Sarcasm, Jabs, and Cynicism

During the past few days I've been thinking about the use of sarcasm in speech, so when Daniel talked last night in church about communicating by jabs, I was delighted at the prospect of hearing what someone else had to say on the subject. Several other words had been flitting through my mind and I couldn't quite pin down the nuances of difference between them. The words were irony, satire, cynicism, and sarcasm. I was pretty sure I didn't really like all of them, and Daniel told us he wasn't so impressed with all of them either, although I'm not sure he used these exact words. "Jabs" fits right into the family though, and he did use that word.

When I teach composition I talk about the use of irony in writing. I tell my students that it's difficult to do well, and should be used very sparingly, at least until they acquire more experience. It basically means to say exactly the opposite of what you really mean, in order to convey what you mean. This doesn't work unless the real meaning is very clear, and it's often not clear if the thinking patterns of the writer and reader are not very very similar, or if they simply don't know each other or their style of communication well. Irony is almost always lost on people who are newcomers to speaking a language--another reason for its limited usefulness. However, irony can be really delightful if it is done well and without rancor, and if it is readily understood. People often enjoy seeing it used to add humor to a situation. In composition class we usually try our hand at using irony in writing, just to familiarize ourselves with it, and learn something about its delights and limitations.

From my childhood I remember one lower grade student's attempt at humor when she told a friend that World War III had started. After the friend registered alarm and concern, the first child "took it back" and had great fun telling other people about the second silly girl who actually believed that World War III had started. All of us can see the utter lack of humor in this situation. The first girl lied and then made fun of the second girl who was trustful and believed the lie. It's not exactly the same, but when we've attempted irony and it's not understood, I think it's best to assume that the fault is more in the "teller" than in the hearer. True, intentional irony is not really an attempt to deceive, but when that is the effect, the context or the method were probably not right, and the teller should have read the situation more carefully or expressed himself/herself more clearly.

Satire is the use of irony to expose and discredit vice or folly. (Merriam-Webster). Satire can also involve sarcasm, which is irony with a sharp edge. M-W describes sarcasm as an utterance designed to cut or give pain, and using bitter, caustic language that is usually directed against an individual. Sarcasm sounds very much like what Daniel called jabs. It calls to mind using a hay fork to chase livestock.

Cynicism is being contemptuously distrustful of human nature and motives. (M-W) A person can be a silent cynic, I suppose, but why would anyone bother? Cynics are often very good at diagnosing a problem and telling others about it. This is their claim to fame. Sometimes this skill is needed, of course, but when accompanied with suspicion and a dismal view of others' intentions, cynics really are not very pleasant companions.

So how is it? Are any of these worth cultivating? Irony? Maybe, cautiously, after you've read or heard enough of it done really well, and after you're sure that all the sharp edges are gone from your feelings about any issue in question, or about the other people involved. Otherwise, you risk falling into the sarcasm trap, which comes across as a personal attack and causes pain. Or you risk just looking foolish when it doesn't come off well.

Satire doesn't necessarily have sharp edges in its exposure of vice or folly, so I think satire may be a good thing sometimes, but this is also a difficult thing to do well--more so because it has a negative focus since people use it to show what they are against--vice and folly.

You will find the cynic in a perpetually negative stance. Certainly this is not an attitude worth cultivating. The accompanying contempt has nothing in common with how God says we are to view other people.

I'm sure I've been guilty at times of all the sins of attitude and expression I've referred to here. I remember specifically having been told once that something I wrote was caustic. I knew it was a fair accusation, but I honestly didn't know how to be clear at that point and still seem friendly because the disagreements on the issues in question were so stark. It seemed to me that the only choices I had were to say nothing or say something that would be viewed as being sharp. Rightly or wrongly, I chose to say something. (Does this surprise anyone?)

I do idealize speaking and writing with well-seasoned grace. When I fail. . . . another day, another time. . . .maybe then I'll get it nearer right. I hope so.