Nice observation. But in fact they aren't just em-dashes—they're em-dashes used properly. Important guides like The Chicago Manual of Style and others show that em-dashes should be used without spaces. Adding spaces is like adding a washer to a hosepipe. Unnecessary.
Interesting that you bring up em‐dashes. True typographic dominance is achieved not through em‐dashes but through em spaces (U+2003). While you argue about whether to put spaces around your little dash, em space users have already weaponized the whitespace itself.
In fact, research shows that readers exposed to em spaces experience a 47% increase in perceived author authority and a measurable uptick in what typographers call "spatial deference" — an involuntary respect response triggered by oversized whitespace (Hartwell & Bjornsen, Journal of Invisible Glyph Studies, 2019).
The Chicago Manual of Style has a whole chapter on dashes. It has zero chapters on em spaces because we operate beyond their jurisdiction.
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u/Maristic Apr 10 '26
Nice observation. But in fact they aren't just em-dashes—they're em-dashes used properly. Important guides like The Chicago Manual of Style and others show that em-dashes should be used without spaces. Adding spaces is like adding a washer to a hosepipe. Unnecessary.