It was the French, but that doesn't make it nefarious. Have you seen how annoying it is to type pictographic characters on a computer? Try doing so on a typic

It was the French, but that doesn't make it nefarious. Have you seen how annoying it is to type pictographic characters on a computer? Try doing so on a typical typewriter, or using an old style printing press. Whether right or wrong, it was seen as beneficial.