Word: sarcasm
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...responded to her e-mail apologetically, urging her to peruse the column closely, to read the actual lines and not between them, not to be led astray by the sarcasm in the second paragraph. “Dude,” came back the reply, “I would hope that you could recognize the sarcasm in my own response.” So that’s how my own medicine tastes...
...seriously, the usefulness of sarcasm bears some pondering. Why have humans developed this habit of saying one thing and meaning the opposite? To start with, there is the humor. For instance, a very funny sketch on the Dec. 1 episode of “Saturday Night Live” showed Will Ferrell stumping for a book about how to train your house pet using sarcasm: “That’s a good dog, that fecal shade of brown really goes perfectly with my beige ottoman. Good doggie.” In a recent review session, a professor reminded...
...Sarcasm is often about saying one thing, meaning the opposite, but actually meaning something somewhere in between. Sarcasm can be about “sort of kidding.” For instance, I will readily admit that I approached my inquiry into “why jocks exist” with some acidity. I was under the impression that the Harvard presses, which are almost entirely devoid of athletes, were portraying athletes too reverently. Somewhere between my heavy sarcasm and my earnestness, there was the nutmeg of argument...
...have decided that sarcasm is a delicate species of communication, but can it be a useful one? For answers, we can look in these very pages. On Dec. 13, Fletcher University Professor Cornel West ’74 was quoted, in response to questions about the Af-Am 10 take-home exam mix-up and the possible intervention of University President Lawrence H. Summers: “I have nothing to say about Brother Summers—I just wish him well...
...West take this moment of obvious conflict to wish Summers well? Did West have any responsibility for how readers would perceive the comment? Unfortunately, West, who has recently applied for a medical leave of absence, did not respond to an (unsarcastic) e-mail before press time. The evidence of sarcasm here is circumstantial—I don’t know West and don’t presume to guess his meanings and motivations...