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For many years, one part of the newspaper I have read for the
"mini-drama" quotient has been the personal ads. It has never ceased
to amaze me to discover how many ladies brag about their "sarcastic
sense of humor." A more telling turn-off I could not imagine.
I sincerely believe that at base sarcasm is built upon the denigration
of others, and that it can poison any atmosphere in which it is found.
At least, that was my experience in growing up with a highly sarcastic
father.
While sarcasm is a form of irony, it is certainly a somewhat virulent
form. By contrast, there are many who have marvelously ironic minds
but who do not single out any particular targets to lambaste
personally. Ambrose Bierce was a very good example of this quality.
Also in my experience, people can develop habits of "...not taking
fools lightly" and responding with automatic sarcasm. Unfortunately,
too often their sarcasm is based upon a mistaken understanding of the
first person's comments--but the sarcasm is unleashed when the
realization strikes that it may have been unwarranted.
This is an unfortunate lesson I have learned relatively late in my
life thus far. Looking back, I am ashamed of some of the needlessly
hurtful comments I made on occasion with no more reward to myself at
the time than an unwarranted sense of arrogance. Even today, this kind
of response is something I work to eliminate with only mixed success.
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