Unicode (the organization in charge of selecting and overseeing emojis) is currently wrapped in a gnarly internal battle centering around a frowning digital hunk of dung.
The argument is between the consortium’s emoji subcommittee and some of Unicode’s most coveted typographers, who believe that the proposal process for new emojis has become too commercial and arbitrary, i.e. the subcommittee’s recently proposed “Frowning Pile Of Poo” addition to the ever-popular, classic “Poo” emoji.
And one of the typographers is throwing a sh*t fit
One of the leaders of this excrevolution — Michael Everson (arguably the company’s most prolific typographer), ripped into the committee over the submission calling it, “damaging… to the Unicode standard,” and arguing that it will be abused by bullies.
Everson continued to roast the committee writing, “Organic waste isn’t cute… It is bad enough that the [Emoji Subcommittee] came up with it, but it beggars belief that the [Unicode Technical Committee] actually approved it.”
This is just too good
His tirade continued: “The idea that our 5 committees would sanction further cute graphic characters based on this should embarrass absolutely everyone who votes yes on such an excrescence. Will we have a CRYING PILE OF POO next?”
WELL, WILL WE???
He also took issue with the original Poo emoji’s “cartoonification” which he blames on influence from early vendors like Apple, Google, and Facebook.
The consortium’s “bad boy”
Everson does seem to have some fellow outspoken typographers in his corner on the poop protest — but this isn’t the first time he’s expressed his frustrations.
He’s been on the warpath since 2007, when the consortium failed to accept his “medieval punctuation proposal,” hindering his ability to edit documents in “medieval Cornish.”
Instead, the committee opted to accept the “drooling face” emoji — leading to “Emojigeddon,” as some members put it.
A little melodramatic? Probably. But it’s hard to blame a guy who takes such pride in his work.
