Headlines Like This Really Get On Our Fuc*king Tits, Say Man, Wife, Uncle, Tom, Cobley, All
Basingstoke Family Rages At Unnecessary Capitalisation
by Lester Haines
A Basingstoke man has launched an astonishing attack on internet satire
sites' propensity for writing headlines with every word capitalised.
Speaking at a press conference in the town's multi-storey car park, Tom
Pearce, 51, raged against what he sees as the "destruction of the English
language which is the birthright of every true Englishman."
Surrounded by irate relatives, and comforted on several occasions by his
wife, Pearce placed the blame firmly on the doorstep of the US. "This is just
another example of American-led globalisation," he fumed. "It's not enough that
every time we turn on the television we see an angst-ridden Calista Flockhart
wrestling with the emotional turmoil caused by her failed relationships. Or
that the only thing our kids want to eat is a burger, fries and shake to
go.
"No, now even the bitter irony and world-weary cynicism which allowed
British satire to exercise dominion over one third of the known world has been
polluted by US-style sub-editing."
Linguistic experts confirm this trend, but point out that Mr Pearce may be
missing the point. "The use of capitalisation in headlines is a growing trend
among UK satirists," one told The Rockall Times. "It's a very clever way
of making a story seem funnier than it actually is. Plus, you get the added
bonus of people thinking that you're a US site — a distinct advantage
given that American satire is years ahead of its British counterpart."
Mr Pearce's campaign seems doomed to failure. If we are compete in the
global comedy market, UK websites will have to embrace the linguistic
realities, or face extinction.
Next week
UK Websites Take Ax To US Capitalization, Style