is some umbrage being felt, but I doubt that is the primary reason
Huh, I’d never considered that difference. Every grammar resource I’ve seen online says “in spite of” and “despite” currently have the exact same meaning and the emotional connotations of “spite” (which seems to have just meant “in opposition to” for longer than it’s meant “in opposition to for vindictive reasons”) never got inferred into the phrase “in spite of”, but I actually think your reading makes more sense for how it should be (if only because there’s no point in having “in spite of” and “despite” mean different things).
thank you for correcting me, you appear to be right. For added context had o1 also give me the conventions of the two terms, “Despite” and “in spite of” are indeed very close in meaning: both convey “regardless of” or “not prevented by.” In modern usage, they’re essentially interchangeable. While “in spite of” can sometimes feel a bit more personal or emphatic—and in older or more formal contexts might suggest defiance—it typically does not carry a strong sense of “malice” or hostile intent. Most English speakers use “despite” and “in spite of” interchangeably without any intended ill will.
In spite vs despite have different connotations. Despite is more passive. In spite is more directly confrontational.
In my opinion.
ditto
