Sarcasm can have a humorous purpose.
Sarcasm is a term that comes from the Latin sarcasmus , although its most remote origin is in the Greek language . The etymology of the word refers to “cut or bite a piece of meat.”
The concept refers to a cruel and biting mockery that offends or mistreats someone or something . That is why its etymological origin is linked to “biting the flesh” (of the person who is the victim of the sarcastic comment).
Sarcasm is a type of irony or mockery . It appeals to humor with wit, but it is malicious since it seeks to hurt the recipient. It is worth mentioning that it can be expressed in an obvious way or through indirect or disguised criticism.
Intonation in sarcasm
In oral language, sarcasm is usually supported by a peculiar intonation. For example: “The truth is that you are a genius” can be a sincere phrase that seeks to honor the recipient or suggest exactly the opposite. In the second case, it is a sarcastic comment.
“Don't stop and continue explaining the issue to me: you don't know how much I'm interested in what you're saying” is another ambiguous comment, which could be made sarcastically to make the other person notice that his words are not interesting to the interlocutor, and that He is not willing to pay attention to you.
Detection of the sarcastic component
Sarcasm, like irony, can be so subtle that the listener sometimes fails to capture the aggression, especially when there are cultural or generational differences between the interlocutors.
Written communications, for their part, make sarcasm explicit through the use of quotation marks or capital letters : “What a 'good mood' you have this afternoon,” “The award has been a GREAT achievement on your part.”
Sometimes, sarcasm aims to make people uncomfortable or even constitutes aggression.
Sarcasm and culture
As expected, the abuse of sarcasm in interpersonal relationships can break the patience of those who must tolerate it. In the United States, for example, this communication resource seems to be part of its identity; In Argentina, on the other hand, reality used to be very different, until the consumption of North American cinema and television brought with it this and other cultural traits.
This phenomenon caused a dividing line to form between those who adopted it, with the consequent alteration of personality , and those who maintained a more traditional behavior. The clash between these two groups of people, generally young and old respectively, is inevitable: when sarcasm is considered an insult to intelligence, regardless of the degree of seriousness of the comment, communication is not possible.
An expression directed at oneself
It is important to note that the use of sarcasm does not necessarily indicate hostility ; Many times double meaning comments are made with humorous intentions, or as a fun way to reflect on one's own mistakes. Regarding this last point, sarcasm is not always directed at others, but it is possible to criticize oneself through phrases of a certain acuity, which simultaneously denote discontent and a commitment to improve.
An example of the above may involve a person who leaves his house to go to a job interview and discovers that he has forgotten his car keys; Faced with such a discovery, she says to herself “Perfect! The best I can do right now is waste time and agitate.
Psychology has repeatedly shown that there is no better therapy than externalizing feelings; In this sense, sarcasm can serve to let out anger as soon as it appears, in small quantities, before it accumulates and becomes an uncontrollable and dangerous problem. No one should be afraid to face the truth, their defects, their mistakes; and a comment with a certain degree of sarcasm, issued in the indicated context, can be the most enjoyable path to self-improvement.