That caused some consternation in the school as it meant that someone who was not qualified had taken a valuable slot in the program. That set off a bell, and I went back to my hysterical records and found my copy of my card from years earlier. There were at least two who made it through that filter. Indeed, all his examples belong to specific media of communication. The pressure to spell each word in just one way came from printing, when people discovered that they could read faster than they could listen.
Standard spelling is invaluable for the efficiency of reading print.
Efficient absorption is important only in one- way, bulk media like print. Electronic communication is interactive. Listen to any political debate and you'll know what I mean. Oratory is just a toy these days. All technological progress alters us.