I love this. Yes it is weaselly, small, and bitter to be sarcastic with one's words. How did it come to be something to brag about or attempt to cultivate? Lack of exposure to true wit?
My life is full of people whose main form of communication is sarcasm. They think it is clever or funny or a way to be cut the pompous down to size. It isn't. Some of them use it to be subversive, enjoying subversion for subversion's sake. It is also not that. Sarcasm is low and cheap. All of the above can be better attained by being frank. Speaking the truth like the free men we are.
I’ve used sarcasm my whole life. I’ve had people call me out and my response has been that I grew up on the east coast, deal with it. The truth is sarcasm is often thinly veiled anger. Perhaps in my cube farm it’s the norm for bugmen dressing in dockers. This article exposes a weakness in my character that needs to be rectified. Thank you.
I think sarcasm can sometimes serve a useful purpose, especially when leveled at oneself. For example:
A few months ago, my sister, her fiancé, and I drove together after work to pick up some Taziki's (a semi local Greek chain) to have at my parents. I had an especially long day at work having not eaten anything all day and was very much looking forward to my chicken roll-ups and pasta salad. Getting to my parents' home, everyone was in a brilliant mood for the Greek food and red wine. Upon opening the takeout boxes, my food was missing which sent me into a foul mood. The mood soon infected everyone else. I was then out the door back to Taziki's to get my $10 meal come hell or high water.
I got it, and upon returning everyone was halfway through their meals because why would they wait on me after my tantrum? As I ate and the nourishment and wine began to revive my bones, everyone else was still in the foul mood that I brewed up. I was generally silent as I ate feeling guilt over what I had wrought, but everyone else was bickering and arguing quite intently. During a lull in the fighting, I looked up from my plate with a wry smile and told everyone, "For the life of me, I can't figure out why you're all in such a bad mood."
Everyone burst out laughing, and the evening was saved from my own foul mood and folly. We then finished the wine in good cheer and talked well into the night. The sarcasm, in this case, was leveled at myself, at my own silliness and petulance over $10 worth of chicken, pita, olive oil, and pasta. It was that sarcasm, that could only be leveled by myself at myself, that salvaged that evening. Everyone knew I was the cause of the malady, so it was up to me to publicly accept that myself in good humor.
I guess the skinny of it is that yes sarcasm is meant to hurt someone and make them feel silly. If you use it, use it sparingly and use it against yourself if you truly have been silly.
I love this. Yes it is weaselly, small, and bitter to be sarcastic with one's words. How did it come to be something to brag about or attempt to cultivate? Lack of exposure to true wit?
Sarcasm is communication style for passive aggressives. Be better than that.
On another note - the art of understatement is not to be confused with sarcasm. The former can be funny when used in good taste… the latter never.
My life is full of people whose main form of communication is sarcasm. They think it is clever or funny or a way to be cut the pompous down to size. It isn't. Some of them use it to be subversive, enjoying subversion for subversion's sake. It is also not that. Sarcasm is low and cheap. All of the above can be better attained by being frank. Speaking the truth like the free men we are.
I used to be one of those people. I was raised to associate sarcasm with wit. It's a difficult habit to break
I’ve used sarcasm my whole life. I’ve had people call me out and my response has been that I grew up on the east coast, deal with it. The truth is sarcasm is often thinly veiled anger. Perhaps in my cube farm it’s the norm for bugmen dressing in dockers. This article exposes a weakness in my character that needs to be rectified. Thank you.
When you stand in the truth, there is nowhere left to stand
I think sarcasm can sometimes serve a useful purpose, especially when leveled at oneself. For example:
A few months ago, my sister, her fiancé, and I drove together after work to pick up some Taziki's (a semi local Greek chain) to have at my parents. I had an especially long day at work having not eaten anything all day and was very much looking forward to my chicken roll-ups and pasta salad. Getting to my parents' home, everyone was in a brilliant mood for the Greek food and red wine. Upon opening the takeout boxes, my food was missing which sent me into a foul mood. The mood soon infected everyone else. I was then out the door back to Taziki's to get my $10 meal come hell or high water.
I got it, and upon returning everyone was halfway through their meals because why would they wait on me after my tantrum? As I ate and the nourishment and wine began to revive my bones, everyone else was still in the foul mood that I brewed up. I was generally silent as I ate feeling guilt over what I had wrought, but everyone else was bickering and arguing quite intently. During a lull in the fighting, I looked up from my plate with a wry smile and told everyone, "For the life of me, I can't figure out why you're all in such a bad mood."
Everyone burst out laughing, and the evening was saved from my own foul mood and folly. We then finished the wine in good cheer and talked well into the night. The sarcasm, in this case, was leveled at myself, at my own silliness and petulance over $10 worth of chicken, pita, olive oil, and pasta. It was that sarcasm, that could only be leveled by myself at myself, that salvaged that evening. Everyone knew I was the cause of the malady, so it was up to me to publicly accept that myself in good humor.
I guess the skinny of it is that yes sarcasm is meant to hurt someone and make them feel silly. If you use it, use it sparingly and use it against yourself if you truly have been silly.
I think this is important
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3uhwzk