In a @#*%!$ interesting Vox video essay, correspondent Phil Edwards explains how random keyboard symbols entered the common lexicon as acceptable substitutes for profanity. The origins lie with early comics at the turn of the twentieth century. By the mid-century, the practice had become so popular that in 1964, cartoonist Mort Walker humorously gave this … Continue reading How Random @#*%!$ Characters (Grawlixes) Became Common Censor-Avoiding Replacements for Profanity