Sarcasm is caustic irony that is not accessible to everyone.

Updated July 24, 2021 615 Author: Dmitry Petrov
Hello, dear readers of the KtoNaNovenkogo.ru blog. Surely many have heard the expression “words can hurt more than deeds.” This is true.

Some people are capable of inflicting a strong emotional blow on another person with just a couple of phrases. Shame him, make others laugh at him.

And at the same time, we are not talking about banal rudeness or swearing. In this case, a more subtle weapon - sarcasm.

Sarcasm - what is it?

There are many jokers in our world and they are different. If someone begins to play an evil joke on another, then he uses a technique that since ancient times was considered accessible only to people of high ranks and titles. To understand what sarcasm means, you need to go back to the origins of this word.

Sarcasm

It has Greek roots and several translations: “tearing flesh”, “tearing meat”, “biting lips”, probably referring to the state of a person who has heard something unpleasant addressed to him, dressed in the form of a joke. Dictionaries explain the meaning of this word as an evil mockery, an offensive, insulting joke, with the help of which they want to show someone in a negative light.

Helps you better express affection

“I hate you” is “I love you” in the language of sarcastic people. Psychologists note that sarcastic people most of all like to make fun of those to whom they are strongly attached and whom they love.

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Those whom they particularly trust are more likely to be bombarded with a strange sense of humor. But sometimes it is necessary to say the right words. Some may understand things differently. A simple joke can become a reason for them to be offended.

How to recognize sarcasm?

It is very easy to distinguish sarcastic statements from ironic or humorous ones. Each of them has its own semantic meaning. The least offensive are humorous jokes that can make you think and laugh at a problem or a person without humiliating or insulting him. Irony is a more “poisonous lady.” She can allow herself not only to joke, but also to prick with one phrase or another without too much pain.

Even fleeting statements with sarcasm are especially sharp, poisonous and offensive, but it is important with what message they are uttered. At the same time, the speaker, as a rule, understands perfectly well that he is offending a person, but this is what he is trying to achieve. In this case, it is worth responding to the words correctly in order not to close yourself off.

Signs and examples

Some people can't tell the difference between satire and serious conversation. But it's very easy to tell the difference. Signs of a sarcastic statement:

• rude, aggressive and angry tone of voice;
• fluctuations in the sound and timbre of speech;
• sharpness;
• brevity (only one word can be said);
• indifference of the speaker (he doesn’t care whether he offends a person or not);
• hidden meaning (seemingly an expression of gratitude, but said in a rough voice);
• absence of even a hint of laughter or smile (a sarcastic remark is always delivered as a serious speech, sometimes with a sad, strained or disappointed smile);
• Schadenfreude (after the statement, a person can laugh, as if he were a villain from some cartoon).

So, sarcasm is a caustic joke with evil intentions that helps to express hostility. Aphorisms are built on its basis. Also, a satirical technique helps to win an argument and avoid assault or confrontation.

Examples of sarcasm in literature and life:

1. “Where, tell us, are the fathers of the Fatherland whom we should recognize as models? Aren’t these the ones who are rich in robbery…” (A.S. Griboyedov).
2. “Well, thank you, I helped, so to speak.”
3. “We are rich, barely from the cradle, in the mistakes of our fathers and their late minds. The bitter mockery of a deceived son over a squandered father” (M. Yu. Lermontov).
4. "My condolences. He will live a long time and will get you to the fullest” (from the movie “House M.D.”).
5. “Many people complain about their appearance, but no one complains about their brains” (Faina Ranevskaya).
6. “I remember one artist spoke at our meeting and talked about nothing for about an hour. When he finished, they applauded him out of politeness and immediately heard the voice of Arnold, who with inimitable intonation said about the speaker: “Why do I love him? For brevity!” (Yu. Nikulin “Almost Seriously”).
7. “Thank you for being on time” (when the person was late).
8. And here is an interesting sarcastic expression about the meaning of the word sarcasm: “Sarcasm is the ability to praise a person so that he is very offended by you.”

A sarcastic phrase begins with a positive statement (the first part), and ends with an expression of ridicule, anger, anger towards some phenomenon or hero, his actions (in the second part). The basis is a heightened contrast between the spoken words and the hidden meaning.

In simple words, this is hidden mockery aimed at humiliation and humiliation. The technique is especially often used in journalism, since this genre itself is aimed at hooking people to the living, pointing out the pain and depth of some problem.

Often sarcastic expressions are on the verge of a foul. They offend and touch people's heartstrings and can ruin friendly, love and business relationships, so in real life it is recommended to use this technique with great caution. If you want to point out the shortcomings of a loved one and maintain a relationship with him, then it is better to choose another method.

How to respond to sarcasm?

A difficult and very painful question is how to relate to this speech style on the part of another person and how to react to it. It has been noticed that sharp sarcasm is heard not about everyone, but about those who allow such jokes to be directed at them. Often such a person turns into a “whipping boy”, and everyone and everything is making evil jokes about him with or without reason. You need to protect yourself from offensive jokes and you can do this in the following ways:

• get rid of complexes;
• learn to respond to sarcasm with sarcasm;
• If possible, attend personal growth courses.

