Quote Originally Posted by Yar View Post
I don't use it. It only redundancy to an already redundant English language, and actually creates ambiguity in some instances.

Just don't be so dense as to actually believe that JFK and Stalin are strippers.
Well maybe in an obvious case with Stalin and JFK you could argue to omit the Oxford comma... but really, unless you are listing like items (I ate apples, bananas and pears) then the Oxford comma helps to reduce ambiguity by demonstrating a continuation in a list as opposed to a reference back to an improper noun. That being said I have only seen the Oxford comma demonstrate use in this case of improper nouns followed by a list of proper nouns and is really only most efficient when that list of proper nouns is limited by two.

I played with my gerbils, Tammy, and Sarah.
I played with my gerbils, Tammy and Sarah.

I played with my gerbils, Tammy, Sarah and Ryan.
I played with my gerbils, Tammy, Sarah, and Ryan.
(I don't really see how the comma helps in this instance without the use of extreme semantics).

If you really wanted to clarify, why not just pop in a colon?
I played with my gerbils: Tammy and Sarah.


Anyway, yes I still use it as noted... but really it is just an old habit from grade school.