Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Shall a Gentleman LOL?

Dear Sirs,
When it comes to texting (or IMing or emailing) is the use of "LOL" acceptable for gentlemanly use?

With Kind Regards,
Curious is Oakland


Dear Curious,
When it comes to human language, you have several millennia of words, ideas, linguistic conventions and aphorisms to draw on to get your point across. Why would you choose, from that ever-blossoming cornucopia of thought, the lazy expressions of callow and bored teenage girls to express your thoughts?
At bottom, the use of “LOL” and similar abbreviations is a matter of personal taste. But keep in mind that when you use the degraded patois of our day too regularly, even if you’re just playing along, you may be blunting the tools and infantilizing the audience that you’ll need when the day comes to deal with a difficult and complex situation, or when you want to express something important and original.

All the Best,
The Gentlemen

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