Psychologists say that ridicule is allowed towards people with complexes, suffering from various fears or constant feelings of guilt, often without even realizing what they are guilty of. This can continue until offensive words are spoken in response to the offender, and this will be done in public. As practice shows, a sharp, no less sarcastic answer well sobers up the presumptuous joker.

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Sarcasm and irony - the difference

In order not to be offended by any joke and not to make a tragedy out of every word, you need to understand where sarcasm and irony are and how they differ. If everything is clear about sarcasm, with the help of which they want to openly offend a person, then irony, having a negative evaluative content, is more veiled. It may not directly, but covertly express ridicule or exposure. Sarcasm is a cruder and more offensive form of jokes. As for irony, you need to try to grasp its subtle meaning, which is not given to everyone.

It can play a role in survival

The inability to recognize other people's teasing is more of a disadvantage than a help in today's society. Researchers note that sarcasm can be seen as a survival ability during evolution. And all because it has a critical role in social communication. In general, sarcastic remarks are simply part of human behavior at this stage of development.

Is sarcasm good or bad?

If we are talking about those who use sarcastic statements more often, then as a rule they turn out to be smart people, but to one degree or another deprived of attention, love, and care. Or, on the contrary, they are satiated with the blessings of life and consider only themselves worthy of attention. True, such darlings of fate, as a rule, in their evil jokes slide into banal rudeness, ideally not understanding what sarcasm is.

The entertaining art of sarcasm has nothing in common with it, since it presupposes mastery of the word and its skillful use. At the same time, the addressee of sarcasm is quite specific, and the thought, accompanied by a sharp and cruel joke, is clear. There is no need to guess whether sarcasm is good or bad. Depending on whose hands this weapon is in, the result of its firing may be different. At the same time, we should not forget that the wonderful actress Faina Ranevskaya became famous not only for her acting skills, but also for her sarcastic phrases that are relevant and have long been quoted.

• It’s better to be a good person who “swears” than a quiet, well-mannered creature.
• Horseradish, based on the opinions of others, ensures a calm and happy life.
• Under the most beautiful peacock tail hides the most ordinary chicken ass. So less pathos, gentlemen.
• Why are all women such fools?
• Do you know what it's like to act in a movie? Imagine that you are washing in a bathhouse, and they take you on a tour there.
• To gain recognition one must, even must, die.
• Lesbianism, homosexuality, masochism, sadism are not perversions. Actually, there are only two perversions: field hockey and ice ballet.
• Everything pleasant in this world is either harmful, immoral, or leads to obesity.
• I hate you. Wherever I go, everyone looks around and says: “Look, it’s Mulya, don’t make me nervous, she’s coming.”
• Women, of course, are smarter. Have you ever heard of a woman who would lose her head just because a man has beautiful legs?
• Talent is self-doubt and painful dissatisfaction with oneself and one’s shortcomings, which I have never encountered in mediocrity.
• I’m watching this film for the fourth time and I must tell you that today the actors played like never before.

Examples[edit]

• In general, it is very common in the press, both paper and electronic, since it is an effective means of evoking an emotional response from the audience, often regardless of how much solidarity the reader has with the writer: “They brought a zinc coffin with the body of an 18-year-old occupier, kidnapped and brutally killed by civilians Chechen freedom fighters." Or the commentary to the Georgian press with its descriptions of the five-day war (2008, Russia-Georgia) that went around the entire RuNet: “I fled heroically, the enemy caught up in panic.”

Mythology[edit]

• The Scandinavian trickster god Loki (both in the Marvel version and in the legendary Scandinavian version) is simply a champion of sarcasm. Other gods said this about him: “We have known for a long time that Loki is a mocker and scolder, the enemy of all Gods.”

Literature[edit]

Russian speaking[edit]

• M. S. Saltykov-Shchedrin:

• Korney Chukovsky, in his monograph about Nekrasov, describes (talking about the historical background of events) how the Tsar’s guards “ with the greatest courage
  burst into houses in the middle of the night, rousing them from their beds, interrogating and searching the frightened inhabitants.”
• V. N. Voinovich was a master of sarcasm. In his anti-Soviet journalism - even more than in his artistic creativity.
• “Pies with Sweet Meat” by Dmitry Lopukhov - the protagonist speaks with a neighbor accusing him of all sins in the spirit of Litvak: when accused of painting the entrance, he replies that he also pissed there (in fact, this is not the first time another neighbor’s dog has relieved himself in the entrance) .

In other languages[edit]

• Dickens often resorted to sarcasm when describing Victorian England. For example,

• “Martin Chuzzlewit”: “Ah, human nature, human nature! Wretched human nature! - said Mr. Pecksniff, shaking his head reproachfully at humanity, as if he himself had nothing to do with it.” He warmed his back by the fireplace, “as if it were a widow’s back, or an orphan’s back, or the back of his enemy, or even someone else’s back, which a less virtuous person would have calmly left to freeze.” He informs the student who has settled with him that if he lacks something, he can ask for it, “in this sense there are no restrictions.” Author: “to confirm the words of Mr. Pecksniff, it should be said that any student was allowed to ask whatever his heart desired. Some young people asked the same thing for five years in a row, and no one stopped them.”
• "Battle of Life":

• William Blake, poem “The Hospitality of Old England” - there.

