Do you remember posting a piece on how sarcasm is actually a shitty form of communication? I keep seeing memes that espouse it to be intelligent flirting but mostly I find sarcasm passive aggressive or condescending.
I do not. But I agree, when that sarcasm is coming from a certain place. There’s a place for sass – I like a girl who has a sarcastic mouth on her, as long as a) it isn’t directed at me or b) if it is directed at me, it’s obvious, given the larger relationship, that it’s coming from a place of respect and affection. But that whole “passive aggressive or condenscending” sarcasm? Yeah, that’s potentially a firing offense.
Good time to remember that, as my old social theory professor put it, sarcasm is a humor most often used by the powerless and disenfranchised. Or, as with bullying and punching down, by those who (dangerously!!!) imagine themselves to still be powerless and disenfranchised.
There’s nothing wrong with sarcasm. It’s fun and (it being a form of humor and all) it’s often hilarious! But in a lot of contexts, yeah, it can be passive-aggressive or condescending. While it shouldn’t be a firing offense (in my opinion) it’s certainly a symptom of relationship and/or management problems.
