Wednesday, October 10, 2012

THE ART OF SARCASM


Some e-cards is probably not a good way to introduce this topic since their cards are fairly witty and enjoyable, while I am beginning to question whether by using sarcasm, I am actually not saying anything useful at all.   

Let me give a better example of what I mean:

Person A:  I just lost my job and realized my skirt has a rip in it.  
Me: Niiiiiiiiiice.  

Or see:

Person B: *burps*
Me: (looking over) Good one.

As you will doubtless have noticed, I am pretty useless in these scenarios.  This was not apparent to me until my friend pointed out that sarcasm is an American characteristic. Sometimes the words mean nothing, sometimes they mean the opposite of what the speaker actually means, and sometimes people use it to create this facade of jaded sophistication.  

What concerns me is that by using sarcasm I'm actually copping out of saying anything meaningful or sincere.  I am one small step above that person my friend E calls "the placeholder."  This type of person likes to go to parties, where they will stand in a circle of friends and laugh at everyone else's jokes or witty remarks and appear friendly and nice.  However, this person never contributes anything to the conversation, and is hence, "a placeholder."  

I myself have nothing against "the placeholder," I just don't want to be that person.  In that same vein, I would like to hold myself to either higher standards of sarcasm (a la Some Ecards), or to contribute something that involves flexing my brain.  Just a little.    

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