Punctuation???!!?!?!?!?@@#%*^&()!@#^(&^*%&*)>>>>>....,,,,,,,,,,//////////-__------_-____----_----

With the recent events of the debate on punctuation's role and changing importance in the world (something that I heard 1st hour horribly misconstrued, ha!), I've decided to reevaluate my view on punctuation.

Before, I had never really made a distinction between grammar and punctuation and would always just clump the two together, even making a mistake in the debate to comment on the unnecessary distinction between "who" and "whom" (though I did sound terribly smart).

Experiment:       My friend and I went to the bookstore

                         Me and my friend went to the bookstore.

Which one do I actually notice in conversation? The one lacking correct grammar (this would be the latter, if you're an illiterate bastard*) stands out to me more than the one that lacks a simple period. I mean, why do you think there are only Grammar Nazis and no Punctuation Police, or something?

Frankly, I love correct punctuation and grammar and generally do my best to utilize my ACT English skills in any situation that requires writing. I am quite (infamously) known for correcting people's grammar, but I tend to forgive quite easily when it comes to the placement of a comma or period. 

After the debate--in which I took the side of pro-change (I had no choice, okay?)--I realized that correct punctuation really isn't all that important. I think that the fluidity and malleability of language and all its parts are what makes it a distinct part of culture. I used to lament the apparent decline of today's youth and experience "second-hand embarrassment" whenever I would see some less-than-coherent YouTube comment about religion or something. But as Robert Wernick so eloquently sums up, "what is for one observer a loss of essential ingredients may be for another an alteration of form and function." And we're definitely seeing this today. For example, check out this awesome sentence that reflects the increasing intelligence and creativity of my generation:

"OMG.. bout to #turnup!!!@mahouse imam go #ham errdayyyyy"

Okay, maybe that wasn't an epitomic example, but you can look at the existence of emoticons as the result of people using punctuation creatively. I mean, we can now express hundreds of ineffable sentiments just by using dashes, dots, parentheses, and colons. Check out this one I just made up:

 :()

 I call it the "Football with Eyes." Or the "Crab with No Extraneous Body Parts." I'm not sure how you would incorporate this into a convo, though. 

I think we all understand that there are definitely some necessary pieces of punctuation, such as quotation marks or question marks. However, when it comes to the precise placement of a comma or the abstinence of using a period, I lose interest or can even understand the writer's choice to do so. Sometimes, deviation from standard punctuation can also help to better illustrate a point. For example, when I'm texting a friend and I mean to snarkily question him or her, I will consciously refrain from using a question mark. i.e. There is a subtle but distinct difference between "what?" and "what" when I'm texting (the latter is meant to be more hostile and sarcastic while the former is a genuine expression of confusion or curiosity).

As (I would hope) a skilled scribe, I am quite conservative and traditional in my use of punctuation. I'm an aesthete, and in my opinion, correct punctuation allows the reader to read in relative visual comfort, knowing that everything is where it needs to be. In summation, I think punctuation's main purpose right now is making things look nice and professional. Granted, I'm still going to use traditional and correct-as-possible punctuation in my writing just to express my individuality in a world that is continually caring less, but I think that, in this case, the world is also being allowed greater freedom of style in the digitized realm of text. So, go ahead, make my day and don't include that apostrophe or that comma. I'm perfectly fine. But don’t you dare incorrectly use "less" when you really mean "fewer." Stupid 98.7 AMP.

*Okay, I'm sorry. That was mean. But seriously, you should know this by now, sheesh.