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Sarcasm: Do you get it?

xBludxxBludx Member Posts: 376
in Off-Topic Discussion

Just curious:

1. Why don't some (many) people seem to get sarcasm in these forums?

2. What makes sarcasm obvious?

3. What is the difference between well done and poorly done sarcasm?

Comments

  • IlliusIllius Member UncommonPosts: 4,142

    Sarcasm works better in person when you can see who you're talking to, hear the inflection of their voice and so on.  Sarcasm tends to not translate well with text, much like quite a bit of the humor that goes on in here.

    I also find that the newest generation even in person doesn't seem to understand the intricacies of sarcasm in person.

    No required quests! And if I decide I want to be an assassin-cartographer-dancer-pastry chef who lives only to stalk and kill interior decorators, then that's who I want to be, even if it takes me four years to max all the skills and everyone else thinks I'm freaking nuts. -Madimorga-

  • BloodyMariaBloodyMaria Member Posts: 22

    Originally posted by Illius

    Sarcasm works better in person when you can see who you're talking to, hear the inflection of their voice and so on.  Sarcasm tends to not translate well with text, much like quite a bit of the humor that goes on in here.

    I also find that the newest generation even in person doesn't seem to understand the intricacies of sarcasm in person.

    very well said~ bow

  • GTwanderGTwander Member UncommonPosts: 6,035

    I believe this is why ;) is at the end of everything on the interwebs.

    There's been tons of heated arguments between me and other forum-users where they were able to dispel every nasty thing they said with one. Even onlookers are like "yeah, he said ;), therefore it's ok and *you're* the jerk". Let's use an example;

     

    Ilius, I bet you wear granny panties, you big nancy-boy! ;)

     

    See? I bet I could trash-talk your mom with one of those and get away with it.

    Writer / Musician / Game Designer

    Now Playing: Skyrim, Wurm Online, Tropico 4
    Waiting On: GW2, TSW, Archeage, The Rapture

  • IlliusIllius Member UncommonPosts: 4,142

    Originally posted by GTwander

    I believe this is why ;) is at the end of everything on the interwebs.

    There's been tons of heated arguments between me and other forum-users where they were able to dispel every nasty thing they said with one. Even onlookers are like "yeah, he said ;), therefore it's ok and *you're* the jerk". Let's use an example;

     

    Ilius, I bet you wear granny panties, you big nancy-boy! ;)

     

    See? I bet I could trash-talk your mom with one of those and get away with it.

    Get a hair cut you hippie! ;)

    No required quests! And if I decide I want to be an assassin-cartographer-dancer-pastry chef who lives only to stalk and kill interior decorators, then that's who I want to be, even if it takes me four years to max all the skills and everyone else thinks I'm freaking nuts. -Madimorga-

  • LunicurLunicur Member Posts: 51

    Proper sarcasm requires certain tones of the voice and facial expressions..not fully possible on forums.

  • xBludxxBludx Member Posts: 376

    I understand and agree with what you guys are saying.

    I like the ;) -- I may have to use that more often ;)

    But aren't there some writers/posters who can pull it off? I know it's a lot harder and it depends on the reader to catch it, as well. But it's easier to get from some writers/posters than from others.

    Clearly, there must be a skill in properly contextualizing the sarcasm for it to work.

    Any insight on or examples of  that?

  • Cactus201Cactus201 Member Posts: 160

    Smart people do sarcasm for fun.

    Most of them are just boted

     

    EDIT: bored lol

    Existence is a paradox. It just is.

  • burgerfestburgerfest Member Posts: 7

    image

    This!

  • xBludxxBludx Member Posts: 376

    Originally posted by burgerfest

    image

    This!

    LOL

  • wombsterwombster Member Posts: 2

    Based on to know my self:

    • Criticism and Anger: Have you ever watched your negative thoughts while being angry? If you did then most probably you already noticed that you were so critical to everyone and to everything. When we become angry we tend to become overly critical and sarcastic, but I am not talking about the short bursts of anger that visit us each now and then, am talking about anger that is carried inwards, am talking about anger that accompanies us in every moment that we live, i am talking about people who are haunted by anger. People with unmet goals, people who were emotionally abused and people with violated rights may end up being angry at everything. They live a miserable life and curse everyone they find in their way as if others carry part of the blame for what happened to them. Those are the overly critical and the overly sarcastic people you meet in your life.

     

    • Being overly critical and Your Inner Child: Some people are overly critical because this is just how they were treated as children. Whether it was by their parents or colleagues it won’t matter much, what matters is that the child becomes wounded and then carries the wound into his subconscious then without noticing this wound makes him overly critical and unbearable to everyone around him. The negative messages that this child constantly received as a child turned into a way of thinking that lead him to become an overly critical and sarcastic adult. Not everyone who receives criticism as a child turns to be like that; some people manage to discover what’s right and what’s wrong and then turn to hate those people who were trying to make them become critical persons.

