questions

Ok, ok… it’s true. I have a favorite punctuation mark. In my small world of creative idiosyncrasies — in a world where some may have a fondness for the colon or comma — I believe I have admitted before that I love the question mark. Yep… you heard me. I love the question mark. 🙂

(Save when “idiot” is the last word of the sentence) The question mark is the only punctuation piece that keeps a conversation going. It’s the only mark that invites a response. And it’s the only form of punctuation that shows an obvious interest in hearing and considering the opinions of others — as opposed to engaging in continued self proclamation.

Yesterday I polled the pages of my favorite news sites, observing what headlines also utilized my favorite mark. I found the following, “questionable” headlines:

“Death Penalty: ‘Civilized’ Vengeance or Biblical Contradiction?”

“Will Nonreligious Reshape U.S. Politics?”

“ISIS Slaughter in the Making?”

“Why Do America’s Riots So Precisely Mirror Each Other, Generation After Generation After Generation?”

“Were Asian-American Businesses Targeted in the Baltimore Riots?”

“Did Louis C.K. Go Too Far?”

“Do Churches Fail the Poor?”

“Why Not Martin O’Malley?”

“Shouldn’t We Expect that Our Intelligence Professionals Tell the Truth and Be Straight with the American People?”

“Why Did Clinton ‘Enforcer’ George Stephanopoulos Get the Job In The First Place?”

“Who Killed Who?”

“Should U.S. Topple Secular Dictators?”

“Do Clippers Need Big Changes?”

“Chicago Cubs’ Win Streak Snapped?”

In each of the above editorials, an opinion is exerted but begins with a question. The opinion is thus prefaced by a means that invites other people into the conversation. Notice some of the tougher subjects addressed above — including but not limited to terrorism, child abuse, the death penalty, politics, race, religion, and the fate of the Chicago Cubs (sorry, Dad). The question allows for the foray into sensitive subject areas — subjects often challenging for people to respectfully discuss.

Notice, too, how the practice is seemingly contrary to the social sites of Facebook and Twitter. On those two sites especially, persons often express opinion via rants, raves, tweets, and fervid imperatives; the rant may be contained in a single sentence or two. Yes, we are passionate people; we have many opinions and often desire to express them. But observe how often Facebook and Twitter omit my favorite form of punctuation. Observe, also, how productive, constructive, solution-oriented dialogue seems so rare in social media.

Just a bit of an idiosyncrasy… I love the question mark… for many reasons. Isn’t it grand?

Respectfully…

AR