Sarcasm: The Most Highly Developed Form of Wit

Note: This is mostly sarcastic. Therefore, you can interpret it to mean whatever you want it to.

Some people just don’t appreciate the art of a solid use of sarcasm. I’ve heard a lot of people say that sarcasm is one of their biggest pet peeves.

Then again, it makes sense. Why would someone say the exact opposite of what they mean to convey what they actually do mean (and that was a rhetorical question, not sarcasm)?

But isn’t a little sarcasm beneficial? Yes. I will prove it. Take the following examples. Example “A” does not use sarcasm, on the other hand, example “B” utilizes sarcasm to the fullest. Each depict the same point, therefore, not one should be better than another:

(A) In order to learn more about sarcasm , I searched the web. I found that sarcasm is a form of speech using irony and is usually bitter or cutting. Sarcasm is known as the lowest form of wit. I disagree with this because sarcasm can sometimes be effective in conveying a point.

Or

(B) In order to learn more about sarcasm, I checked with Wikipedia. Apparently, sarcasm is a form of speech using irony and is usually bitter or cutting. I know that this is true because I personally updated that entry yesterday. Sarcasm is known as the lowest form of wit. Then to test this website’s credibility, I searched “misleading” and “deception.” My theory was confirmed when and both ”misleading” and “deception” directed me to wikipedia’s home page.

The irony is tangible.

("Misleading" and "Deception" do not actually redirect you to wikipedia's home page)

So why is sarcasm so looked down upon? Some sarcasm is annoying, and in those circumstances, I side with the critics. When I do a job poorly at work, my incredibly witty manager might say to me “nice job,” and I think to myself, “Wow, effective use of sarcasm, buddy!” If his sarcasm bugged me, then why did I respond with sarcasm? Because my sarcasm is an exquisite example and it trumped my manager’s.

Let’s break down the sarcasm and analyze the uses of sarcasm from a scientific perspective. I’m much better at sarcasm than my manager.

All he did was say “Nice job” to imply “bad job, fix it.” By me saying “Wow, effective use of sarcasm, buddy,” I would have given him a smorgasbord of sarcasm. First off, I say “wow,” implying shock, as if his defective sarcasm actually surprised me. But then again, I didn't expect any better from his atempt at a witty comment. But the presence of sarcasm shows that the ability to think of a witty comment was beyond him. By saying “effective use of sarcasm,” I would be saying the opposite of that; it was really weak sarcasm, and I’m probably not going to fix the alleged “good job.” And to top it off I add a snide “Buddy” at the end. It’s funny because he is not my buddy. This article is not about sarcasm, it’s about how to lose a job.

I love sarcasm- seriously, not sarcastically. It is effective. You say the opposite of what you want to imply what you want to say in the first place. The true definition of sarcasm (not wikipedia’s definition) should be "just a round-about way of saying one thing when you mean another in order to portray to the audience your original idea and to make it easier for them because they don’t know what you’re talking about until you restate the original, sarcastic statement, only this time putting the sarcasm on hold". Now wasn’t that easier to understand than “a form of ironic speech.”

What's great is that half of this entry is sarcastic.