TV series[edit]

• "The Big Bang Theory": so that the brilliant but poorly socialized Sheldon understood sarcasm, Leonard made a special sign with this word.

Animated series[edit]

• “Daria”: a feature of the title character and her beloved aunt. "Sarcasm helps you survive."
• South Park: In the episode "Sarcastoball", Randy Marsh tries to sarcastically criticize the relaxation of the rules of American football - and his mocking phrases are taken as valuable suggestions.
• "Special Agent Archer." This is not the path the entire
  series is on. Every minute of every episode. The entire series is a pure embodiment of the trope, but it's worth noting every single Malory scene. She simply does not know how to talk without sarcasm.

Comics[edit]

• Asterix is ​​a master of the trope, he regularly uses sarcasm (in adaptations too). When Obelix freezes something particularly "outstanding", Asterix may ask something like "Did you think of it yourself?" And when in “Asterix and the Laurel Wreath” two friends are faced with an almost impossible task, Asterix makes a whole sarcastic speech (in response to Obelix’s simple-minded “Yes, the quest is not difficult: we penetrate Caesar’s palace, take the wreath, return to the village”): “Yeah . Here you and I are standing in front of Caesar's palace. And what? We stuff the faces of all the guards; then, going into the palace, we ask “Where is Caesar’s laurel wreath, we need it as a seasoning!”; then, when we already have the wreath, we take everything there and go home. So?". But it didn’t even occur to Obelix that it was sarcasm; he joyfully responded: “So. Well, are we moving?” - and prepared to take off. Asterix had to catch him by the waistband of his pants and explain the situation...

How to learn sarcasm?

Be that as it may, sarcasm implies a person’s daring behavior and his self-confidence, but if you start using it incorrectly, you can run into big trouble. Those who want to make sarcastic jokes should know how to learn sarcasm and irony without putting themselves in an awkward position. The main thing if you want to offend someone is to:

• great sense of humor;
• competent and good vocabulary;
• absence of offensive words and words of parasites;
• choosing the right place or situation for a joke;
• serious look.

If you quickly begin to practice yourself in ironic statements, then within a month you will be able to show off your eloquence. The main thing is not to go too far, because sarcasm, although humorous, is sometimes offensive. In life, this skill is very useful, because correctly constructed speech with notes of insolence helps to open many doors.

Ridicule in real life

In the modern world, sarcasm has become a game. This is the lot of people with a high level of intelligence and erudition. A kind of competition arises to see who has the most sophisticated insult and who will respond more worthy.

Sarcasm allows you to tell a person in a veiled, but quite clear way, what others don’t like about him. A sarcastic statement causes less negativity than direct criticism or comparison. In rare cases, this ends in resentment or conflict. This is the peculiarity of sarcasm. Only people with an original mindset can master this art.

But if in literature the technique is needed for the beauty of the description, a more accurate transmission of the main idea and essence of the work, then in everyday life the purpose of its use changes noticeably. People use sarcasm to:

• humiliate a person or his individual actions, qualities, properties, abilities, plan of action;
• make fun of the situation and the behavior of the people in it;
• demonstrate your own superiority;
• point out shortcomings and immoral behavior, force them to work on themselves;
• express dislike for someone or something;
• condemn a person or situation;
• prove yourself right;
• demonstrate your intelligence and erudition;
• protect yourself from attacks from others.

Synonyms of sarcasm in everyday language are a jab, gloating, a caustic statement, mockery, causticity, an expression on the topic of the day. Usually people answer something like: “You successfully pinned him,” “That’s a cool joke,” “Aren’t you tired of pinning me yet?”

An explanatory dictionary came to the rescue

Some dictionaries give too florid a description of this word and concept. Coming from the Greek language, sarcasm passed into the Russian language, using the technique of opposition and enhancing the effect of perception. With the help of sarcasm, concepts are replaced in a more rude and mocking form. Sarcasm coexists with hyperbole (exaggeration).

Let's say it's very hot outside. A warmly dressed man is walking down the street. Using exaggeration, you can achieve sarcasm: “Why did you leave the fur coat at home in the summer?” Real emotions could offend a person, and sarcasm softened this mockery a little. The most important thing in this means of expressive speech is to use direct hints.

Karl Bogdanovich Wenig “Portrait of a young woman in traditional clothing”, 1889 Location: State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia

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Their friends really love them

Sarcasm is a great way to test your company. Not everyone can constantly endure an endless stream of sarcasm, controversial jokes and jokes. Yes, sometimes making friends with a sarcastic person is not so easy. But rest assured, it's a lot of fun! Isn't it great to have jokes that only you understand?

Well, if you yourself are a sarcastic person, rest assured that your friends really love you. Without this feeling, no one would tolerate you for so long.

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