The Case For The Exclamation Point!

"Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you've got to say, and say it hot." -David Herbert Lawrence

We, in this ultra-cool 21st century filled with noncommittal texts and blasé tweets, have lost the magic of the exclamation point. In writing we are taught to detach ourselves from emotion and eschew exclamatory sentences. In speaking we are embarrassed to convey any true excitement or passion. And worst of all, in everyday life we are taught not to care.

 

The exclamation point is becoming obsolete, antiquated, and nobody seems to mind! Well I do mind; I do care. This may be an uncool sentiment, but I'm sick and tired of the detached, passionless, "I don't give a s**t" mindset of this new age. We have somehow convinced ourselves that caring is uncool, passion uncouth. And why? Although no one seems to want to admit as much, it's because caring is far too dangerous. To care is to put ourselves out there, to go out on a limb, to invest part of ourselves in something else. And what happens if this "something else" disappoints us? We become disillusioned and wary of caring. You see, to "not give a s**t" is cool because it's safe. If we don't care about anything,  it  is impossible for anything to hurt us. It's a cop-out! This methodology is the man behind the curtain, the number one reason why the exclamation point is becoming extinct. Periods don't convey much of anything, other than finality. Question marks are cool as they are vital to cynicism, the overwhelmingly suave approach of our generation. Even the absence of punctuation at all, so prevalent on Twitter and Facebook, through email and text, is preferred to the exclamation point! And why? Because the exclamation point is intrinsically at odds with other punctuation marks. It begs you to live with passion, with conviction! Its very appearance necessitates investment, excitement! 

But, alas, gone are the days of the exclamation point in oratory, in poetry, in literature, simply because people have stopped caring! I, for one, refuse to sit idly by while the whole world adopts the popular "I don't give a s**t" mentality and avoids the exclamation point. If I'm not cool for using the exclamation point, so be it. If I'm not a good formal writer because of it, fine. Why? Because I refuse to believe that passion and caring are less important than reputation and conformity, that life should be lived without emotion and investment, that the period is somehow cooler than the exclamation point! If you still refuse to employ it in your life, I take no offense. But I hope that if anyone ever writes my story, it's worthy of the exclamation point, and deep down I think we all might hope the same.

Author's Note

Not really a story, but this doesn't really fit into a category.

Reviews

[Green]

This was actually a pretty deep analysis of why people stopped using exclamation points. When I first clicked on it, I assumed it would be more humorous but I'm not disappointed.
I know I was a little sad when they taught us not to use exclamation points when we first started writing essays; I would put them in there all the time and they would get edited out by the teacher until I finally gave it up. But you're right, the decline of the exclamation point is sad and does tend to reflect on the insecurities of the time. Maybe it is time to start bringing it back.