>Are you trying to argue that Times New Roman is not up to that task?
No.
>I don't see how all this discussion of the sign's purpose makes any difference to the fact that it looks stupid.
It only looks stupid to a tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny minority of people who seem to feel as though they should devote a significant portion of their time reminding the rest of the world that they're stupid.
>Similarly, somebody might be wearing a pair of women's granny panties on his head because his ears get cold, but that does not explain why he would do such a thing when there are earmuffs, scarves and hats readily available.
This isn't even remotely similar and you know it. Using Comic Sans instead of Times is more like using a salad fork to eat your steak.
That's simply not true. I don't devote any significant portion of my time to reminding the rest of the world that they're stupid, but I still think Comic Sans looks dumb.
And no, it is not similar to using a salad fork to eat steak. You've even pointed out the difference in your comments: "Do you know what the purpose of that sign is? It's not to evoke en emotion…" This recognizes that choice of font has a significant practical impact in many contexts. Which fork you use for salads is always just a fiat, and experts in the field of dinner etiquette realize that it doesn't have a rational basis.
Wearing panties on your head is a much better analogy. Granny panties will keep your head warm, and people who want to feel superior and open-minded might say, "Hey, stop being elitist about what counts as acceptable headgear" — but none of that changes the fact that wearing panties on your head looks silly and there are better ways to accomplish that goal.
>And no, it is not similar to using a salad fork to eat steak.
And yes, it is. Fonts can evoke emotional responses, but so can steaks. In the example I used (reminding a coworker not to steal your yogurt from the fridge), however, the point isn't to cause an emotion, it is just to convey a very simple, very 1-dimensional message.
In the example of eating a steak with a salad fork, the point of the action is to get the steak into your mouth, not to convey to message to those around you know you are a member of the class of people that know which forks to use on which portions of their food.
No.
>I don't see how all this discussion of the sign's purpose makes any difference to the fact that it looks stupid.
It only looks stupid to a tiny, tiny, tiny, tiny minority of people who seem to feel as though they should devote a significant portion of their time reminding the rest of the world that they're stupid.
>Similarly, somebody might be wearing a pair of women's granny panties on his head because his ears get cold, but that does not explain why he would do such a thing when there are earmuffs, scarves and hats readily available.
This isn't even remotely similar and you know it. Using Comic Sans instead of Times is more like using a salad fork to eat your steak.