My new year resolution is to understand sarcasm.
Why?
Because I don't understand scarcasm.
Since I could never be called a sarcastic person I went online to see what I could find out about people like me. The first thing I discovered was that 25% of the human population does not understand sarcasm.
According to the Science of People sarcasm happens for three reasons:
Insecurity
Latent Anger
Social Awkwardness
I was shocked not to find humor on the list and admit to being and having all of the above issues. We all do. I am sure I have been sarcastic before, but it isn't natural to me. Heaven forbid I should ever endow one of my characters with sarcasm as I'd be online all day trying to figure it out.
The Science of People says that sarcastic people are insecure, have tons of anger, and are socially awkward.
I think the Science of People have forgotten something. After much thought, I see sarcasm as a defense mechanism. Something people use to hurt other people in a supposedly funny manner. But sarcasm isn't funny and it is never funny if you are the person it is directed toward. Yet generally the sarcastic person finds humor in what they are saying and will frequently laugh. Then they pretend they didn't mean what they said when in fact they did mean it but used a passive aggressive move to say it in a humorous manner.
Easy enough.
I sat myself down and thought about how this resolution happened. I was accused of not having a sense of humor. This person wanted to know why I didn't laugh at her jokes. I thought about it, discovered she was right, then resolved to discover the secret to sarcasm. I genuinely like this person, but to me she isn't funny. I think she's smart and I value her opinion, but she isn't that funny and she is never funny when she makes fun of other people especially when they are standing in front of her or she is talking behind their back.
Hence, my resolution: To discover the meaning of sarcastic humor and why I do not find it funny.
And I found it.
Now, I am not ashamed for being sensitive. I had a horrendous childhood. It was full of abuse, neglect, and on occasion cruelty. I lived my entire childhood in a state of pure unadulterated terror and it is because of those years, I do not use sarcasm.
I know true pain. I became familiar with the face of depression when I was very little. I was introduced to cruelty at the tender age of 7. I know what it's like to live in constant fear. I would never, under any circumstances deliberately try and hurt another human being. Because of this, I cannot use sarcasm and I do not understand it. There is so much cruelty in the world that why would I want to add to it?
OF COURSE I DO NOT FIND HER FUNNY.
It's because she isn't.
I thought this blog was going to end up with me learning how to use sarcasm to be funny because let's face it, it has its place. You can shut people up in a second. The motive of sarcasm is essentially to hurt, to retaliate or to control. Sarcastic remarks are seen as no big deal to the person who utters them, but to the recipient those words can scar a soul. My soul is scarred enough. I'm not going to add sarcasm to the list. If you are my friend I will not hurt you even at the expense of being thought humorless.
I promise.
Why?
Because I don't understand scarcasm.
Since I could never be called a sarcastic person I went online to see what I could find out about people like me. The first thing I discovered was that 25% of the human population does not understand sarcasm.
According to the Science of People sarcasm happens for three reasons:
Insecurity
Latent Anger
Social Awkwardness
I was shocked not to find humor on the list and admit to being and having all of the above issues. We all do. I am sure I have been sarcastic before, but it isn't natural to me. Heaven forbid I should ever endow one of my characters with sarcasm as I'd be online all day trying to figure it out.
The Science of People says that sarcastic people are insecure, have tons of anger, and are socially awkward.
I think the Science of People have forgotten something. After much thought, I see sarcasm as a defense mechanism. Something people use to hurt other people in a supposedly funny manner. But sarcasm isn't funny and it is never funny if you are the person it is directed toward. Yet generally the sarcastic person finds humor in what they are saying and will frequently laugh. Then they pretend they didn't mean what they said when in fact they did mean it but used a passive aggressive move to say it in a humorous manner.
Easy enough.
I sat myself down and thought about how this resolution happened. I was accused of not having a sense of humor. This person wanted to know why I didn't laugh at her jokes. I thought about it, discovered she was right, then resolved to discover the secret to sarcasm. I genuinely like this person, but to me she isn't funny. I think she's smart and I value her opinion, but she isn't that funny and she is never funny when she makes fun of other people especially when they are standing in front of her or she is talking behind their back.
Hence, my resolution: To discover the meaning of sarcastic humor and why I do not find it funny.
And I found it.
Now, I am not ashamed for being sensitive. I had a horrendous childhood. It was full of abuse, neglect, and on occasion cruelty. I lived my entire childhood in a state of pure unadulterated terror and it is because of those years, I do not use sarcasm.
I know true pain. I became familiar with the face of depression when I was very little. I was introduced to cruelty at the tender age of 7. I know what it's like to live in constant fear. I would never, under any circumstances deliberately try and hurt another human being. Because of this, I cannot use sarcasm and I do not understand it. There is so much cruelty in the world that why would I want to add to it?
OF COURSE I DO NOT FIND HER FUNNY.
It's because she isn't.
I thought this blog was going to end up with me learning how to use sarcasm to be funny because let's face it, it has its place. You can shut people up in a second. The motive of sarcasm is essentially to hurt, to retaliate or to control. Sarcastic remarks are seen as no big deal to the person who utters them, but to the recipient those words can scar a soul. My soul is scarred enough. I'm not going to add sarcasm to the list. If you are my friend I will not hurt you even at the expense of being thought humorless.
I promise.
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