Written vs. Verbal Sarcasm

     One aspect of Gino’s article on sarcasm that I found particularly interesting was how it is able to be easily misinterpreted, especially when communicated electronically. As I’ve mentioned previously in class, a lot of the humor I use personally is sarcastic, and I find this statement to ring true. However, there is one discrepancy I have found between my life and this article: even when communicating sarcasm verbally, there is a good chance of misinterpretation occurring. I believe this is due to the fact that, when delivering a sarcastic comment, it is often done in a dry, monotone voice. As this is also my normal speaking voice, there have been multiple occasions in which the meaning behind my statements has been misinterpreted by my friends. This all echoes back to the point made in class multiple weeks ago regarding reading humor versus having it spoken to you. We mentioned that, if an author were to read you a portion of their book, they are able to deliver their lines in the exact manner which they want the reader to perceive. This has been seen multiple times throughout the semester, including Irby, Sedaris and Midge.

     One aspect of sarcasm which I hadn’t considered previously was its “upside”: the ability to enhance creativity. I had only ever considered sarcasm in a negative sense, as it commonly lead to confusion and frustration in my personal life. However, Gino mentions that because the brain has to function in a new, creative way to perceive a sarcastic comment, it may lead to a clearer form of thinking. Sarcasm isn’t the only thing to have this effect, either. Gino mentions that both moderate noise and alcohol can also lead to the same boost in creativity that sarcasm provides. I believe the key to avoiding the negative aspects of sarcasm and achieving this “creative boost” is to not overuse sarcasm. This is where I was at fault before. I had used sarcasm to the point where, when speaking to my friends, they weren’t sure if anything I had to say could be taken literally. However, if used appropriately, sarcasm may lead to a great boost in creativity with friends, in the workplace, and (perhaps) in a school setting as well.

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