# The awful CAPS FOR EMPHASIS disease **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 24, 2010, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-awful-caps-for-emphasis-disease/547864 "2010-07-24T18:19:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-awful-caps-for-emphasis-disease/547864/1 "2010-07-24T18:19:01Z")
Unfortunately Facebook members are becoming afflicted by a very irritating disease that makes them speak in CAPS and end sentences with frantic utterances such as LOOK IT UP PEOPLE! For a very long time I had believed my brother was patient zero as his rants on Facebook about Obama were the first time I noticed it- maybe because he’s my brother his rants were the only I had the patience to actually read and try and dispute. But still… Dear Wacko extremists- If you really want people to respond to your message/argument, try to make it a little more coherent. Because anyone with at least two IQ points to rub together is going to see this rambling diatribe dotted with NOUNS in all caps, and the sound in their head is going to resemble some homeless man on a sidewalk screaming gibberish. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-awful-caps-for-emphasis-disease/547864/2 "2010-07-24T18:23:30Z")
i agree with your rant. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-awful-caps-for-emphasis-disease/547864/3 "2010-07-24T20:32:07Z")
Oh for GOD’S SAKE! Why the fuck do you care about a few characters on a screen? WHY is it you can’t just let it GO. It’s not that BIG A FUCKING DEAL and for some people it actually helps them read so MAYBE they can comprehend what should be EMPHASIZED? Sometimes it’s HARD, if you know what I mean. We can’t always rely on _italics_ or **bolder** fonts. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-awful-caps-for-emphasis-disease/547864/4 "2010-07-24T20:57:16Z")
AND COLORS AND STUFF!!!i ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-awful-caps-for-emphasis-disease/547864/5 "2010-07-24T21:26:07Z")
And then there are the people who think not using paragraphs adds emphasis. Why, I don’t know. Perhaps it follows their speech patterns. Although in fairness, I’ve noticed this more on our boards than on Facebook. But I have noticed that it correlates with the poster often being a moron. And… Oh. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-awful-caps-for-emphasis-disease/547864/6 "2010-07-24T21:29:35Z")
I have NO idea of what YOUR problem is… ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-awful-caps-for-emphasis-disease/547864/7 "2010-07-24T21:47:49Z")
All these seemingly tiny stylistic annoyances are symptoms of the coming socioeconomic collapse which renders all our petty affairs futile. [This video](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q85Tq3C6Bcc) is a metaphor for our problems. It is MUST VIEWING. I would summarize its contents but it is so superb and on point that any effort on my part is not required. WAKE UP and discuss. Or discuss and then WAKE UP! Sheeple. ---
**Author:** ![Sorrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/898d66/32.png) [@Sorrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sorrel)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-awful-caps-for-emphasis-disease/547864/8 "2010-07-24T21:58:20Z")
Facebook? YOU REAP WHAT YOU SOW!!! ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-awful-caps-for-emphasis-disease/547864/9 "2010-07-24T23:15:46Z")
I like caps for emphasis, at it is a fairly reliable and very fast indicator of weak though emotional argumentation. It saves us time. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2010, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-awful-caps-for-emphasis-disease/547864/10 "2010-07-24T23:33:51Z")
> [@Measure\_for\_Measure](#): > > I like caps for emphasis, at it is a fairly reliable and very fast indicator of weak though emotional argumentation. It saves us time. Bahh. I think they can be great. YOU can use them to emphasize something. You CAN use them to emphasize something. You can USE them to emphasize something. You can use THEM to emphasize something. You can use them TO emphasize something. You can use them to EMPHASIZE something. You can use them to emphasize SOMETHING. LOOK IT UP 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-awful-caps-for-emphasis-disease/547864/11 "2010-07-25T01:57:15Z")
I’m guilty. Because I’m lazy, I’m sorry. ☹ but I’m not gonna stop 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-awful-caps-for-emphasis-disease/547864/12 "2010-07-25T03:24:35Z")
Dude, just be grateful they don’t resort to animated .gifs, blinking text, or the motherfucking marquee tag. Thank the gods every day that people can not embed MIDIs in their facebook comments. I was there, in the Geocities trenches, tour of '95. I saw that shit happen. It wasn’t pretty. Not pretty at all. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-awful-caps-for-emphasis-disease/547864/13 "2010-07-25T03:27:28Z")
I agree it is annoying, but Facebook doesn’t give them any other way to emphasize words. And I will use separate paragraphs as long as the thoughts are not connected. If that happens to be each sentence in a separate paragraph, so be it. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-awful-caps-for-emphasis-disease/547864/14 "2010-07-25T04:56:59Z")
Another thread about the evils of Capitalism. ---
**Author:** ![Chief\_Pedant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@Chief\_Pedant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chief_Pedant)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-awful-caps-for-emphasis-disease/547864/15 "2010-07-25T11:26:52Z")
In general, the public is incompetent at almost everything. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-awful-caps-for-emphasis-disease/547864/16 "2010-07-25T17:28:14Z")
I admit to falling prey to this loathsome disease, but only because Facebook doesn’t let me bold, underline, or italicize when I need to emphasize a word. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-awful-caps-for-emphasis-disease/547864/17 "2010-07-25T17:35:03Z")
I PROPOSE WE WRITE IN ALL CAPS AND THE USE lower case TO EMPHASISE STUFF. ---
**Author:** ![descamisado](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@descamisado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/descamisado)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-awful-caps-for-emphasis-disease/547864/18 "2010-07-25T17:42:30Z")
> [@Blalron](#): > > I admit to falling prey to this loathsome disease, but only because Facebook doesn’t let me bold, underline, or italicize when I need to emphasize a word. _You_ should!! Just try(!) this!1!1 ---
**Author:** ![Mbossa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@Mbossa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mbossa)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-awful-caps-for-emphasis-disease/547864/19 "2010-07-26T00:47:53Z")
> [@descamisado](#): > > > [@Blalron](#): > > > > I admit to falling prey to this loathsome disease, but only because Facebook doesn’t let me bold, underline, or italicize when I need to emphasize a word. > > _You_ should!! Just try(!) this!1!1 I don’t see how that’s any less annoying than using caps for emphasis. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2010, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-awful-caps-for-emphasis-disease/547864/20 "2010-07-26T00:52:30Z")
> [@Mbossa](#): > > I don’t see how that’s any less annoying than using caps for emphasis. That was a JOKE son 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-awful-caps-for-emphasis-disease/547864.md?page=2)