Considering Sarcasm
By Donna McCrohan Rosenthal, East Sierra Branch
We think we recognize it, but have we looked it up? I personally maintain that succinctly and effectively saying something true without cruel intent might hurt, but frequently sometimes answers a straight question and therefore doesn’t constitute sarcasm.
Case in point:
Decades ago, while visiting friends and their relatives from abroad, my father said something about a kennel. One of them asked, “What’s a keneell?” Dad, having a quick and unfiltered sense of humor, promptly ridiculed the question with, “How long have you been in this country?”
Skip ahead another six months. The same group got together for dinner, except for the keneell lady. Dad inquired after her. Came the reply, “She stayed home because she doesn’t like you. You insulted her with that keneell crack.” Dad queried, “What was wrong with it?” When silence followed, he went around the table, pointing at us in turn, one by one, demanding, “What was wrong with it?” Nobody volunteered any information, until he reached me. I offered, “You made fun of her in her sister’s home.” Angry, he shot, “See that? See the sarcasm I have to take?”
I put it to you. Sarcasm, really? He’d solicited a factual response, and I provided one.
I submit that if you drive your car onto my foot and park it there and I observe, “You’re in my spot,” that might qualify as both truthful and sarcasm, though arguably justified. On the other hand, it might not result in the driver moving the vehicle anytime soon and definitely doesn’t help. Perhaps sarcasm depends on what you expect to accomplish.
From another perspective, when a stand-up comic quips, “We should throw him a parade. His head is so big it could be a float,” okay, sarcasm and decidedly not factual. But the audience laughs. Unless the performer addresses his jokes to somebody sitting out front, he doesn’t harm anybody, and he reaps a tidy sum for his humorous stylings.
What does it boil down to? To the target or to the audience or to what you hope to achieve with your remarks?
I finally compelled myself to look up “sarcasm.” It has to do with tearing flesh, like dogs ripping at bones.
There we have it, permitting me to fall back on my original position. To my mind, deliberate derision would meet the test but accuracy without nasty purpose does not.
I just bought a tee-shirt that reads, “Sarcasm. It’s how I hug.” I like it. I’ve never enjoyed wearing anything more. Draw your own conclusions as to what it means to me.