The Currency of Punctuation


Is the currency of punctuation the Pound or the the Somali Shilling?

"Does that work for you or did you want to do something else?" I texted.

"That's fine." My friend replied.

Such a simple reply.  Too simple.  I found myself frustrated at its simplicity.  "That's fine" you say?  My mind immediately and against my will started thinking why wouldn't they say more?  Why would they use a period?  Why wouldn't they use an exclamation mark?  Or several? Or a smiley face at least?  Why are they upset right now? 

 These thoughts all went through my head in a nano-second, and I suspect that they have gone through your head at some point in your adult life.  This mindset is symptomatic of the world we live in and the degradation of punctuation's value.  These days you can communicate satisfaction several ways that all portray you in vastly different moods...

 Good = I can live with it
Good. = I'm not pleased, but I want this conversation over with
Good! = I'm satisfied
Good!! = I'm happy
Good!!! = I'm excited

First off, the word "good" should be able convey the positivity that is truly meant in the heart of the speaker.  If it weren't for the inventions of sarcasm or passive-aggressiveness we wouldn't need half of the superlatives we have today.  Now communicating "good" in its original sense needs at least an exclamation mark to hit the same level of positivity as "awesome" does naturally.  So where did this happen?  When did the currency of punctuation become so prone to inflation?

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