Sarcasm has a place in our everyday conversations, and it will inevitably pop up. Most of the time it’s funny, warranted and accepted — but sometimes it’s not.
I’ll be the first to admit there are few days I don’t make at least one sarcastic comment or response. It’s instinctive and a custom in our society when conversing with friends, sometimes family, and co-workers depending on the setting. Some of us even have strong enough relationships with our advisers and teachers to joke in a sarcastic manner.
But where is the line?
That’s a question that can, at times, be difficult to answer. I find that sarcastic responses have become such a habit that it’s a knee-jerk reaction. There have been quite a few instances when I realized I shouldn’t have said something after I already blurted it out. These moments often leave me as the only one laughing.
But there is one difference between my sarcasm and other forms — I’m joking. Being funny — or trying to be funny — is one way to approach sarcasm, and more often than not it is acceptable in all social settings. It only becomes unacceptable when someone doesn’t understand the joke or the sarcasm is just plain mean.
I’m not going to sit here and preach that people should be nice — that’s something for parents to say. But I will say sarcasm can be used as a nasty, passive-aggressive means to express annoyance or disrespect for people. In these cases, it’s inappropriate to bring into a workplace, academic setting or with family. It’s also a sign of weakness. Sarcasm shouldn’t be how we deal with people we don’t like because we’re not mature enough to tell them how we feel.
It’s challenging to avoid this trap, but almost everyone has fallen into it at one point or another — including me. There are also instances in which this appears to be the case even if that wasn’t your intent.
This is where a lot of problems with sarcasm come into play. Not everyone gets it — plain and simple. To those people, you are just being mean, and it makes it difficult for them to talk to you because they cannot read your reaction.
And then there are those times when someone is trying to have a serious conversation, and all their listener has is smartass responses. Again, I’m guilty here. But I’ve also been on the receiving end, and it’s incredibly annoying. What goes around comes around — it’s cliché because it’s true.
Even so, it is instances and experiences like these that teach us sarcasm has an audience. There will be people throughout life who will never think sarcasm is amusing. There will be people who never understand it. And there will be people who never recognize when it is OK and when it isn’t, or take it too far.
I’m thinking somewhere in the middle is a good destination. You might still get flicked in the forehead, but at least someone else is laughing too.