Why I don't use autocorrect

A lot of people get frustrated when they use my phone. I don't use autocorrect, so they always look at me and say: this takes twice as long without autocapitals and autospelling turned on. To which I usually reply does a proper athlete eat cheeseburgers three meals a day? Does a carpenter use plastic tools to build a cabinet? No, they don't.

Reading that back, it sounds kind of pompous. But I'm not trying to be. I guess I'm just afraid autocorrect will gradually erode my writing and language—sort of like putting training wheels back on my bike and riding around without having to think about staying balanced and moving forward. Because if I have a computer completing my words and sentences for me, at what point does that start to affect my writing in a negative way?

I remember having my mind melted when I first read George Orwell's Politics and the English Language, because his discipline and precision as a writer is just so bloody evident in what he says and how he says it. Now I like to imagine Orwell as my mentor and getting surly with me if I cut corners in my writing. And for certain, Orwell is not a fan of the autocorrect.

Yes, I know, it's kind of weird to say that. But nevertheless, George Orwell is why I don't use autocorrect.