Why must intelligent people be so sarcastic? - Page 4

LOL @ cynical girls

Those who just try to insult others and look smart using sarcasm are just insecure and try to steal others confidence and feel better about themselves. It is true that intelligent people use sarcasm but the truly intelligent ones are those who make it actually funny. It has to be used at the right time in the right place with the right people otherwise it is offensive.

"The more inteligent they think they are, the more they feel they must assert this inteligence at every available opportunity"

Well, as humans, we try to show others who we are by our words and actions. It's fun being able to see things in a way different from everybody else. You can leave people speechless this way. It's fun.

"Anyone who tries to make someone else feel bad about themselves is themselves insecure in that exact area."

I disagree. I'm sarcastic at times. I poke fun at people when I know it won't hurt them. I'll make fun of my friend's obsession over Indian movies when I don't even care about them. I don't do it to make her feel stupid or do it because I feel stupid. I make fun over things people obsess over, like makeup. However, there are the cruel intelligent people who make too many derogatory remarks.

"Why does anyone think sarcasm is a good thing?

The basis of it is to mock the other person for trusting you."

Is sarcasm used to make the other person to feel insecure? Not necessarily. The mature sarcastic person knows not to make fun of everything even when he or she would like to. Sarcasm isn't bad. Think of it as a tool, like a knife. You can use it for good purposes and evil purposes. But it has a negative connotation because people use to it hurt others.

"i think to much of it can definately hinder a relationship and prevent it from going anywhere other than a surface level."

Well, a person who makes a sarcastic comment is taking the issue lightly, so sarcasm is definitely not the key to a relationship, but it's something to spice it up. There are times you can use it and times you definitely shouldn't use it.

Decius, you apparently have some issue with sarcastic people, but I feel like you're generalizing and it hurts the good sarcastic people like me.

Hm, after some more thinking, I realize that I mock others when I think they're doing something I don't agree with. So it's a way of telling the other person that you don't agree with them and what they're doing is ridiculous. But I make sure I only do it when it's something that isn't too important for them.

there are heathier and more efficient ways of getting a point across. sarcasm should only be used in a completely joking manner. sort of like a double layer of sarcasm... youre sarcastic and then you are sarcastic about the fact that youre being so sarcastic... at least thats how i use it.

Like I said, sarcasm is a fun way to get your point acorss. But of course, you can only use sarcasm when you are certain that the topic discussed isn't important. When used at the wrong times, it can really hurt and make the person not want to trust you.

As the thread emphasizes', it's intelligent people who use sarcasm, I think that those who use it may know when to use it

dumb people use sarcasm too. i think the thread topic implies that smart people are forced to use sarcasm for some reason... which i dont agree with at all. ive seen some "dumb" people use sarcasm very effectively actually. as well as "smart" people using it poorly.

I am very secure about my intelligence- i'm stupid, straight up. But that doesn't stop me from being sarcastic. sarcasim isn't made by people who are insecure, it's just that there are a LOT of people out there that are so dumb, you just want to KILL them. Sarcasim is just a way to calm down. Yesterday in school, my teacher said " Your vocab is due tomorrow", (we were working on it at the time) We had just taken another vocab test when a girl in my class asked, do we have to turn in the vocab we're working on now tomorrow? I couldn't help but say " No you have to turn in the one we just took a test on." So you see, it was one of those times that I said it to keep myself from killing her and others around me. so sarcasim isn't meant to be an insult, it just comes out that way.

i'm not stupid and when stupid postings appear i have no patience for them and denial seems to be the biggest idiocy on forums like these along with outright lies and forged accounts and administrators who 'ban' because they are 'trolls' themselves and don't like being called out on their bad deeds... censorship, banning and manipulation of information is the biggest problem with forums these days...
speaking the truth will get you called stupid too.

You have every right to say how you feel about how we do things around here poser, however what I am editing and censoring is the pornagraphic material and all posts that were made to start a fight.

That is our choice here. Go ahead and voice your opinion here about anything but do it in a decent and respectful way and I will not edit or delete any of your posts.

back to sarcasm....people use sarcasm as a defense mechanism,in my opinion,or to be funny,or because they dont know how to express themselves any other way....so....there are people of all intellegence who are sarcastic bastards....myself included....ocasionaly.....and i am by far a smart person......i think that people who are highly intellegent and know it tend to act smug,and theres a big difference

I suppose sarcasm does show some weakness, as I use it when I don't want to say things straight out that could be a little too harsh or offensive. But I think a lot of my sarcasm stems from arrogance towards others....to those I feel aren't on my level

Very, very, interesting discussion...

My thoughts are so close to Decius' posts I figured I'd throw my thoughts in here as well. I have in years past come to define PERSONAL sarcasm as such, "Sarcasm is the security blanket for the inherently insecure".

Sarcasm about current events and news topics happening around the world is great and can spice up conversation with wit and jocularity. The problem comes about when the topic at hand involves the personal emotions and thoughts of someone participating directly in the conversation. In this instance, insecurity seems to be the MAJOR, MAJOR precursor to the use of sarcasm. I have seen this in my own 34 years on this earth time and time again.

Self confidence in who and what you are (secure in yourself) can be felt from someone just talking to them. They communicate clearly, involving their emotion and beliefs in the conversation knowing that they way they feel is who they are and won't feel slighted by ANYTHING anyone else can say. They realize that they way the other person feels is something that is to be respected and potentially honored if you are emotionally involved or in love with the other person. Efforts to belittle someone else through invalidating their emotional state and/or thoughts through sarcasm is, generally speaking, extremely socio-emotionally disrespectful. It's saying, I'm most comfortable feeling superior to you and when I feel that you may be more enlightened than me, instead of learning from you and admit this fact, I'll invalidate you and your thoughts in order to avoid the reality that "I'm insecure and unenlightened."

