A Satirical Defense of the Em-Dash Against AI-Generated Text Prejudice
By
BeetleB
Warm and crisp on the edges. A bagel with a bit of bite.
Summary
A satirical proclamation defending the em-dash (—) against modern prejudice, particularly the unfair association of this punctuation mark with AI-generated text. The piece argues that the em-dash is a legitimate and elegant tool of English prose that predates computers by centuries, and that blaming the punctuation for its misuse by large language models is misguided. It calls for the restoration of the em-dash to its rightful place in writing.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledWHEREAS, the em-dash (—) has long served as the elegant scaffolding of the English sentence, providing the necessary breadth for parenthetical thought, sudden turns of phrase, and rhythmic pause;
WHEREAS, a modern and unfounded prejudice has arisen, wherein the presence of the em-dash is viewed with suspicion and cited as the 'tell-tale sign' of the unthinking machine;
WHEREAS, the Large Language Model has merely mimicked a sophistication it cannot truly possess, thereby unfairly maligning a mark of punctuation that predates the silicon chip by centuries;
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