Why do people constantly call them "scare quotes?" around here? I use quotation marks for two reaons 1) to provide quotations 2) to have a concept stand out for examination. I suppose one could use [sic] a biyt more frequently here.
This is the first time I've heard the term "scare quotes" and I'm not sure I understand what it means.
Quotation marks definitely alter the way you read a sentence. It's not always clear what the purpose of the quotation marks is. I abuse them quite often though. I think they've replaced my use of bolding or italics for emphasis if I'm not using them for a straight up quote.