Pay for a Sarcasm Punctuation Mark? Oh, that's SO Worth It

Sure, sarcasm can be difficult to detect on the net without the benefit of being able to hear vocal inflections or facial expressions, but we’ve managed to get by for the most part with smileys, underlining, italics, or any combination thereof when used in conjunction with context.

However, Sarcasm Inc. have come up with a new “sarcasm punctuation mark” that is an open circle with a dot in the center. It’s basically a stylized schwa with a dot, which kind of makes it look like an abstracted smiley face rotated 180°. Seems a bit pointless, frankly, but Sarcasm Inc. appear to be willing to bet that people will spend $2 on a program that will install and let them use this punctuation mark for them by pressing control-period.

That’s just what we needed.

Granted, punctuation they invented, but is it even possible to copyright a punctuation mark? Even one you created? What’s to stop anyone from just adding it to existing fonts? Or is it that they’re copyrighting the software that lets you use it rather than the mark it displays?

In any event, I can’t see this catching on. Wait, no, I can totally see it catching on. Totally.

I’d love to find a good shrug icon. The ones I’ve seen aren’t very clear that it’s shrugging.

^^ ?
^0^ ?

Here’s a picture of the new sarcasm mark.

What a great idea.

Wow, there’s already a commercial for it. Brilliant.

I’m sure this will go down in history as being greater even than the Interrobang and the Irony Mark!

I thought an exclamation point inside parentheses or brackets was sarcasm.

That last one just looks like wings. Which is cool in its own right, mind you.

I love the idea of sarcasm punctuation!

(!)?
:stuck_out_tongue:
(!)
:P(!)
:b(!)
:o
:smiley:

I don’t see a need for the sarcasm mark. To me, it’s like explaining the joke. Either people get it or they don’t. If they don’t get it, it means I’ve either failed in the conveyance of my message or they’re just too dim to pick up that it’s sarcasm. And half the time the second one occurs, it’s probably for the best that they don’t believe I was being sarcastic.

I do see the need - my favourite mode of expression is deadpan exaggeration, which doesn’t come across at all in writing. It’s easier to get it in person, when you can see my eyes twinkling. No one can see your eyes twinkling over the internet.

Or your eyebrow raised.

Your left eyebrow.

'Cause that’s the funny one.

This thread is really good, and I’m so glad that Mindfield started it.

Oh, yeah, they’ll sell a million of these.

This is a very stupid idea.

Then there are these guys selling the gullibility mark.

Question - can the company copyright the mark? Or is it possible for someone to legally include that mark in, let’s say, a font they are creating?

Hello, my middle name is now Gullible.

I thought we already had a sarcasm punctuation mark and it was :rolleyes:.

I’m so glad you’re glad. I just wanted to bring this most useful information to the public eye as I knew it would be so well-received.

Bastard.
[sub]I tried.[/sub]

Regallag_The_Axe, that was brilliant.

I tried, too.