“I have to use a fucking exclamation point so that people won’t think I’m a bitch.”
This post is written on behalf of anybody who would like to make something (or everything) in their life an Unnecessary Exclamation Point Free Zone (U!FZ). For too many years we’ve written too many messages feeling obligated to use one or more exclamation points unnecessarily. No longer.
I find myself constantly using exclamation points in e-mails, texts, tweets, and posts to overemphasize excitement, humor, and general happiness. In most cases, the message is originally written without, but upon further review, an exclamation point is added to ensure that the reader doesn’t take me too seriously. A friend once gave me her perspective on writing business e-mail: “I have to use a fucking exclamation point so that people won’t think I’m a bitch.”
It’s maddening thinking about how many times I’ve found myself in the same situation, except in my head “bitch” is replaced by whatever seems most appropriate at the time. ”Thanks for your help.” becomes “Thanks for your help!” despite the fact that the version with the period is a reflection of how I would say it in person while the version with the exclamation point is not (notable exception: when I’m saying “Thanks for your doughnut!” or showing appreciation for some other food item). I rarely find myself exclaiming things in person to prove that I mean what I say, but feel pressured to do so in writing.
It seems to me that using an exclamation point has become the same as saying “Your call is important to me.” Over time, both have degraded from meaningful to hollow. ”Your call is important to me.” has gotten even worse, and is now taken to mean “I didn’t bother coming up with anything original to convey my lack of regret, so are you really surprised that I didn’t pick up the phone?” Any day now the expression will become “Your call is important to me!”
With that said, I will no longer use exclamation points unnecessarily. Please interpret it as a sign of respect; I won’t insult you by using one when I shouldn’t, just as I won’t insult you by dotting an ‘i’ with a heart.
I have declared my e-mail and my blog U!FZs by adding “U!FZ | Why so few exclamation points?” with a link to this post. I invite others to join me.
Almost forgot. Thanks for your help.
i also do it to mask my irritation. as in, you’ve asked someone something for days and they still haven’t gotten back to you. “could you let me know the status of the below request? thanks in advance!” when i really want to say, “look asshole, i’ve been waiting to hear from you for a week and i know you are blatantly ignoring me.”
Um…I hope I don’t owe you anything right now…
I find that people also use the expression “Thank you so much” way too often which has given it the same hollow meaninglessness as the exclamation point.
Let’s double it up to make the point:
Thank you so much for your comment!
But seriously, thanks for stopping by.