Evict Emoticons*
December 22, 2007 3:52 pm
*DISCLAIMER: to all who use emoticons (the technical term for smileys 
or any other facial expressions made from punctuation marks), please don’t take this post seriously or personally. If you use emoticons, I don’t have you in mind; I’m just enjoying a little rant.
I’m not a big fan of emoticons. I don’t use them personally because I feel I have a responsibility as a communicative human being to get my point across clearly with, like, the English language. But enough of my self-righteousness. I’ll let Lynne Truss—the Punctilious Punctuator, the Guardian of Grammar, the Sultan of Syntax—say it for me:
“:-) Anyone interested in punctuation has a dual reason to feel aggrieved about smileys, because not only are they a paltry substitute for expressing oneself properly; they are also designed by people who evidently thought the punctuation marks on the standard keyboard cried out for an ornamental function.” Lynne Truss, Eats, Shoots & Leaves
Now you should all feel free to strike back with emoticon-laden comments.
7 Responses to “Evict Emoticons*”
Just kidding!
…(oops)
this is interesting… i’ve just been thinking about this myself. i hang out on a writer’s forum and i’d realized how silly it was that i threw in emoticons. i mean, i’m supposed to be a writer, right? we’re supposed to express ourselves with words, not facial expressions! leave that to the actors…
i agree on all points, steve!
I use smileys to make sure people know when I’m joking or being sarcastic. That way, they don’t misinterpret the tone of my message and therefore, do not get offended unnecessarily.
I use them all the time. XP I understand the points, but this is a way to show how you are feeling. I mean, It’s over the internet. You aren’t talking to the person in real life. When you talk to someone you normally use facial expressions, right? Wouldn’t it be awkward if you talked with a straight face(emotionless) and you described how you feel? Sure talking on the internet and in real life are different things, but still, they are both used for communication. I feel like smilies kinda show what my current mood is. And Like Caroline said, they are sometimes(if not always) used to help show your sarcasm.
Wow…I really got into this topic. XD
Before I leave…
;P 
>) >( >D :/ XD XP
*looks at anti-emoticon people charging at him and runs*
I think it should be possible to describe your emotions without using smilies…it does seem silly to me, but i have to confess I use them all the time. I guess I don’t want to take the time to say how I feel excactly…so I use smilies.
i think…that anyone who has to put little yellow circles to display their thoughts or feelings is either very illiterate or in need of serious help, of which steve can adequately supply you with. If you are using emotion idols or dolls or whatever they are, just remember that if you think that succintly suffices for your subtle physcological emotions, then you are sadly…ok i’m just kidding…
i don’t like smilies cuz they are impersonal.
>_<
Care to comment?