Write! Bring it home!

19-Sep-82 11:44    Scott E  Fahlman             :-)
From: Scott E  Fahlman :
I propose that the following character sequence for joke markers:

:-)

Read it sideways.  Actually, it is probably more economical to mark
things that are NOT jokes, given current trends.  For this, use

:-(

We’re writer’s right? Then why the need for accentuating what you say? I’m meaning, the emoticon frenzy. Sure here I go again, calling writers out on using a smiley to accentuate, as if their words can not be digested unless an emoticon is in place.
 
Imagine this: You enter to read a blog post, the words, the story, all fall down like rain in a downspout, because the person has accentuated every sentence or every other sentence with a smiley, or five smiley’s for that matter. Would you stay and enjoy that persons writing?
 
Now imagine opening a novel, and inside there is emoticons, accentuating sentences. You’d tire of it real quick? Would you even read it or take the writer serious? I know I wouldn’t. I would think that that person is not a writer at all and in his/her need to bring home an emotion, he used smiley to do the work. Read more on the advent of smiley here:  

What did we do before emoticons came into our life? Was our life a boring flop on the big pillows? Was our life in front of another box, called a television instead of a computer? Were we so lazy to speak, that our lives were meaningless until the arrival of smiley? I personally use the exclamation mark for emphasis. For a strong emphasis I use many!!! I use the emoticon sparingly; a smile, not to emphasize my writing, a smile because well, it is sharing a joy of an emotion felt. To over use it? That's abuse!!!
 
While researching the smiley. I stumbled upon an interesting fact, many explanations to be exact. Abraham Lincoln used the first emoticon we call smiley and implanted it in our psyche. Our conscious carried it around for years, not even knowing it!
 
The president’s speech was moving along, and he had breaks like (applause) and he went on writing and then something appears, (applause and laughter;)  His sentence was the first recorded emoticon in history. ;) We relate the colon, semi colon with laughter.
 
Now I don’t know about you, when I’m writing, I don’t sit and laugh. When reading I don’t sit and laugh. When talking to someone, again, I don’t do it through laughter.  I liked this statement from the wikifiles, “Emoticons are often used to alert a responder to the tenor or temper of a statement, and can change and improve interpretation of plain text.” With that said, are we an emotional society fixated on the keyboard, that need to relay an emotion all the time? Change and improve? Do we need to convey that we are laughing or smiling so someone doesn’t misunderstand us and takes what we are saying as serious? Are we that gullible of a society that we can not get by without a smiley for conveying emotion?
 
I can understand a community of online people (chatters and social networks) needing smiley. But a community of writers? The very people who can express words and meanings like no other people? A world of writers who can bring it home for me in no other way? If you need to abuse smiley, not just emoticons, actual smiley faces have replaced that, because not even the EMOTICON can get across the true sense of what a person is saying and feeling anymore, because you can’t get the emotions right in your writing?  Please don’t call yourself a writer, you make us all look a little loopy too!

Smiley Abuse

Giving up doesn't always mean you are weak; sometimes it means that you are strong enough to let go. ~Author Unknown
***

You know, the one thing I like about having my own blog, is not only being able to talk about what I want,  it is to be able to do so with no legal ramifications. I think I’ve used one pic on this blog in the many years that I’ve been writing it, that wasn’t mine. It didn’t have a name or I most certainly would have given that person full credit.

I use quotes, write my own poetry and most of all, give you a daily dose of realism. Listen up, I’m about to tell you something life altering here, life is not about the virtual world. Sure the social networks are fun, sure you meet people, wave and say good morning to them, but I’m telling you people, after that, it is time to get out into the real world.

I think I’ve badgered f2k enough this week and seriously, this hopefully (no promises) will be my last rant of disgust with the place.

Smiley abuse is something that us abuse victims despise. Why? Because, we were abused, so to see something slaughtered and tortured, plundered and spread like butter on a virtual wall/forum? To me, that is just wrong. Trust me, I take a lot of heat for this, “It’s just a smiley!” they say, or “It’s fun and everyone else likes it!” But, since this is MY blog, I can clearly state, I DON’T  LIKE SMILEY ABUSE!

When I was little, many many moons ago, I had a shirt with a smiley face on it, It was a blue sweatshirt and the smiley was yellow. It was in a time before smiley even had a complete circle around him, to complete him. It was before computers were the IN thing. That shirt was my comfort zone in a world of chaos. 

I grew attached to that emotion of a smile, always being on me because I was clearly sad most of the time, but that smile could make my day. You’d think I’d love seeing him abused wouldn’t you? Well, I’m sorry, when I see him 100 times in a forum post, there is something seriously dysfunctional about that. One or two, okay, five, I deal, ten, I might say whoa a little overboard, but come on, twenty? To just say, WHEEEEEEEEEE! WOOHOOOOOOOOOO!!

I’m telling you folks, I never thought that a simple gesture could cost me my sanity, because, “she was the one asking for an Angel smiley.” Yes I did, but NOT to abuse! Is there no other way to express excitement? I mean, you’re on a course with over 1200 writers and the best way to express excitement is woohoo and a smiley? Writers? Serious writers? PROFESSIONAL writers?

You can all stonewall me all you want, to be honest, I’ve been isolated for years because of my beliefs without a soul to really care for me. Just because I like order? I prefer normal to chaos? I don’t like insanity? Am not going to embrace it?

I have a life. It may not be much of one, but it is mine. And if everyone is so wrapped up in social networking, forums, chat rooms and the such, it tells me immeasurable amounts about you. Oh...and stop bullying smiley! You are bordering legality issues for sure.