Sarcasm

[Reincarnate]

Re: Sarcasm

IMO it depends on how well someone knows you, because sarcasm (and satire) work best when it's touching on something that's just a notch or two beyond what's believable. Without any reference point, it can be hard to tell if someone's being serious or just playing around.

When Halogen just said "this thread was a terrible idea no one gives a shit about it because its a waste of time" we know he's being sarcastic because he rarely speaks that way.

However, if some random 8-year old jackass said the same thing, we would think he was being his usual self.

This is also one reason why Colbert has said he doesn't want his kids watching his own show (go to about a minute in):

EDIT:
Unrelated bit of Colbert who goes out of character but the stuff he says at the end is so ridiculously profound

Also note that clearly not everyone on the show gets the sarcasm

[Coolboyrulez0]

Re: Sarcasm

Since I don't want to rephrase what was being said too much I'll keep it simple:

Sarcasm is an extremely effective tool, if the speaker is able to use this properly, and if he knows his audience.
A grumpy person who addresses an inappropriate audience with a sarcastic statement will come off as sincere
whereas a more humorous or charismatic individual is able to convey a sarcastic message and have it understood as such.

Basically, effective speaker, knowledge of audience and proper setting (sarcasm rarely has a place at funerals etc) is needed for effective use of sarcasm.

PS: I really enjoy Stephen Colbert (the character and the person) and those clips. Thanks for that.

[8 Hour Whore]

Re: Sarcasm

I make retarded faces when I'm being sarcastic irk. Very easy to tell. On the comp I always make a face or something similar

[Charu]

Re: Sarcasm

Gosh dang it golly geezers, stop making jolly dally rally deals about sarCAST! Y'know what I'm sayin'?

...That's usually how I let people know I'm sarcastic or making a joke. I add silly wordings to what I say or type to emphasize what I'm saying or typing to not being taken seriously.

To me, I think that's the best way to communicate to someone without sounding like a jerk/idiot.

And with that, I say DOHOHOHOHO to you sir!

[kjwkjw]

Re: Sarcasm

When I'm trying to be sarcastic online, I -usually- make it easy for everyone to see I'm not serious. Sometimes I'll do what Charu said (silly words/phrases/etc.) and other times I'll do what AJ said (intentional and blatant mistakes in spelling and grammar).

I also find myself using several exclamation marks (often separated by a space from the last word) at the end of sarcastic comments, haha.

[dAnceguy117]

Re: Sarcasm

I also find myself using several exclamation marks (often separated by a space from the last word) at the end of sarcastic comments, haha.

Right with you. This type of indicator is both obvious and funny-looking.

Even online, if I make a mistake, I admit my error. I've never been very cautious in this regard; I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing. I consciously avoid using "sarcasm" to cover up mistakes as in the examples shown here, because doing so would reduce the impact created by my own actual sarcasm.


edit:

Last example. This one is about joking around, but it's not necessarily the best idea. Is anyone supposed to detect this?:
Person B says, "My mother just passed away."
Person A replies, "Well I'm sure you'll have a nice life without her."
Person B says, "That's pretty rude. I loved my mother."
Person A replies, "Sarcasm. I was just messing around."

Even the sarcastic version of Person A's remark would be hurtful. Sarcasm attempts to imply the opposite of whatever is spoken or typed. "Well I'm sure you'll have a nice life without her" becomes "Your life will be horrible from now on." I don't think anyone would find the latter statement to be funny.

[Syhto]

Re: Sarcasm

too many times i done paid my dues, even today im still payin em fool

[G.S.M]

Re: Sarcasm

If we're talking about irl, I tend to be really sarcastic, but only sarcastic enough to not offend. If I offend someone with my sarcasm, I tend to quickly apologize and "lighten up" around that person. And I make sure it's glaringly obvious, at least for the person I'm talking to.

If we're talking about on the internet, then fuck bitches get money.

This except the apologize part

[Zapmeister]

Re: Sarcasm

for those having trouble with the general detection of sarcasm online, you may consider the purchase of one of these. i bought one when i was a gullible little thirteen-year-old trying to make my way around the internet (on dial-up) and it really helped. plugs straight into a usb port, speakers have ultra-quick response, and its accuracy is amazing

[/sarcasm]

related: sar chasm

[Cavernio]

Re: Sarcasm

I don't know too many people my age who would try to cover up an opinion for the sake of conformity. Silence is golden.

[kommisar]

Re: Sarcasm

just gotta know the person and their brand of humor

[Wayward Vagabond]

Re: Sarcasm

Everyone takes everything I say seriously all the time.

You'd think after a while people would catch on



But they don't




No one does













no one

[andy-o24]

Re: Sarcasm

Regardless of setting, I try to use basic conventions. Capitalization, correct spelling, punctuation, etc. Obviously, my grammar and conventions aren't perfect, but typing in that manner is me being serious unless I'm talking to someone who I know would understand my sarcasm.

For the most part, I'm being sarcastic. I like to chime in with things that make me laugh and hopefully someone will hear it (in real life) or read it and find the humor I'm using. Though, my sense of humor is mainly a dry wit anymore.

So detecting my sarcasm comes from knowing me and noticing my grammatical errors. I will stop capitalizing and intentionally spell words VERY wrong if I need to be very sarcastic. Usually caps lock is a good indicator as well.

I will never try to cover my lack of intelligence by saying I was being sarcastic. I can own up to being wrong. Everyone makes mistakes, and I'm wrong all the time.

As for your examples, I don't detect sarcasm in those. Any of them. I guess there is a personal way of conveying sarcasm that varies from person to person. It's just a matter of knowing that person well enough to detect their sarcasm when it isn't blatantly obvious.

It's funny. We talked last year in my literature class about making a sarcasm font to avoid such confusion. Were it so easy...

-o24

[Xx{Midnight}xX]

Re: Sarcasm

I think sarcasm works best between 2 individuals who know each other to a particular extent. I probably wouldn't be 'as' sarcastic to someone I only just started talking to or met. But someone I've known for years would be able to pick up any sarcasm I throw from a mile away.

Even using it with good friends can be difficult if you're like myself and your tone doesn't change even slightly.

A teacher I had would confuse me being serious for me being sarcastic and vice versa.

Sarcasm is a great free tool for people like myself who tend to not think before they speak rather than speaking as we're thinking. Being naturally sarcastic as I am it's a good tool to cover up light jabs and not make the other person angry, but still gives you the feeling that you didn't hold back, at least in my case.

In general though, people really should be able to tell if you were joking or not if they can't that sucks for them honestly.

[infinity.]

Re: Sarcasm

Even using it with good friends can be difficult if you're like myself and your tone doesn't change even slightly.

A teacher I had would confuse me being serious for me being sarcastic and vice versa.

Sarcasm is a great free tool for people like myself who tend to not think before they speak rather than speaking as we're thinking. Being naturally sarcastic as I am it's a good tool to cover up light jabs and not make the other person angry, but still gives you the feeling that you didn't hold back, at least in my case.

In general though, people really should be able to tell if you were joking or not if they can't that sucks for them honestly.

honestly i tried to take this post seriously but split infinitives

also sarcasm is more often than not a negative thing (aka not practical or effective for communicative purposes).