Thinking about it this way, I now think I want the Oxford comma to be the one used everywhere. I'm not sure though if it would make English any easier or harder
Alright, lemme sit you fuckers down and explain why we don't use the oxford comma. The associated press (aka the guys that write your newspaper) recommend against it because it is a waste of print and of space. We aren't idiots: we can infer the existence of a pause there from context. No one will ever respond to your email with "hey, did you just call me toast and orange juice?" And if I write "Alex, Bob and Sam went to school", no one is gonna think that Bob and Sam are conjoined twins (plot twist: they are). BECAUSE THAT'S MORONIC. We give newspaper readers enough credit to not be idiots; I suggest you do the same with your readers.
I do not disagree with you, but it just really irks me when I don't see it being used since we were forced to use it throughout middle school. It was something that was drilled into us so it's hard to just drop it and stop using it all together. My brain instantly recognizes it as an error.
My problem is that commas have consistently been used to indicate pauses. And it's the pauses that help people understand what's trying to be communicated.
With commas its read as:
Ihadeggs toast andorangejuice.
Without its read as:
Ihadeggs toastandorangejuice.
While the intended meaning can be derived easily enough in most cases, it's still just a little bit harder for your brain to work out what's going on. Communication is already difficult. As the saying goes "The biggest problem with communication is the illusion that its taken place" -Shaw. So why not just slip in the Oxford comma and make it a bit easier. A print newspaper is understandable as ink and space are at a premium but this isn't the case when it comes to anything online.
With commas its read as:
Ihadeggs toast andorangejuice.
Without its read as:
Ihadeggs toastandorangejuice.
While the intended meaning can be derived easily enough in most cases, it's still just a little bit harder for your brain to work out what's going on. Communication is already difficult. As the saying goes "The biggest problem with communication is the illusion that its taken place" -Shaw. So why not just slip in the Oxford comma and make it a bit easier. A print newspaper is understandable as ink and space are at a premium but this isn't the case when it comes to anything online.