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Sad facts about most people's sex lives Control yourself What's love got to do with it? Hedonism, hypocrasy, and humping Wilhelm Reich's Notes Pan Problems Magick of Sarcasm On Loneliness & Being Alone |
Sarcasm (sar'-kaz-uhm): n. 1. An ironical or scornful utterance; contemptuous and taunting language. 2. The use of biting gibes or cutting rebukes. [ Greek: sarkazein to tear flesh, sneer.] Syn: Sarcasm may describe a man's weakness in subtly pejorative terms, or may show the vanity of his pretensions or his absurdity. Irony is more limited, and is sometimes regarded as one of the methods of sarcasm; it consists of the assertion of the opposite of what is really meant. (F&W Stand. Dict.) Yeah right. Sarcasm is thought by many as a form of subtle, witty, communication, a way to say what you mean with out really saying it. The first recorded sarcastic remarks go back to ancient Greece when the politicians and their critics would debate openly in the streets. So many Greek authors reported sarcasm or wrote it themselves that we can assert that sarcasm was part of their everyday speech, much like our own. Sarcasm is one of those things that foreigners fail at, because it takes more than just knowing the local dialect of the English language; it turns it upside down. It's hard enough to comprehend the slang, much less turn the meaning of the words turned around to make sense of them. And the energy of sarcasm is just as difficult to comprehend. As a method to communicate true feelings, it fails miserably, and usually winds up changing the energy of the entire scene. One sarcastic remark can end a great conversation, and sometimes even start fights. As many of us know, magick consists of everyday actions and words. Everything we say, do, and feel creates the pattern of energy that attracts people, things, and situations toward us. We create as we live, and the thoughts in our minds are the foundation of that creation. When we use sarcasm, we are twisting the thoughts and words that convey them, and adding negative energy before they leave our mouths. Sarcasm is usually a sting to those on the receiving end; it's a verbal blow to the ego of those we may not agree with, a way to keep others in line with our way of thinking. Even if it is used in a humorous way, it generally turns the thoughts of those who hear it to a cynical view, and contributes to a "with us or against us" mentality. This creates confusion and self-criticism, on a small scale, division and contempt on a larger scale. An old saying is that it takes one to know one. Every one we see is a mirror of ourselves. When we criticize, we are usually sensitive to that aspect of the person we are criticizing because we see it in ourselves and don't want to look at it. When we see someone in a shirt we think is ridiculous, but we say "Nice shirt" sarcastically, it shows us #1. we are judging someone. #2. we consider the judgment of this person to be more important than that person's feelings. #3. We can make anyone feel uncomfortable if we insinuate that they are outside social norms. Most of us are hurt if we are judged and deemed 'abnormal', but we find ourselves doing it to others whenever we use sarcasm. Some use sarcasm to get attention. Some use it to offload negativity. Some get into a pattern of sarcasm and are oblivious to how much it controls their lives. Sarcasm was invented to keep people walking the straight and narrow line of socially accepted behavior. As pagans, what do we care about social norms? Why would we need to keep our fellow pagans in line? Sarcasm does not fit in with "An ye harm none, do as ye Will." However, sarcasm is not always negative. Some people use sarcasm to discuss issues that are politically sensitive or unpleasant for listeners to look at. Stand-up comics know that humorous application of sarcasm allows us to think about things we would rather not confront as a society, like bigotry, inequality, sex, and personal health issues. Sarcasm is useful to point out things that everyone knows but is not willing to admit. To roll one's eyes and sarcastically say "Oh, sure, I trust my government," conveys much more than any lengthy listing of grievances ever could. Although the energy of this comment is negligible compared to the energy of the target, sometimes, as with the Goddess Kali, the destructive energy of sarcasm is necessary to tear down institutions that do harm. The unfortunate magick of sarcasm is that the contempt and jibes, when intended to do harm, DO come back around to the user. When we speak words whose meanings are false, it takes the power out of our speech. When we use sarcasm, we are admitting our own weaknesses, and admitting that we cannot look at them. A big part of magick is language; what we say in ritual, what we say to the Divine Universe, what we say to our Inner Self. If sarcasm is used when communicating on any of these levels, the amount of negativity that comes back to us (and the speed at which we understand that negativity) triples or more, due to the circular nature of sarcasm. It creates a spiral effect, and if we don't watch out for it, it will hit us over and over again. Sarcasm is negativity produced to entice another human to decide in step with us. It can be interpreted as a manipulative power game when used on a personal level, and as a hammer to promote change when used on a community level. It can put a stop to real solid communication but it can also open up lines of thought otherwise closed. Sarcasm should not be used without long, thought out reasons; and it should never be used with or against a child or someone just learning the language. One of the best defenses against sarcasm is to not acknowledge it at all. Act and react to the speaker as if his/her words are true and real. This tends to take most of the sting out of the remark, and can sometimes create a humor all it's own. I've noticed that when I pretend to not hear the sarcasm, the reality of it's use then comes to light, and people rethink what they are saying. Everyone needs to be watchful of their own thoughts to create a universe that is pleasant to remain in. It might be good to contemplate how sarcasm plays out in your own life, and whether you use it for change or manipulation. But you wouldn't really want to do that, right? © 1999 -2005 Sienna Newcastle |