There is a lot of sarcasm on Everything. Some blatant, some subtle. Some is very funny, some is very harsh. Whatever the flavor, I think it's all good. Sarcasm is a beautiful thing and whomever feels the tendency to employ this valuable tool should pursue that tendency with the utmost rigor.

My peeve is that a lot of noders feel the need to identify their sarcastic remarks. Cute little things like "Sarcasm Level" meters, or tags or any such devices. Doing this entirely saps the flavor out of the comment and defeats the intention. Why? Why do you choose to nullify your otherwise great comments? Actually I have an idea or two about that.

Some people out there have no sense of humor and no imagination and are 100% gullible. For these people sarcasm just doesn't work. They don't get it. Maybe it's a genetic defect, or they weren't hugged enough when they were young, or they lived in a box all their lives. Whatever. They just don't get it.

Taking this fact into account it makes sense that sarcastic comments should be identified somehow. It would be cruel to let these poor souls go around the world thinking all sorts of falsehoods and exaggerations because someone didn't let them in on the joke.

Maybe.

Or maybe they should be left to their own and see where they end up. If they don't get it that's their problem. It doesn't make any sense to ruin it for the rest of us just to make a select few feel like they belong. They still don't appreciate it even after it's been pointed out to them, so you're not doing anybody any great favor. If this is your reasoning for marking your sarcasm as such, cut it out. It's silly.

The other thing I came up with is that sarcasm is a very subtle thing. It works best in face to face conversations where the parties involved know the details of whatever's being discussed. There are mannerisms, inflections, tones, that are used to convey meaning. These things cannot be expressed through writing.

You could use this excuse, but that just means you're lazy and/or not very creative. There are plenty of ways to convey your intentions in writing. If you don't believe me, just pay attention as you're bouncing around Everything. Soon enough you'll find an example of what I'm talking about.

So if you want to be cool, and witty, and a little abrasive, and possibly ironic, do it right dammit. Quit taking the easy way out and quit making excuses. Excuses are like butts, everybody has one and they all stink. If you're not clever enough you don't get to play. Simple isn't it? Is that just so much to ask?

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