Sarcasm is a finely wrought tool that can be honed and used for good o bad purposes. If tu are sarcastic at the wrong time o with the wrong person, tu may end up hurting someone’s feelings, but sarcasm can bring laughs and smiles so long as tu use good-natured humor and avoid insults. It may even make it easier to deal with people who enjoy bringing others down.
steps
1. Choose your target carefully. Avoid people who could beat tu up physically o verbally o are authority figures. Being sarcastic with a teacher o a police officer could cause tu trouble. If tu want the respect of your teacher o another adult, use respectful language.
2. Be tactful and tasteful. Try to avoid telling jokes about issues that the person is insecure about, such as weight. It is not very tasteful, for example, to make jokes about a fat friend again and again.
3. Deliver your joke quickly. If tu wait too long, it loses its value and makes tu look bad. A good way to give yourself a couple segundos is to simply stare at the person with a small smile, as if tu are thinking something about them. If tu manage to quickly think of a joke, say it. Otherwise, just smile a bit wider, then shake your head and look away. The image of “you aren't worth the effort” is sometimes the best way to scoff. Don't wait too long, though; it looks strange.
4. Poke fun. Be very observant of what people look like and what they are wearing. While looking at someone, observe his o her clothing. What famous person does it remind tu of who has no fashion sense?
5. Listen very carefully to what people say. Many people will set themselves up, so take advantage. tu need not make the person feel bad; just mostrar him the problem with the point that he is trying to make. Sarcasm comes in many forms[1]:
* Reductio ad absurdum (most useful in this situation)
Reveal that the other person’s comentario is absurd.
Example:
“No, tu don’t NEED it, and that's final!”
“We don’t actually NEED anything except for food, air and water, so why don’t we all go live in caves and spear large animales for comida every day?”
* Past experience (also very useful here)
mostrar the person that he does not have the expertise that he says he has.
Example:
“I can tell tu about sarcasm. I’m a great writer!”
“You must be proud that your escritura has been rejected ten times!”
* Inversion of truth
Say just the opposite of what is true to mostrar that the answer to the pregunta is obvious.
Example:
“Do tu think this dress makes me look fat?”
“You’ve never looked so thin!”
* Inversion of meaning
Say the opposite of what tu mean.
Example:
“Oh, great!” o "That's all I need!" instead of “Oh, no!”
“Yeah, right!” o “whatever tu say” instead of “I’m not so sure.”
“Big deal!” instead of “That seems trivial.”
* Exaggeration
Play the role suggested por the first person’s comment.
Example:
“Shut up, will you?”
“Oh, I'm sorry, Your Highness, should I go get tu your coffee and té now?”
* The obvious alternative
Suggest another reason why what happened happened.
Example:
“You estola my homework to copy it!”
“No, I didn’t!”
“Hmmm...the dog must have eaten it, then!” (the obvious alternative to “You estola my homework!”)
* Leveling
Ask someone how to do something when tu are already doing just that.
Example: Can tu mostrar me how tu use a keyboard?
6. Don't overuse your talent. If sarcasm is the only thing tu do, you'll likely find less people willing to talk to you. Remember that the más people tu have, the más potential targets tu have. Keep a good nature about your jibes, and most people will enjoy the humor of the personal joke.
7. Make sure that your target knows that you’re not serious, but don’t say, “Only kidding!” Be más creative. Follow the WGL rule: either Wink, Grin, o Laugh. Use body language. Shoving about playfully usually works well, too, but there's always the possibility of tu accidentally knocking the person into oncoming traffic, o over the face of a cliff (unless, of course, there is already an Acme trampoline at the base of the cliff).
tips
* Remember the three T's: Tact, timing, and target.
* When choosing your target, make sure that they understand the concept of sarcasm. Children often make a poor target choice as they tend to take sarcastic remarks seriously.
* mostrar the people who try to bring tu down that they cannot ruin your day. Sarcasm may diffuse any verbal conflict. If someone tries to bring tu down o use any foul language, make a bad face and say, “Hmmm...how aggressive!” o “Awww, did I touch a soft spot?”
* Do not insult the other person in the argument; that will only keep the argument going. Use sarcasm only to mostrar the person that his insults are not affecting tu and he is wasting your time and his.
warnings
* Know where to draw the line. tu may hurt your friends’ feelings if tu make jokes about issues that tu know they are very touchy about.
* Do not give people the impression that they cannot say o do anything around tu without being ridiculed. People should still feel comfortable coming to tu and talking to you.
* Don't do this to crybabies, people who can't take a joke, people with no sense of humor, people who aren't in the mood, etc.; tu may well make them cry o hurt their feelings.
* Don't say anything that might be turned against you. There may be someone even quicker and más sarcastic than you. Then, your witty ejaculations will no longer be taken seriously.
* Be careful with sarcasm in online communications. See How to Detect Sarcasm in escritura for suggestions for how to make your sarcasm más apparent.
steps
1. Choose your target carefully. Avoid people who could beat tu up physically o verbally o are authority figures. Being sarcastic with a teacher o a police officer could cause tu trouble. If tu want the respect of your teacher o another adult, use respectful language.
2. Be tactful and tasteful. Try to avoid telling jokes about issues that the person is insecure about, such as weight. It is not very tasteful, for example, to make jokes about a fat friend again and again.
