Me and Joe

I am currently reading one of my two favorite travel writers, Bill Bryson (the other being Paul Theroux) on his second book about Britain, the Road to Little Dribbling. The theme seems to be that Britain is not as good a place to visit as it used to be. In one tangent he criticized the constant use he hears of the phrase, "Me and other person". He believes that we should say "Other person and I" when referring to a compound subject performing an action. 

Once, in my early days as a reference librarian, I used the phrase, "Me and Joe" in answer to the question by the department head concerning who had closed up the building the night before. I was scolded for not saying 'Joe and I closed the building", I blamed the indiscretion on my recent return from the great American West, "I guess I picked up some bad habits from living in Denver."

Today I am defending the term "Me and other person". It rolls off the tongue. Saying "Joe and I closed the building" sounds awkward to me. Like suddenly stopping before making a right turn on red when you notice a police car in the neighborhood. 'Me and Joe paid for the pizza" sounds perfectly fine to me. Grammar rules should be flexible and reflect actual use. Hopefully, me and you can agree on that one.