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picoblaanket

@picoblaanket@lemmy.ml

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picoblaanket,
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This is a very short story about sarcasm:

Ted opposes racist rants.

Yesterday - Ted posted a few exaggerated racist rants (sometimes with the /s).

2,177 people saw Ted’s racist rants.

  • 50% of them guessed he was joking.
  • 98% of them would not have seen a racist rant yesterday, if it weren’t for Ted’s little gag.

So the question is:

Despite the sarcasm… isn’t Ted just spreading more of what he honestly deplores?

Is Ted subverting his own integrity?

Why not say how we actually feel?

picoblaanket,
@picoblaanket@lemmy.ml avatar

I agree, there is a time for purposeful sarcasm.

To me, it requires two conditions:

  1. A person has already expressed their real perspective to a specific ‘opponent’, and
  2. That specific opponent cannot see the hole in their own logic.

This Norm MacDonald radio clip is a good example.

He explains his true perspective, and only switches to sarcasm for one sentence (at 5:25), to show the opponent how she is being goofy [and it works].

His foundation of sincerity gives context to the sarcasm.

Conversely - nowadays - a common ‘communication style’ is to just spray aimless sarcasm at distant or imaginary foes,

which (to me) reflects a deeper cultural issue…

a hiding behind mockery, a suppression of real constructive bravery,

just dunking on one-dimensional charicatures of strangers (who might not actually exist).

[So I agree with you - there are times for purposeful sarcasm.]

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