Sarcasm for those of us who aren't geniuses
Sarcasm.
It comes from the Greek word 'sarkasmos' meaning 'to tear flesh'. (Everything Greek is cool thanks to "300". Or rather Spartan, but I sure wouldn't want to get whipped as a kid. At least not by somebody without a lovely pair of twins. And by that I don't mean balls.)
It is strongly associated with irony, with some definitions classifying it as a type of verbal irony intended to insult or wound such as stating the opposite of the intended meaning, e.g. using "that's fantastic" to mean "that's awful".
It is used in a humorous manner, often harshly, and is expressed through vocal intonations such as over-emphasizing the actual statement or particular words.
Some phrases have been used sarcastically for so long that they now mean the opposite of what they once did. "Too Bad" was once an expression of sympathy before the sarcastic masses got their hands on it.
Use of sarcasm is sometimes viewed as an expression of concealed anger or annoyance. It is so common these days that it has become an accepted part of our everyday conversation. Woe betide the fool who is unable to 'tear flesh' from others!
For those who are unable to perceive sarcasm, the easiest way to recognize it is to listen when people talk. If someone makes a seemingly innocent comment which induces laughter in others but does not strike you as whimsical at all, then you can almost always be certain that you have located sarcasm.
But be careful not to be misled by a comment that is merely an ‘inside joke' aka "Sometimes when we go toilet, we don't pee."
Sarcasm actually goes as far back as the Biblical prophets. When the prophets of Baal fail to call down fire from heaven in a contest with Elijah, he cries: "Pray louder! He is a god! Maybe he is daydreaming or relieving himself or perhaps he's gone on a journey! Or maybe he's sleeping and you've got to wake him up!"
A modern example of sarcasm in recent times was when Wayne Rooney showed his appreciation for receiving the fine gift of a yellow card by applauding the giver, who was generous enough to give Rooney another yellow card and a red card, granting Rooney an early rest from a football match as his mates looked on in envy.
So always remember to show your gratefulness, you never know where it might lead you.
To be a master of sarcasm, you have to be like a leopard lying in the grass, always waiting for that moment of weakness, upon which you pounce and show everybody that you are without a doubt the greatest! The best! The finest product of a thousand generations of evolution!
For those of you who are still unable to comprehend sarcasm, congratulations! You possess that oh-so-rare natural immunity to sarcasm itself! Your innate ability to take everything at face value means that all sarcastic comments will bounce off you like bullets on Superman. All attempts at making you a victim of sarcasm will result in the offender being bewildered and often seen banging their heads against the nearest wall.
I'll leave you here with something to think about from a great Russian writer.
"Sarcasm : the last refuge of modest and chaste-souled people when the privacy of their soul is coarsely and intrusively invaded" - Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky
It comes from the Greek word 'sarkasmos' meaning 'to tear flesh'. (Everything Greek is cool thanks to "300". Or rather Spartan, but I sure wouldn't want to get whipped as a kid. At least not by somebody without a lovely pair of twins. And by that I don't mean balls.)
It is strongly associated with irony, with some definitions classifying it as a type of verbal irony intended to insult or wound such as stating the opposite of the intended meaning, e.g. using "that's fantastic" to mean "that's awful".
It is used in a humorous manner, often harshly, and is expressed through vocal intonations such as over-emphasizing the actual statement or particular words.
Some phrases have been used sarcastically for so long that they now mean the opposite of what they once did. "Too Bad" was once an expression of sympathy before the sarcastic masses got their hands on it.
Use of sarcasm is sometimes viewed as an expression of concealed anger or annoyance. It is so common these days that it has become an accepted part of our everyday conversation. Woe betide the fool who is unable to 'tear flesh' from others!
For those who are unable to perceive sarcasm, the easiest way to recognize it is to listen when people talk. If someone makes a seemingly innocent comment which induces laughter in others but does not strike you as whimsical at all, then you can almost always be certain that you have located sarcasm.
But be careful not to be misled by a comment that is merely an ‘inside joke' aka "Sometimes when we go toilet, we don't pee."
Sarcasm actually goes as far back as the Biblical prophets. When the prophets of Baal fail to call down fire from heaven in a contest with Elijah, he cries: "Pray louder! He is a god! Maybe he is daydreaming or relieving himself or perhaps he's gone on a journey! Or maybe he's sleeping and you've got to wake him up!"
A modern example of sarcasm in recent times was when Wayne Rooney showed his appreciation for receiving the fine gift of a yellow card by applauding the giver, who was generous enough to give Rooney another yellow card and a red card, granting Rooney an early rest from a football match as his mates looked on in envy.
So always remember to show your gratefulness, you never know where it might lead you.
To be a master of sarcasm, you have to be like a leopard lying in the grass, always waiting for that moment of weakness, upon which you pounce and show everybody that you are without a doubt the greatest! The best! The finest product of a thousand generations of evolution!
For those of you who are still unable to comprehend sarcasm, congratulations! You possess that oh-so-rare natural immunity to sarcasm itself! Your innate ability to take everything at face value means that all sarcastic comments will bounce off you like bullets on Superman. All attempts at making you a victim of sarcasm will result in the offender being bewildered and often seen banging their heads against the nearest wall.
I'll leave you here with something to think about from a great Russian writer.
"Sarcasm : the last refuge of modest and chaste-souled people when the privacy of their soul is coarsely and intrusively invaded" - Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky
