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Comment by civilian | Hacker News Reader

Sarcasm is a great tool. But there are a couple of people I know who never turn off their "Sarcastic tone", and it becomes impossible to tell what's genuine and what's bullshit. I try to tell them that their noise-to-signal ratio is bad, but they um... react defensively.

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The key thing about using sarcasm is that you should never direct it at someone you're talking to. Doing that is a great way to make someone instantly dislike you.

Sarcasm as a form of humor is too easy to do. You don't have to be clever. You just have to look down on someone/something and then caricature it. Whoever does that too much just seems unlikable.

When you're actually clever or subtle about it, people tend to enjoy the twist that makes the joke.

It can be a coping mechanism for depressive people just like cynism, at least I know that it serves that function for me: Can't be straight up negative, for dragging the mood down, so I'll settle for some sarcasm.

You are likely not fooling anyone with your sarcasm.

It's not about fooling anybody, I consider it more like gallows humor.

“sarcasm and jokes were often the bottle in which clinical depressives sent out their most plangent screams for someone to care and help them.”

So true. This was me, once upon a time. Unfortunately, it tends to have the opposite effect and push people away.

in Britain we mostly do the sarcasm without any change in tone...

Maybe they have a speech impediment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziH9St7ajuw

> I try to tell them that their noise-to-signal ratio is bad, but they um... react defensively.

Defense mechanism could be one possible explanation.

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