The disappearance of "me"

"Me" seems to be disappearing. That's not a grammatically incorrect way of saying, "I seem to be disappearing". I mean the word "me" seems to be disappearing. Edged out of existence as it were to be supplanted with "I".

In other languages, German for one, there are familiar and proper forms of the word "you". (We Americans don't make that distinction. Both kings and paupers are both addressed as "hey, you". ) Depending on the context or level of familiarity with the other person, you would choose to use the form "du" or "sie". If you have just met someone and you use the informal word "du" your listener may feel offended. (Of course there are a lot of guttural sounds that may follow that like "acch" or a host of other unpleasant and potentially wet sounds. (See my crib notes on being sprayed by my high school German teacher) But that's German for ya.)

I fear that's not the case with misusing "I" or "me". It's as if saying "me" somehow demonstrates that you belong to a lower class of primate or that the frequent use of "I" bestows a level of class.

Take the following example ripped from today's headlines. "The senator invited my wife and I to dinner." If you are a registered supplicant you might be so impressed that someone knows a senator that you miss the error. How about, "My wife and I were invited to dinner by the senator." Or "the senator invited us to dinner." Now listen to "The senator invited we to dinner." Almost hurts your ears doesn't it? And you feel yourself wincing.

Perhaps someone somewhere developed a rule that said, "When in doubt, use "I". Or even worse they've never heard of direct or indirect objects. Or how to determine which form is correct. Now I know that some times (okay more than some times) I write in incomplete sentences. And surely someone somewhere cannot read this blog because incomplete sentences give them a head ache. Here's the difference. (I eliminated the word "but" from the previous sentence in order to make it a complete sentence. Put down the Tylenol, and take a step back). The difference is I know an incomplete sentence when I see one or even write one. Comprende?

Trust me. This is not a problem with any particular class of people. It would be one thing to assume that only the uneddicated would fall victim to this, but it seems to appear throughout the social spectrum. It's an equal opportunity offender.

Here's my guess. Some have come to the conclusion that the more you use the word "I" the more intelligent you either are or seem to be (and trust me, seeming to be intelligent does not equate to being intelligent). And perhaps this is the way the English language changes over time as improper forms of usage become more acceptable.

For me, I find that I am appalled when me hear it.

P.S. It was the prez who received the invite from the senator.