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Darin Strauss' Half a Life,
a nakedly honest, ultimately hopeful
examination of guilt, responsibility, and
living with the past, has arrived. To mark
the occasion, get your copy today
at a reduced price.

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O P E N   L E T T E R S T O   P E O P L E   O R   E N T I T I E S W H O   A R E   U N L I K E L Y T O   R E S P O N D . - - - - [Send your open letters to openletters@mcsweeneys.net.] - - - - AN OPEN LETTER TO THE PERSON IN CHARGE OF NEW PUNCTUATION. June 25, 2010 - - - - Dear person in charge of new punctuation, I have invented a new punctuation mark, and I am writing to ask you to consider introducing its usage into the American Punctuation Lexicon. I would also like to check up on the status of the interrobang (also known as the "quesclamation mark"). You may not remember it, but it was the combination exclamation point/question mark invented by ad executive Martin Spekter to help us with such sentences as "WHAT did you just say to me?!" and "Lindsay Lohan's suing WHO?! Over WHAT?!" The fact that it was invented in 1962 and you're still considering it doesn't give me much hope for it, or for that matter, for the Irony Mark, or "Snark,"—the backwards question mark that some hope can indicate sarcasm in our increasingly digital world. I think it sounds like a great idea. Whoever thought of it is a genius. But onto my idea. Get ready for it: The Friendly Period (EXCLAMATION POINT) Sorry. What I meant was, the friendly period! Period. Am I talking about an era of increased kindness? No. A new, more pleasant brand of menses? No. (We already swim, ride horses on the beach and run through fields of daisies—how much more pleasant can menstruation get?) No, I'm talking about a period that says, "That sentence, the one right before me, is as affable as they come. That sentence, in fact, wants to buy you a beer." Here's the problem: increasingly, we're using very cold, technological ways to communicate. No one wants to actually go through the long, drawn-out process saying hello and how are you on the phone, or, god forbid, having to see someone in person. There are germs in every handshake, and people get bad haircuts that you have to lie about. So e-mails and texts have become, for many, our primary means of communication. But reading something on a screen makes everything colder, so we try to warm up our communications with annoying emoticons, or, in my case, the gratuitous exclamation point. In a study titled, "Gender and the Use of Exclamation Points in Computer Mediated Communication," (for reals!) Carol Waseleski (EXCLAMATION POINT) deciphered that women use exclamation points 45% more often than men in e-communication. But it's not because we're more excited than men. Women use exclamation points online as indicators of a "friendly interaction." We've been socialized to try to make people feel comfortable and to keep the peace. Hence sentences like, "Bill, I can't wait to see the 4th quarter EMBO Report on the new 12-gauge ball bearings!" She's not excited to see that report. No one is excited to see that report. She's letting Bill know that she's not angry that it's late yet. When she's angry, she'll use a period. I used to abhor exclamation points, largely because I am not a perky person. I am a person who assumes a day is going to blow until the world convinces me otherwise in the first five minutes by handing me a 16-ounce skim half-caf mocha in bed, which never happens, so you do the math. So you can imagine my increased usage of exclamation points is extremely disconcerting both for me and for those who are forced to endure my e-mails and texts. A sample sentence from a recent e-mail: "Yay! Dinner at McFuddernutters sounds great!" In this case, the exclamation points are preventive. Because the person receiving the e-mail knows that I can be a sarcastic bitch, periods would have made it read: "Yay. Dinner at McFuddernutters sounds great. I just hope their never-ending salad bowl will fill the bottomless pit of despair I feel because I'm sitting in an establishment called McFuddernutters." Now, what you might say is, "Hey, why don't you stop being a sarcastic bitch (INTERROBANG?)" Good exclamated question. Answer: because I don't