The Truth about Sarcasm (Because You Really Need to Know)

Sarcasm is found almost anywhere. Using it for fun or to shield themselves, nearly everyone everywhere has used sarcasm. It is found in the works of Karl Marx and in the Bible. Because it is difficult to detect when used in writing or in over the internet, people use universal marks and emoticons that roll their eyes to mark sarcasm, so that the reader knows not to take it literally. Recently, a software company introduced the SarcMark, a downloadable symbol to place after sarcastic comments. This dark form of humor is common in today’s culture, but why? What exactly is the purpose of sarcasm?

Introduction

Sarcasm can be a sign of strength or a sign of weakness, depending on who you ask. It is a rhetorical device, often ironic, that is directed at a person or a thing. For example, saying “Nice weather we’re having,” on a rainy day is using sarcasm.

Sarcasm can be used in formal writing, often called satire, and in casual language. In a satire, human vices or shortcomings are criticized with the intent of fixing the problem. However, when used casually, as in spoken language or through emails, sarcasm is often times cutting and meant to put a certain person or group down.

While it can be funny and clever, sometimes sarcasm can be taken too far, to the point where it is hurtful. The line is a thin and dangerous one, and it varies for each individual person. Where this line is drawn often times depends on circumstances.
Methods

Data for this paper came from psychology articles, an article on sociolinguistics, and interviews of randomly-selected people. The people interviewed varied in gender and age so that the data would cover a range of perspectives but all grew up in similar white-collar households in the South. The interviewees were nineteen year old Shelby, twenty-four year old Alexander, twenty-seven year old Katy, and thirty-one year old Lee. The same questions were asked to each person. To keep the paper concise, however, only two people that were interviewed will be featured. These two people had the most contrasting answers.

Results and Discussion

Shelby is a freshman in college, studying Biomedical Engineering. She is very friendly and talkative, and she likes to be involved in as many social activities as her schedule allows. With an extroverted personality, Shelby offered lengthy, in-depth answers without the interviewer asking anything more than the planned questions.

Shelby enjoys using sarcasm and openly admits to using it often. While it does have risks, she thinks it is a fun way to express a person’s personality and knowledge.

Lee is a third-year doctoral student studying Special Education. He is married and spends his free time riding his bike, reading, or playing with his three dogs. Having an introverted personality, Lee gave direct and brief answers, giving no more than was necessary.

Lee does not use sarcasm often, or, at least, he does not intend to do so. Like Shelby, he thinks it is not used to put other people down on purpose and it is all in good fun. However, Lee sees sarcasm as a smokescreen for insecurity and a desire to steer away from the original topic.

Based on the Similarity/Difference Relationality Principle proposed by Mary Bucholtz and Kira Hall, both collegiate professors of linguistics, the answers given by Shelby and Lee are, in fact, comparable. The Principle states that, to compare cases, they must be sufficiently similar but not identical. Their points of view differ, but since they both were raised in stable households and got the opportunity to go to college, they are similar enough to weigh against each other. While Shelby and Lee’s answers may differ because of their age and level of maturity, they represent two interpretations of sarcasm: using it for fun and using it to avoid another situation.

From the psychological point of view, there are several theories behind the use of sarcasm. Albert Katz, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Western Ontario, found in a study that those who can most easily recognize and understand sarcasm tend to be more aggressive. Katz studied the brain activity of his subjects during an aggression test. The results showed that brain activity differed in those who showed high aggression than those who showed low, and that the more aggressive subjects recognized and understood sarcasm more easily. This suggests that the use of sarcasm is related to dominance. Meanwhile, the possibility of using sarcasm as a defense mechanism has also been proposed. “Sarcastic people protect themselves by only letting the world see a superficial part of who they are” and they are “very into impression management,” explains Stephen Stosny, a therapist and anger specialist in Washington D.C.

Conclusion

Sarcasm is used by most people to mask insecurities, indirectly express anger, or simply to make fun out of a situation. While there is no way to definitively determine the reason as to why people use sarcasm, there are many theories.
Bibliography

Bucholtz, Mary and Kira Hall. “Identity and Interaction: a sociocultural linguistic approach.”

Discourse Journal 7 (2005): 585-614.

Case, Katy. Personal interview. 13 April 2010.

Edwards, Lee. Personal interview. 12 April 2010.

Long, Shelby. Personal interview. 8 April 2010.

“Sarcasm.” Wikipedia. 10 April 2010. Wikimedia. 12 April 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarcasm>

Svoboda, Elizabeth. “Field Guide: Sarcastic Masters.” Psychology Today. 01 July 2007. Sussex. 07 April 2010. <http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200706/field-guide-sarcastic-masters>

Weir, Alexander. Personal interview. 13 April 2010.