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In Defense of the Em Dash and Other Human Quirks
Reflections at night
AI has already stolen enough from us — don’t let it take the em dashes too.
I keep running into writers who go into fight or flight mode when faced with the bleak prospect of an AI writing avalanche. They either never use an em dash again, the semicolon, or the Oxford comma; or double down on them — and let’s see if someone dares accuse me of being AI!
I think both choices are a mistake. The natural kind, sure, but a mistake nonetheless. Because, if you come to think about it, in doing this we hand over not one but two victories to AI.
The first is the takeover of an aptitude that, until recently, belonged solely to humans: writing itself. There wasn’t much we could do about that. I, for one, choose to accept — albeit grudgingly — this major loss as part of technology’s natural course.
But when our psychological response is to react, in whatever way, we hand it a second victory: we let the very existence of AI shape our mood and behavior. Whether it’s resistance or escapism, doesn’t matter. The puppet that’s pulled forward and the one that’s pushed away are both at the mercy of the puppeteer.
We shouldn’t give up ground, but we shouldn’t change our habits either just to prove our humanity. I read that…