want to. (FRIENDLY PERIOD!) The friendly period is here to solve all our communication problems. Picture this: a larger, slightly squished period that's big enough to see that there's a half-moon of a smile three quarters of the way down its jolly round body. It's simple, it's not nearly as annoying as those bright, yellow happy faces, and it's stylish. Because what's more stylish than black and white? Nothing, stupid. (FRIENDLY PERIOD!) I implore you, punctuation person... don't make us wait 48 years for the friendly period to take off. (FRIENDLY PERIOD!) We need help now in getting rid of the scourge of gratuitous exclamation points, and I, for one, would have significantly less punctuation shame in my life. Please get back to me at your earliest convenience. (FRIENDLY PERIOD!) Our future depends on it. (IRONY MARK.) Sincerely, Courtenay Hameister   - - - - PREVIOUS OPEN LETTERS An Open Letter to My Self Respect An Open Letter to the Cashiers at Safeway Who Thank Me By the Wrong Name An Open Letter to the "ECO" Light On the Dashboard of My Car An Open Letter to the Guy Who Bought Our House An Open Letter to the Person in Charge of New Punctuation An Open Letter to Dreams An Open Letter to My Abandoned MA English Degree An Open Letter to the Patrons of the Karaoke Bar Across the Street from Me An Open Letter to the Two Dudes at Kroger Who Didn't Know What Day It Was An Open Letter to Anyone Who Has Experienced My Son's Meltdowns An Open Letter to the Gentleman Who Gave Us a Tour of Monticello An Open Letter to My Inoperable Brain Tumor An Open Letter to the Substitute Yoga Teacher Who Won't Stop With the Imagery An Open Letter to the Glorious New Couple That Rose Like a Phoenix from the Infernal Failure That Was My Last Relationship An Open Letter to the Aging Hippies Dancing at the Tinariwen Concert An Open Letter to the Person Who Stole Our Diaper Bag An Open Letter to Dove Heart-Shaped Valentine's Chocolates That Feature Romance Tips From Martha Stewart An Open Letter to the Lady with the Leg Warmers in My Salsa Class An Open Letter to Sara's Sister-in-Law, Who Planned Sara's Bachelorette Party An Open Letter to My Cubicle An Open Letter to Facebook An Open Letter to My Libido An Open Letter to the House of Pain (aka, Pain Management Resources) An Open Letter To The Inanimate Objects In My Apartment That Just Sat There While I Was Heartbroken. An Open Letter to the "Wild" Ponies of Grayson Highlands State Park An Open Letter to the Illegal Amphibian Inhabiting our Suburban Pond An Open Letter to My Artistic Potential An Open Letter to the Guy at My Gym Who Screams When He Lifts Weights An Open Letter to the Soundtrack of My Life An Open Letter to My Last Pack of Cigarettes An Open Letter to Seat 13C on American Airlines Flight 263 to Dallas An Open Letter to John Hennessy, President of Stanford University An Open Letter to the Venue Where I Almost Got Married on September 30, 1995 An Open Letter to One of the IT Contractors at Work An Open Letter to HBO Re: It's New Television Show Hung An Open Letter to My Unborn Daughter An Open Letter to J.J. Abrams Re: Lack of Fat People in Star Trek An Open Letter to Jonelle, Who Sent a Three-Song Radio Dedication to Her Boyfriend, Rob An Open Letter to the Burglar of 244 Wicker Avenue An Open Letter to Shirley MacLaine From a Former 11-Year-Old Who Was Sent to Her Apartment by George McGovern's Presidential Campaign in 1972 An Open Letter to My Across-the-Street Neighbor Who Always Does His Yard Work in His Scrubs An Open Letter to American Express An Open Letter to the Intestinal Parasites I Managed to Pick Up in West Africa This Summer An Open Letter to Cambridge University Press, Regarding Odor An Open Letter to Geraldo Rivera, Who Witnessed Me Getting Fired for Stealing a Cherry Danish Two Summers Ago An Open Letter to My Local Newspaper With Advice for When It Runs Its Next Two-Page Photo Spread on the Beautiful Colors of the Season An Open Letter to Mr. James Thatcher, Brand Manager, Procter & Gamble An Open Letter to Anna Louise Jordan, Author of What Does an EMT Do? An Open Letter to Norwegian Aid Minister Erik Solheim An Open Letter to My Sister's Psychotic Dogs An Open Letter to My Cats, Who Are Jealous of My New Baby Daughter and Are Acting Out Now That She Receives All the Attention