Please don't YELL at me!

Someday I'll understand why people bring and send news releases, emails and/or place items on our virtual newsroom in all capital letters.

Why do these people think that's anything close to the manner in which they were taught to write all through grade school. Capital and lower case letters are used in the English language. The only ones I know who use all capital letters are elementary school teachers writing on chalk boards ... if there still are such things in schools as chalk boards.

It's amazing the number of news releases, letters to the editor and listings we receive at the newspaper written in all capital letters. If these same people were writing an email, they would be accused, rightfully so, of yelling at the reader.

I sometimes wonder if writers use all capital letters because they don't know what should or shouldn't be capitalized, so they believe they are covering their lack of knowledge by writing everything in capital letters.

Words in all caps are hard to read and even harder to edit .... and, which I hate to admit, drive me nuts when we have to go back and retype the entire message or edit it letter by letter, both of which are gigantic wastes of time and energy.

My first reaction when I see something in all caps is to wad it into a ball and throw it in the nearest wastepaper basket ... I don't, but I sure want to.