There’s a movement in the typing world to drop the second space after a period.
Apparently, the second space was needed on typewriters due to something called monospace. I always thought that was about how to avoid catching the kissing virus at a spin-the-bottle party.
Now this double thumb tapping isn’t necessary on computers as modern fonts are able to provide enough space at the end of a sentence.
Double spacing was ingrained in me by a very mean typing teacher in the 80’s. The habit is literally impossible to stop. See, I even did it right there.
They should know better than to make major updates like this for those in the 40+ crowd.
When I asked a friend who works in HR about excessive spacing, she responded, “As much as you try to hide it, I can determine your age from your resume and cover letter by noting the double spacing. And an AOL account. I know AARP didn’t warn you about this, sorry.”
Another friend offered, “I understand your high school typing teacher was evil and you can’t fathom changing, but this is about the environment. For example, if you write a 40-page report for a company, the double spacing will cost them 1/3 of an extra piece of paper for each bound copy they print.”
This is why I'm going to environmental hell.
What I need is an intervention of some sort, like software that gives me a little electrical shock through the keyboard every time I hit the spacebar twice.
Short of that, I think it’s a hopeless cause for me. Maybe others aren’t forever haunted by a cruel typing teacher and so have successfully reprogrammed their fingers.
But for the rest of us, twice-tapping that bar may be a way to relive our youth.
Have at it.
—Etta Sedit
Etta Sedit is a queer femme, mother, and former professional house cleaner who, according to her friends and the cashier at her grocery store, is very funny. She is best known for her unusual dating life and knowledge of how to remove toilet bowl rings without chemicals. Her poem “How to Eat Your Words” was published in The Berkshire Eagle when she was 12.