An Open Letter to My Lost Bikini Bra An Open Letter to Mark Zuckerberg, Founder and CEO of Facebook.com, From a New Yorker Magazine Fact Checker An Open Letter to Wendy An Open Letter to My 80-Year-Old Parents' New Buick Park Avenue Ultra An Open Letter to James Randi Regarding His "One Million Dollar Paranormal Challenge" An Open Letter to the Birds Nesting in My Air Conditioner An Open Letter to My Neighbor Who Frequently Sits Alone Inside His Truck An Open Letter to the Amazon Parrot I Have Been Supporting for Over 15 Years Who Still Tries to Bite Me for No Apparent Reason An Open Letter to My Neighbors a Few Buildings Away in My Apartment Complex An Open (Love) Letter to Taco Bell's Crunchwrap Supreme An Open Letter to an Ultimate-Fighting Referee An Open Letter to the People Behind the "Now That's What I Call Music!" Series An Open Letter to My Cat, Abbie An Open Letter to Orcas An Open Letter to Foie Gras An Open Letter to the Man Wearing a T-Shirt That Says "It Isn't Going to Suck Itself" An Open Letter to the Occupants of a House on the Nintendo Game "Paperboy" An Open Letter to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer An Open Letter to the Man Who Installed the Carpet in 1974 for the Previous Owners of the Home We Just Bought An Open Letter to the Vice President of the United States, Dick Cheney An Open Letter to My Husband's Pillow An Open Letter to the Squirrel Trying to Chew Its Way Through My Roof An Open Letter to the Spider in the Upper Right-Hand Corner of the Skylight in My Flat An Open Letter to the Cat, Who Pushes Glasses Off the Kitchen Counter While We're Trying to Sleep An Open Letter to a Guy I Work With Who Always Comes Into My Office to Tell Me He Sent Me an E-mail Right After He Sends Me an E-mail An Open Letter to My Doppelgänger An Open Letter to the Leader of the Ant Nation Residing in My Bathroom An Open Letter to My Ability to Lose Interest in Things Easily An Open Letter to My Sonicare Electric Toothbrush An Open Letter to the Human Resources Department of the Superfriends An Open Letter to the Eight-Hour Workday An Open Letter to the Manufacturers of Infant Sleepwear An Open Letter to the Totally Impractical Size Chart for Women's Clothing An Open Letter to the Couple Who Found My Panties in Their Yard Last Summer An Open Letter to the State of New York An Open Letter to Shrink-Wrap An Open Letter to the Dead Joints in My Feet An Open Letter to the Exorbitant Sum of Money I Just Inherited From My Grandfather, Whom I Didn't Really Like An Open Letter to the Fake Boobs My Husband Bought His Ex-Girlfriend An Open Letter to Ryan Funk An Open Letter to Global Warming An Open Letter to Everyone Who, When Approaching the Door to the Office Suite Where I Am the Receptionist, Turns the Handle Down, Then Pushes the Door In, Thereby Causing a Loud Obnoxious Banging Sound, Looks Up at Me With Fear and Frustration in Their Eyes, Turns the Handle Up This Time, But Still Pushes the Door In, Causing That Same Obnoxious Banging Sound, Giving Me the Same Terrified Look, Then Rings the Doorbell, Which Is Even Louder and More Piercing, Then Stands There, Petrified, Angry at My Incompetence to Unlock the Door With the Remote-Control Device Three Open Letters to the Telephone Joneses With Whom I Cannot Keep Up An Open Letter to the Gentleman at the Bar Who Asked If I Would Like a Piece of Him An Open Letter to Lifetime Television for Women An Open Letter to the Women and Gay Men Who Want to Read That Copy of Sex in the Window An Open Letter to Whoever Broke Into My Car This Morning An Open Letter to My Turtle An Open Letter to Keith Richards' Immune System An Open Letter to Omaha Steaks An Open Letter to My 22-Year-Old Self An Open Letter to My Eyebrows An Open Letter to the Gym Shorts That Are Not in My Gym Bag An Open Letter to the Enormous Bruise on My Upper Right Arm, Kind of Near the Bicep, That I Acquired Last Weekend While Playing Football An Open Letter to My Inner Child An Open Letter to Low-Cut Pants An Open Letter to the Rental Video Sitting on Top of My Television An Open Letter to Herman Miller An Open Letter to the Unemployment That Awaits Me An Open Letter to Officials of the United States Government Regarding What's New in My Reproductive Area An Open Letter to Cable News Organizations An Open