3. Deliver your joke quickly. If tu wait too long, it loses its value and makes tu look bad. A good way to give yourself a couple segundos is to simply stare at the person with a small smile, as if tu are thinking something about them. If tu manage to quickly think of a joke, say it. Otherwise, just smile a bit wider, then shake your head and look away. The image of “you aren't worth the effort” is sometimes the best way to scoff. Don't wait too long, though; it looks strange.
4. Poke fun. Be very observant of what people look like and what they are wearing. While looking at someone, observe his o her clothing. What famous person does it remind tu of who has no fashion sense?
5. Listen very carefully to what people say. Many people will set themselves up, so take advantage. tu need not make the person feel bad; just mostrar him the problem with the point that he is trying to make. Sarcasm comes in many forms[1]:
* Reductio ad absurdum (most useful in this situation)
Reveal that the other person’s comentario is absurd.
Example:
“No, tu don’t NEED it, and that's final!”
“We don’t actually NEED anything except for food, air and water, so why don’t we all go live in caves and spear large animales for comida every day?”
* Past experience (also very useful here)
mostrar the person that he does not have the expertise that he says he has.
Example:
“I can tell tu about sarcasm. I’m a great writer!”
“You must be proud that your escritura has been rejected ten times!”
* Inversion of truth
Say just the opposite of what is true to mostrar that the answer to the pregunta is obvious.
Example:
“Do tu think this dress makes me look fat?”
“You’ve never looked so thin!”
* Inversion of meaning
Say the opposite of what tu mean.
Example:
“Oh, great!” o "That's all I need!" instead of “Oh, no!”
“Yeah, right!” o “whatever tu say” instead of “I’m not so sure.”
“Big deal!” instead of “That seems trivial.”
* Exaggeration
Play the role suggested por the first person’s comment.
Example:
“Shut up, will you?”
“Oh, I'm sorry, Your Highness, should I go get tu your coffee and té now?”
* The obvious alternative
Suggest another reason why what happened happened.
Example:
“You estola my homework to copy it!”
“No, I didn’t!”
“Hmmm...the dog must have eaten it, then!” (the obvious alternative to “You estola my homework!”)
* Leveling
Ask someone how to do something when tu are already doing just that.
Example: Can tu mostrar me how tu use a keyboard?
6. Don't overuse your talent. If sarcasm is the only thing tu do, you'll likely find less people willing to talk to you. Remember that the más people tu have, the más potential targets tu have. Keep a good nature about your jibes, and most people will enjoy the humor of the personal joke.
7. Make sure that your target knows that you’re not serious, but don’t say, “Only kidding!” Be más creative. Follow the WGL rule: either Wink, Grin, o Laugh. Use body language. Shoving about playfully usually works well, too, but there's always the possibility of tu accidentally knocking the person into oncoming traffic, o over the face of a cliff (unless, of course, there is already an Acme trampoline at the base of the cliff).
tips
* Remember the three T's: Tact, timing, and target.
* When choosing your target, make sure that they understand the concept of sarcasm. Children often make a poor target choice as they tend to take sarcastic remarks seriously.
* mostrar the people who try to bring tu down that they cannot ruin your day. Sarcasm may diffuse any verbal conflict. If someone tries to bring tu down o use any foul language, make a bad face and say, “Hmmm...how aggressive!” o “Awww, did I touch a soft spot?”
* Do not insult the other person in the argument; that will only keep the argument going. Use sarcasm only to mostrar the person that his insults are not affecting tu and he is wasting your time and his.
warnings
* Know where to draw the line. tu may hurt your friends’ feelings if tu make jokes about issues that tu know they are very touchy about.
* Do not give people the impression that they cannot say o do anything around tu without being ridiculed. People should still feel comfortable coming to tu and talking to you.
* Don't do this to crybabies, people who can't take a joke, people with no sense of humor, people who aren't in the mood, etc.; tu may well make them cry o hurt their feelings.
* Don't say anything that might be turned against you. There may be someone even quicker and más sarcastic than you. Then, your witty ejaculations will no longer be taken seriously.
* Be careful with sarcasm in online communications. See How to Detect Sarcasm in escritura for suggestions for how to make your sarcasm más apparent.
I was a quick wet boy
Diving too deep for coins
All of your calle light eyes
Wide on my plastic toys
Then when the cops closed the fair
I cut my long baby hair
estola me a dog-eared map
And called for tu everywhere
Have I found you?
Flightless bird, jealous, weeping
o lost you?
American mouth
Big pill looming
Now I'm a fat house cat
Nursing my sore blunt tongue
Watching the warm poison rats
Curl through the wide fence cracks
Pissing on magazine photos
Those fishing lures thrown in the cold and clean
Blood of Christ mountain stream
Have I found you
Flightless bird, grounded, bleeding o lost you, american mouth
Big pill stuck going down
Diving too deep for coins
All of your calle light eyes
Wide on my plastic toys
Then when the cops closed the fair
I cut my long baby hair
estola me a dog-eared map
And called for tu everywhere
Have I found you?
Flightless bird, jealous, weeping
o lost you?
American mouth
Big pill looming
Now I'm a fat house cat
Nursing my sore blunt tongue
Watching the warm poison rats
Curl through the wide fence cracks
Pissing on magazine photos
Those fishing lures thrown in the cold and clean
Blood of Christ mountain stream
Have I found you
Flightless bird, grounded, bleeding o lost you, american mouth
Big pill stuck going down