Smiley Faces

Smiley faces. Chat rooms are chalked full of them. J
You see them in emails too. :)
They have friends too! Frowny faces. :(
Indifferent faces. :
Goitre on the side of your head faces. &
You name it, there’s a face for it.

We can’t even express joy anymore. I thought societies were supposed to be advancing. We have superb thumb dexterity thanks to video games. We handle a multitude of toxic hair care products and grout cleaners without consequence.

In the interest of preserving, or dare I dream, fostering linguistic abilities, we must return to the use of words when writing. Words, when used, correctly, artfully, are far more effective than those never subtle faces. A well-strung string of words can advance/answer ones inter-marital cause better than a string of pearls.

Modern societies go to great lengths (read: puppy mill like child storage facilities) and expenses (read: your money) schooling us in reading and writing. It seems a misguided waste if we turn around and degrade the language to hell. What’s the harm in a little happy face, you say, it’s so cute. Advertisers are sure to replace a Z where an S should be. Rap stars will frazizzle yo mind if over exposed. We need some safe venue in which to exercise written expression without the temptation of the grinning crack-cocaine of the illiterate. It is left to us to raise the drawbridge of linguistic fortitude and ensure all our efforts were not for naught.

Those who will point to the alphabetic atrocities found in any of these rage pages will have found an example of the creeping blight at issue here. Help is on the way…if we do away with those smiley faces and all their facey friends.

Grin and write it.