Some people say they will die on the Oxford comma hill. Such a strong feeling: It's punctuation people. Their argument is that it's the only sensible answer, and then they typically give a contrived example like:
"I'd like to thank my parents, Tom Hanks and Betty White."
Such interesting parents. These zealots suggest that the extra comma is the way to solve any potential confusion of such sentences. Honestly, I think there are better ways to make the sentence less confusing, if it is indeed confusing.
It is equally easy to contrive a sentence where the Oxford comma makes the sentence more confusing:
"I'd like to thank my principal, Tom Hanks, and Betty White."
I bet Tom Hanks would make a good principal. The point is, neither of these example contrivances are enough to make such a strong argument. Confusing sentences should simply be rewritten--no need for death pacts over punctuation.
I choose not to use the Oxford comma for two other reasons. First, it seems more logical to me. Consider this sentence:
"I'd like to thank Tom Hanks and Betty White."
We'd never use a comma there, so logically, why would we add the extra comma when there are more items in the list? What's so special about jumping from two items to three that makes adding the comma important. It feels inconsistent to me.
My other reason is a preference for avoiding ink on a page. I do the same thing with charts and graphs. Anywhere I can use less ink and get the same information across, I do. It's not that I care about conserving ink, but I think it makes the page look less cluttered--cleaner.
Will I die on that hill? No. If I'm working with a publishing house that prefers the oxford comma, then fine, I will use the Oxford comma. Consistency overrules my preference. You can do the same thing: Pick the way you prefer to punctuate and be consistent about it, but perhaps be less certain that you have the only right way.
