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giving up sarcasm
In the spirit of Right Speech, I am going to attempt to cut down on my sarcasm. This won't be easy, because I appreciate so much satire and the witty sarcastic reply but I realize that often what translates well in New England falls harshly upon ears elsewhere.
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I always find that humour of any kind is a bit hit-and-miss on line. Shouldn't abandon it entirely dude. A bit of pithy sarcasm is just the medicine from time to time.
I much appreciate the dryness of New England wit and humor. Though it can grate somewhat harshly on those unacustomed to it. I'm a southern boy myself and our regional humor often is not well received outside of Dixie. But then all my homies have Bubba as a first name.
grackle
I lived in Boston for well over a decade and despised the so-called humor of the Don Rickles variety. It was used so much that, after a while, you'd begin to see it as insulting. One just has to ration that sort of thing and not wear it out. Yes, it was the Boston Irish who used it and it was just tiresome.
Poking gentle fun can indeed be funny, but constantly rubbing it in is not. The beauty of artful/skillful humor is getting people into a playful, pleasant mood, by focussing on the elements involved in a somewhat changed context. That is not accomplished when one merely makes some sort of exhibition of people's reactions to insults and stuff like that.
IMNSHO, big-mouthed people always talking about other people are trite, and rarely funny. They're windbags, generally. Funny is dealing with the world of ideas first, and with personalities second. Lacking in charitable thought about ideas can be charming; showing contempt for others is, as my beloved grandmother would say, "just common."
That's pretty much it!
PS: Despite my love of sarcasm, I NEVER liked Don Rickles. I always felt his sarcasm was designed to belittle or hurt. Again... intent is everything.
Without reading everything written before - DON'T
Sarcasm is the language of dreams
When I wake up from a forbidden picture of what life should be ........ the language is sarcasm
When I want to connect with someone and know that they have really understood me, I use sarcasm
The only people who have really hit me in my life - used sarcasm
Bonjour Knitwitch,
Good to see you again.
Namaste
Kris
So pleased to see you again - you know
It is far far more important than just making things silly - sarcasm is taking everything to its real importance in realism.
So I have had time to say ........ sarcasm? Oh yes, bring it on. It is a friend who forms a shield.
I think I should make a word fielding quarter here - I am wearing my baseball cap and am standing on the mound ....... shoot me those words and I will be happy to make a go at them
At the moment I am giving whack at "you are brave" ............ no, I am not brave. I didn't volunteer for this kind of divvit - not the mental breakdowns, not the physical toughness, not the sheer bloody boredom of going on with going on.
~nomad
Nice to have someone here with me
But I like it very much - and agree with my friends here that INTENT IS EVERYTHING.
I am very definitely not American, so maybe I get this wrong, but:
Why not switch from sarcasm to irony?
Well, interesting question that the more literary-minded might help with. When I was in France I really had difficulty explaining the difference between the two.
They could not get sarcasm labelling everything ironic.
Now, I am sure that technically the two words stem from totally different origins but not being very good with actual grammar I cannot exlain this...
Simon would be good here. Are you there dear?
Hi Sara, and thanks for the warm welcome. It is my guess that those two words have different connotations in every single language, moreover, even in different cultures using the same (or almost the same) language. For instance, irony might mean something entirely different in the UK as opposed to the US; and something different again in France. For instance, the word is unknown in Germany (NO! I am just being this nasty Austrian, always making fun of Big Brother in the Northwest....:D) whereas in Austria it is sometimes not easy to say anything non-ironically (which is a typical Austrian exaggeration again :rolleyes: [love the variety of those smilies]).
But getting back to the original Dude and his vow: I think it would be good to turn sarcasm (which at least in my understanding bears the possibility of hurting others) into irony (which is more of the family of wisdom, potentially). So, Dude, and everyone, how is that for a vow? In the spirit of Right ironic speech? I mean it (ironically, of course).
Cheers, Norbu
Just wanted to add that, maybe, it is not a surprise that my best friend from the US originated from Boston...