Italics get used to express important semantic meaning, so unicode should support them

[James Kass]

On 2020-12-21 8:58 PM, Asmus Freytag via Unicode wrote:
> On 12/21/2020 11:20 AM, Sławomir Osipiuk via Unicode wrote:
> > I can use an axe to bang nails into a wall, but it's silly to say I
> > don't REALLY need a hammer.
>
> To paraphrase Ken: if you need rich text, you really need rich text, so go out
> and tackle those that force you to use plain text instead.
>
> A./
>

Some of us choose to use plain-text rather than to be forced into using 
rich-text.

Written communication is of, by, and for human beings.  Regardless of 
the media used to exchange that communication or the tools used to 
produce it.  As human beings (the inventors and owners of the graphic 
symbols used in written communication), it is our birthright to insert 
any graphic character whatsoever in our written communication for any 
purpose we deem fit.  Earnestly or whimsically.

It’s fair use — never abuse.

We don’t need anyone’s permission to exercise that birthright.

People have been using and repurposing each other’s graphic symbols 
since day one.  That’s how writing evolves.

Twitter users are already using the Latin italic letters (which had been 
repurposed as math symbols) encoded in Unicode to convey the notion that 
their authorial intention was to deploy Latin italic letters.  Their 
(the Twitter users) needs are being well served by the existing Unicode 
repertoire.  If Twitter thought that this was some kind of problem, or 
if Twitter users were /really/ clamoring for rich-text, then Twitter 
would have acted long ago.