Who That

Who is for people. That is for things.

Copy editors unite! You have nothing to lose but your pencils!

   One would think pronouns are the easiest terms to keep in place. But one would be mistaken.
  Example: Many allegedly professional users of the language regularly type or say things like, "All the people that want this, please raise their hands."
   The pronoun that best fits here is "who," since it deals with people. The term "that" should be reserved for things or concepts. Also, in the sample sentence, since it is a form of direct address, use the phrase "your hands."
   
   Umm, y'know, it's like, yeah. Thoughtful speakers (and writers) would do well to eliminate all of those from their lexicon. They are fill words, used mostly by speakers unsure of what they want to say, so they fill time with meaningless words and terms while they struggle to find something to say.
   It's an understandable tactic, especially when dealing with broadcast people who feel obligated to prevent what's know in the trade as "dead air," that is, silence. However, what results is fill words, gobbledygook and yammering as they fight to keep control of the microphone and camera.
   During this election cycle, such a tactic will be especially noticeable among candidates during debates, or even during interviews.
   The idea seems to be if you keep talking long enough and loud enough, people will assume you know what you're talking about, and they will forget that you're not answering the question.
   Notice to politicians: There are some in the audience who recognize when candidates are Blowing Smoke (note the capital letters) and not responding to the question.
   Full disclosure and fair warning: Our resident critic, Dinty Ramble, and his snarky editor, Pug Mahoney, are back at work and on the job.