MiSsSaRaH's blog: "Hurtful Sarcasm"

Sarcasm can cause discord in both romantic relationships and friendships. 

Sarcasm is a large component of social interaction and conversation.  To demonstrate a sense of humor, people frequently use sarcasm as a means of “breaking the ice” during initial encounters with others.  People also use sarcasm as a means of being comedic with groups of friends.  They say something contrary to what they feel and/or believe for the purpose of being funny.  Sarcasm, in these instances, seems harmless and playful.  But is it really?  Too much sarcasm is annoying and hurtful, but can even a minimal amount be too much? 

People often joke around by saying the absolute opposite of what they mean.

Sarcasm is an indirect form of speech intentionally used to produce a particular dramatic effect .

 The subject of sarcasm is complex because many factors are involved:exaggeration, nature of the speaker, relationship of speaker to victim, severity of the criticism, and whether or not the criticism is being made in private or in front of an audience.

There is one basic factor regarding sarcasm:  It is a form of ironic speech commonly used to convey implicit criticism with a particular victim as its target.  Whether someone claims to be “just kidding” or whether that person’s intention is to express dismay, there is always a "victim".

 From the" victim’s" point of view, after a sarcastic remark has been made, a process of decoding and interpretation must take place in order to understand what has been said. 

Sarcasm can be hurtful and confusing.