No. I long have railed against the black thumb especially, but these “response emojis” in general. I actively, wholeheartedly agree with your opinion.
This thread, and all discussion groups in general, are or should be centered about just that: discussion. Now, it is one thing to demonstrate affection toward another’s post - as Gertrude would have (or did) tell Ernest, “Hemingway, remarks aren’t literature” - but at least that demonstrates some kind of similarity of thought. On the other hand, to contradict another’s writing - not using words to express with what it is your disagreement lies - is vapidity in the extreme. To me, the use of a black thumb is to literature or the Art of the Word in general as a short-sale is to investing. They are not subsets of the greater part: they are antithetical. Nonetheless, I do not own TMC and these emojis are here to stay.
I don’t use them and only on the rarest occasion if ever have I used memes - and to see one used more than once is brutally numbing.
O tempora o morass.
Even when I disagree with you I find your arguments entertaining and often informative.
As for emojis and related non-verbal discourse, I am convinced that increasing age, especially among classically educated articulate people, tends to reduce clear communication with young people. That, in my opinion, is NOT culturally defined.
For the record this is a not-uncommon topic among my friends, most of whom are early ‘boomers’. Among those people are: Argentine, Bahraini, Brazilian, Canadian, French, Iranian now resident in France, and USA..This topic in my opinion simply reflects generational differences.
Most recently, I participanted in a discussion on this point between a Masai man, I had known decades ago, and his grandson. That discussion, while different, was about ‘strange’ conversation between the young. Both were educated in English from secondary school on but retained substantial Swahili slang. That discussion was about visual representation of weather and road conditions. The two had problems with each other.
In short, this topic is definitely generational. You, sir, need to adapt lest you find your own communication with your offspring might suffer. Hence, do as I say, not as I do!
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