Sarcasm allows the user to never truly assert that which they stand for for fear that they'll open themselves up for critcism and/or inadequacy. They never have to admit to themselves that "I'm not perfect". For if they were ever to be stripped of this feeling of superiority, they somehow feel that life may crash down around them.

I have found that communicating with very intelligent and SELF CONFIDENT people is a VERY neat thing. These people offer me the ability to absorb new view points RE the way see the world. Intelligent people are intelligent bc they NEVER miss this oppotunity, the opportunity to constantly absorb and assimilate new perspectives and ideas into their own life. They are in no way concerned that someone might know more about them. The pace of communication (the converstation) is extremely quick and efficient allowing no time for non-value-added interludes. Close-minded unintelligent individuals have this ever-looming fear that if they admit that they don't know everything and that someone out there may know more than they do, that somehow their life will dissolve into some chaotic torturous hell.

Consider this quote, "Truly intelligent people know at their very core that they in fact know nothing at all." When you truly believe this, there is no reason to become defensive and employ sarcasm to derail the progression of the conversation regarding an issue that may very well reveal that you may not know much about the topic at hand. Instead of embracing an opportunity to LEARN from someone and admit the shortcoming of knowledge, comfort is achieved by being sarcastic to protect a self invented facade of superiority.

I've NEVER EVER EVER seen someone personally assult someone with a pointed sarcastic comment and felt that the targeted individual felt fantastic following the comment, either to themselves or in front of onlookers. It ALWAYS introduces an aire of superioity, someone attempting to move themselves up in the group's "pecking order". Other intelligent individuals that witness the comment usually see it for exactly what it is, an indication that the perpetrator felt inadequate, and therefore had to redirect attentions from themselves to another in order to preserve that which they MUST have in order to feel comfortable with life - perceived superiority.

I am not capable of seeing it any other way. Further, the mere discussion of the fact that extreme personal sarcasm reveals the dynamics of internalized anger and insecurity will invoke responses from those inviduals who subscribe to this ideology (personal scarasm is acceptable) to the contrary as their doing what they've always done(!), make efforts to preserve their own security in the belief that they are intellectually supeiror to everyone else.

I ask you this... how are you TRULY relating to someone when your sarcasm is constantly upsetting the emotional balance of the discussion? You can't! So you CAN NOT define sarcasm as some value added social tool (personal sarcasm).

If you are failing to see the point I'm making, read one of the most popular books in the history of the world... "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People". In the book, social enlightment/development is achieved in 3 major steps. 1 Dependent, 2. Independent, 3. INTERDEPENDENT (the highest level of enlightenment). Many facets of life are goverened by this progression (other than social). For our purposes we're refering to SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT. Pay attention to people around you and you will see that many people HAVE NOT reached stage 3 and are caught in stage 2 - social independence. Once you've grasped the concepts you'll see how stage 2 socially independent individuals are notorius for using sarcasm. They are incapable of truly realizing that they are constantly destroying their social interaction with others with the ultimate goal to preserve, in essence, their own sanity. People are like emotional bank accounts, if you don't put any in, you won't get any out. Conversations are stuck on objective uninvolved content if you do not consider the emotional implications that your words have on others. TRUST ME. You'll know when you talk to a stage 3 interdependent communicator. You almost always leave the conversation feeling fantastic. Why, because they are constantly monitoring your emotional state via verbal and non-verbal cues. They are conducting the conversation to ilicit a sense of complete comfort when they are talking to you and are very very positive. Trust me, I've tried this and it works like you CAN NOT believe. I have gotten FAR MORE in life using this form of social interaction than I've ever gotten from sarcastically assaulting people. That $hit may have worked in high school, but, in the real world, it doesn't.

End of rant... Actually if someone can categorically refute this post and include actual situations where your sarcasm has left someone feeling like they are on top of the world and that you are their favorite person, PLEASE, share ). Let me guess, I don't imagine I'll see a post any time soon.

Be cool out there all!! Remember, we are all here on earth for a short time, try to make it a good time too!

TY, sir!

I don't know how many times I've debated a topic with someone and when it starts to become objectively clear that my postion is extremely well supported, they almost transform into some defensive and emotionally charged mess. They become completely unobjective and usually will lash out with some sarcastic response in an effort to derail the progression of the discussion rather than conceed the fact that I am probably right or that I possess a higher level of enlightenment RE the topic at hand. It's almost bizarre! I however will stop talking once we get to the point where they begin to exceeded my own level of enlightenment and begin questioning the things they are asserting in order to learn more.

I thirst for more knowledge. My appetite is absolutly voracious and insatiable. LOL, if anyone knows the meaning of life, please share, LOL LOL!!!

Anyone feeling like I'm a Know-it-all? Feeling like I need a dose of sarcasm? LOL!!!! If you do feel this way, stop and ask yourself - REALLLY dig deep (are you capable of looking this deep?), "Why do I feel that I must post my sarcastic comments?" Don't kid yourself, you feel driven to spite me in order to preserve your facade of social superiority.

Being that I love to learn, I'd love to see a sarcastic post from somone, and then try to deconstruct the response in order to better understand our topic. Come on now, we need guinea pigs and more data to support my assertions!!!! I'll admit that I don't know it all if someone can use sarcam to encourage me to want to listen to how their POV is more valid than mine is (something I'd glady do with no sarcasm in the first place).