Letter to Nepotism An Open Letter to Whole Foods Supermarkets An Open Letter to My Dissertation on the Correlation Between History and Identity Formation in Colonial Massachusetts and Pennsylvania An Open Letter to Women Who Won't Sit Down An Open Letter to the Elephant in the Ikea-Furnished Room An Open Letter to Chris Robinson, Lead Singer of the Black Crowes An Open Letter to the Look on Our Leadership Consultant's Face An Open Letter to Hummingbirds An Open Letter to the Current Boyfriend of the Girl I'm in Love With An Open Letter to My Boss, Who Was Recently Fired An Open Letter to My Sony Vaio An Open Letter to the Radioactive Spider That Never Bit Me An Open Letter to My Three-Year-Old Daughter, Sylvie An Open Letter to My Deep Fear That My Girlfriend Will Be Really Fat Later in Life An Open Letter to My First Five Girlfriends An Open Letter to Saran Wrap An Open Letter to Poached Eggs An Open Letter to My Eighth-Grade Long-Term Substitute Science Teacher An Open Letter to My Computer's Insert Key An Open Letter to My New and Old Furnaces An Open Letter to a Playboy Poster An Open Letter to Graydon Carter, Editor of Vanity Fair Magazine An Open Letter to the Twenty-Year-Old USC Intern That I Slept With An Open Letter to My Male Gynecologist Open Letter to People Who Stare at My Boyfriend Because He Is More Attractive Than Me An Open Letter to William Kristol, Richard Perle, and President Bush's Other Neoconservative Puppetmasters An Open Letter to the Hollywood Movie Machine An Open Letter to That Mother on the Sidelines of My Daughter's Soccer Game An Open Letter to My Attractive Coworker at the Pool An Open Letter to Sergeant Smith An Open Letter to My Summer Interns An Open Letter to My Personal Trainer An Open Letter to the Strange Red Bugs with Many Legs Living in My Basement, Which Is Where My Roommates and I Sleep An Open Letter to the Makers of Glaceau's Vitamin Water An Open Letter to the Many Leafhoppers Destroyed in My Phylogenetic Research An Open Letter to My Eighth-Grade Yearbook Photograph An Open Letter to the Customers at the Tattoo Shop Where I Work An Open Letter to Baseball's Bill Madlock An Open Letter to Penguins An Open Letter to Robert Mugabe An Open Letter from Milton Bradley to Milton Bradley An Open Letter to Vice President Dick Cheney's Underbite An Open Letter to To the People at Mott's An Open Letter to Two Young Women at the Clothing Store in the Mall An Open Letter to the Whites of Jim Lehrer's Eyes An Open Letter to the Young Woman on the Subway Who Screamed at Me September 21, 2003, at approximately 11:30 p.m. An Open Letter to Paul Bremer An Open Letter to the Nobel Committee for Literature on Behalf of Dr. Raymond Damadian An Open Letter to My Superintendent, Hugo An Open Letter to DirecTV An Open Letter to People Who "Tut" on the Tube An Open Letter to Young Women Who Work in Chain Bookstores An Open Letter to Yuppie Mummies (or Yummies) An Open Letter to the Guy Who Scored Only 12 "Fast Money" Points on Family Feud in the Mid-Seventies An Open Letter to Lance Armstrong An Open Letter to Alcohol An Open Letter to Centripetal Force An Open Letter to the Makers of "Valtrex" (Glaxosmithkline) An Open Letter to Little Children Who Play in the Alley and Like to Throw Stuff At My Car An Open Letter to Louis XIV An Open Letter to Apartment W5 An Open Letter to the Man Who Tattooed Me An Open Letter to My Dot Matrix Printer An Open Letter to Umlaut An Open Letter to Toshihiro Nishikado, Designer/Programmer of Space Invaders An Open Letter to Chicago Public Library Desk Vandals An Open Letter to Illusionist David Blaine, Currently Spending Forty-Four Days in a Perspex Box in London An Open Letter to My Hairline An Open Letter to Saint Nicholas An Open Letter to Mr. Tastee An Open Letter to the Panda Handler at the San Diego Zoo An Open Letter to Claire Forlani An Open Letter to the Song Artist Barry Mann An Open Letter to Parkay An Open Letter to My Spanish Host Family An Open Letter to Asthma An Open Letter to the Listerine Girl An Open Letter to Google An Open Letter to Melanie Murray, Romance Novel Manuscript Reader An Open Letter to Miramax Home Video An Open Letter to Ann Coulter An Open Letter to the New York Times Style Section Photo Retoucher

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