     

    • Criticism and Lack of self confidence: The difference between a confident person and an inferior person is the way of thinking, while the first tends to compliment his actions the second keeps putting himself down. The mind of the person lacking self confidence is usually full of negative messages and that’s why the excess negative messages travels to the other people around him in the form of criticism. The conclusion is, The overly critical person usually lacks self confidence

     


    Now I think this people who are being sarcastic in the forum because they acquire this kind of stuff
  • xBludxxBludx Member Posts: 376

    Originally posted by wombster


    Based on to know my self:

    • Criticism and Anger: Have you ever watched your negative thoughts while being angry? If you did then most probably you already noticed that you were so critical to everyone and to everything. When we become angry we tend to become overly critical and sarcastic, but I am not talking about the short bursts of anger that visit us each now and then, am talking about anger that is carried inwards, am talking about anger that accompanies us in every moment that we live, i am talking about people who are haunted by anger. People with unmet goals, people who were emotionally abused and people with violated rights may end up being angry at everything. They live a miserable life and curse everyone they find in their way as if others carry part of the blame for what happened to them. Those are the overly critical and the overly sarcastic people you meet in your life.

     

    • Being overly critical and Your Inner Child: Some people are overly critical because this is just how they were treated as children. Whether it was by their parents or colleagues it won’t matter much, what matters is that the child becomes wounded and then carries the wound into his subconscious then without noticing this wound makes him overly critical and unbearable to everyone around him. The negative messages that this child constantly received as a child turned into a way of thinking that lead him to become an overly critical and sarcastic adult. Not everyone who receives criticism as a child turns to be like that; some people manage to discover what’s right and what’s wrong and then turn to hate those people who were trying to make them become critical persons.

     

    • Criticism and Lack of self confidence: The difference between a confident person and an inferior person is the way of thinking, while the first tends to compliment his actions the second keeps putting himself down. The mind of the person lacking self confidence is usually full of negative messages and that’s why the excess negative messages travels to the other people around him in the form of criticism. The conclusion is, The overly critical person usually lacks self confidence

     


    Now I think this people who are being sarcastic in the forum because they acquire this kind of stuff

    Thank you for the thoughtful post. Here are some interesting quotes, from differing points of view, to consider with what you have written:


    • Sarcasm I now see to be, in general, the language of the Devil; for which reason I have, long since, as good as renounced it.

    • Sarcasm: the last refuge of modest and chaste-souled people when the privacy of their soul is coarsely and intrusively invaded.

    • Sarcasm and compassion are two of the qualities that make life on earth tolerable.

    • Sarcasm is not the rapier of wit its wielders seem to believe it to be, but merely a club: it may, by dint of brute force, occasionally raise bruises, but it never cuts or pierces.

    • Sarcasm: the last defence of the truly witless

      • John G. Pollard, Letters (1981)

     

    And of course,

    "Sarcasm... the protest of those who are weak."

    — John Knowles (A Separate Peace)

  • SwaneaSwanea Member UncommonPosts: 2,401

    Sarcasm > Me posting.

  • devilisciousdeviliscious Member UncommonPosts: 4,359

    Originally posted by Illius

    Sarcasm works better in person when you can see who you're talking to, hear the inflection of their voice and so on.  Sarcasm tends to not translate well with text, much like quite a bit of the humor that goes on in here.

    I also find that the newest generation even in person doesn't seem to understand the intricacies of sarcasm in person.

     Now see I assume sarcasm because I am a sarcastic person. You on the other hand, think they "shoot from the hip" moreson than see the humor in it. I think it is a matter of personailty rather than a generalzation.

    I can see the humor in the text and take it that way more often than take it seriously. But I think you are may not see it the same way. LOL

  • IlliusIllius Member UncommonPosts: 4,142

    Originally posted by deviliscious

    Originally posted by Illius

    Sarcasm works better in person when you can see who you're talking to, hear the inflection of their voice and so on.  Sarcasm tends to not translate well with text, much like quite a bit of the humor that goes on in here.

    I also find that the newest generation even in person doesn't seem to understand the intricacies of sarcasm in person.

     Now see I assume sarcasm because I am a sarcastic person. You on the other hand, think they "shoot from the hip" moreson than see the humor in it. I think it is a matter of personailty rather than a generalzation.

    I can see the humor in the text and take it that way more often than take it seriously. But I think you are may not see it the same way. LOL

    I suppose.  I've been told I can at times have a VERY dry sense of humor.  I suppose it's entirely possible that people might interpret that as ironic sarcasm, or me trying to be insulting.

    I for one at least when it comes to face to face conversations like to get a visual reaction from people.  It's why more often then not all the statements I make seem to push a lot of boundaries untill the people I'm talking to realize what's going on.  More often then not they end up going along with it and like last month turned into a 15 minute long pun exchange in my car on my way to Quebec.  Eventually we ran out of material.

    No required quests! And if I decide I want to be an assassin-cartographer-dancer-pastry chef who lives only to stalk and kill interior decorators, then that's who I want to be, even if it takes me four years to max all the skills and everyone else thinks I'm freaking nuts. -Madimorga-

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