Post by petrolino on Jun 24, 2018 22:16:52 GMT
"They say sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, and it is true indeed that there isn’t really much art to this particular brand of humor. However that doesn’t mean that it can’t also be hurtful and scathing and in many cases sarcasm can be difficult to bear. Though it is often meant humorously and often intended as a joke, and though it sometimes is genuinely funny, sarcasm often relies on putting another person down and as a result will often make those people look or feel small as a result. Here we will look at what sarcasm is, how it works, why people use it and how to protect yourself from it.
Sarcasm is very simply put when someone says something that everyone knows is untrue in order to draw attention to its ridiculousness. When it is used aggressively then, this will often mean taking what you have said out of context and exaggerating it to the point where it appears a stupid or inane. This can then sometimes provide humor by pointing out how absurd the situation or comment would be – but at the same time it is often essentially a mockery of your original comment which is why it can be so hurtful and destructive. In other situations the same effect can be achieved through ironic comments – again often critical or damaging. For instance a comment such as ‘remember to eat – don’t starve yourself!’ delivered to someone overweight would also be a form of sarcasm. Often it can be hard to distinguish between a sarcastic and an earnest comment and this can make it hard to call someone on their use of sarcasm. Usually the main indicator of sarcasm is a vocal inflection and this means it tends not to work in the written form.
So first of all, why are people sarcastic in the first place? Well there are several reasons that someone might be sarcastic and the nature of their sarcasm and how best to deal with it will often depend on the form of sarcasm they are using against you. The question you have to ask yourself is – is this passive sarcasm designed to be humorous that has the unintentional impact of upsetting you? Or is it aggressive sarcasm that is designed intentionally to be belittling and hurtful? Once you ascertain this, you can then better decide how to progress."
- Stanley C. Loewen, 'Psychology Of Sarcasm – Dealing With Sarcastic People'