This is not a sports post. Neal, you may want to turn back now.

This is about the exclamation point and how it’s making a comeback!!!!

Until recently you almost never saw an exclamation point. The poor thing had fallen into disuse, no big loss to culture. Now it’s coming back big time. In many emails I receive I see exclamation points all over the place. I once even got one in the salutation.

Hi Lowell!

The exclamation point is crummy to begin with and I regret its resurgence. Good writers don’t need the exclamation point because they know how to express enthusiam through their words and don’t have to resort to the exclamation point or bold face type or all capital letters. Writers are writers. They are not typesetters.

Why is the exclamation point coming back? Here’s my theory and take it for what it’s worth. Because fewer people write letters and now write emails and texts and tweets, they are in a hurry and have limited space. They don’t take the time to write or craft a sentence. Instead they resort to shortcuts and the exclamation point is a shortcut. I try to avoid it. You should, too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!