When we are stuck in a situation in which we can neither say the truth nor keep the truth inside, we rely on our good old friend, Sarcasm. Different people have different opinions on sarcasm. Some think them as the last resort of the low wits whereas some regard them as a powerful tool to say the things you want to say without actually saying it.
Defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as ’a sharp, bitter, or cutting remark', modern sarcasm tends to employ a heavy dose of irony. lt originally comes from a Greek word 'Sarkazein’ which means 'to tear flesh’ or 'bite the lip in rage' or we can say sarcasm is like electricity , half of the world won't get it. If you have been the victim of a particularly incisive piece of sarcasm, you might have an idea of how that feels.
Many people from our ex-prime minister to us ordinary citizens; everyone uses sarcasm but still it is criticized by many who do not understand it. Sarcasm walks in between a thin gap between hurting the recipient and utter satisfaction of the one delivering it. If anything is imbalanced then the sarcasm loses its credit. However, sarcasm gets a bad reputation because of some people who get easily offended.
A well placed sarcastic remark can help the person delivering sarcasm to get a sense of satisfaction, knowing that an invisible blow has been delivered to an actual or perceived toe. Good sarcasm should deliver a surreptitious iab that doesn't necessarily hurt the recipient but utterly satisfies the one delivering it.
But could we survive in a world without sarcasm? Would it not be better if we were able to go through life incapable of recognizing it? That would be hell on earth.
Nathan Hoang, one of the creators of Sartalics, italics which lean to the left instead of the right to denote that the writer is being sarcastic, agrees that ignorance isn't always bliss.
Not being able to recognize sarcasm? 'You would probably die from taking things too literally,’ he predicted.
Hoang, who lives in New York, helped come up with Sartalics two years ago.
'Sartalics is a left-leaning type style to convey sarcasm in text,' he said. 'lf italics can lean right to emphasize something, surely something leaning to the left is to de-emphasize something to the point of sarcasm.’
But why do we need reverse italics to tell us when someone is being ironic at someone else’s expense? Has the world become so ignorant?
A bit of sarcasm is good for everyone, helps blow off some steam and for God's sake people, grow up and enjoy a good piece of sarcasm and let your life be a bit more interesting than it is already.
‘lt’s possible to capture sarcasm in written word, whether in the given context with the overall mood and tone or with Sartalics, because sometimes there's not enough context available in 140 characters,’ said Hoang. ‘Or sometimes people just need a little help.
'Visually expressing sarcasm in writing is something the internet has asked for. I've got into trouble for being sarcastic online before and I'm sure many other people have as well.’