By Heather Sevrens Wed, February 10, 2010, 12:01 am PST

Like I really wanted to join (Photo by Abraxas3) Sarcasm is a difficult art form to master, as so aptly demonstrated by such classic fictional characters as Comic Book Guy from "The Simpsons" and Chandler Bing from "Friends." So much of this particular form of rhetoric depends on the delivery of the message, and not the message itself, that it can be difficult to detect without the proper inflection. Enter the beloved Internet, where snarky bloggers, techie elitists, and die-hard gamers converge to pwn n00bs and other people who have it coming to them. However, unlike other social settings, the Internet has the distinct disadvantage of lacking that face-to-face contact that's necessary in picking up on any hint of a sarcastic bite. Without the right tone, even a casual remark can make the cleverest Sarah Silverman look like a troll. How do you deliver a sarcastic retort online without looking like you've missed the punch line? First and most importantly, choose your words wisely. While you might be able to get away with a caustic remark within your immediate social circle, no one knows who you are on the Internet. A carefully thought-out remark is much less likely to be misinterpreted than a brief one saying (in so many words) "you are dumb." Secondly, if you've thought out a sufficiently witty remark and you're still not certain if it will be taken the right way, tweaking the text itself can help signify to others that you're about to enter Dr. Cox territory. Italics, emoticons, and mimicking html formatting by inserting "" at the beginning of a remark are all ways to indicate that your words shouldn't be taken at face value. If all else fails, for less than two bucks you can download the "SarcMark," a new symbol specifically designed to tell others that you're being sarcastic. Though really, if you need a symbol to point out you're being disingenuous, you might need to rethink how witty your comebacks actually are. Suggested Sites... Sarcasm Society - sarcastic jokes, quotes, and blogs. Sarcasm - as explained by the Encyclopedia Dramatica. xkcd - webcomic about math, sarcasm, and romance. How Sarcasm Works - step-by-step guide on how to identify and understand sarcasm in your daily life. How Sarcastic Are You? - find out with this quiz.

Directory categories: Humor, Rants, Computer and Internet Humor, Bitterness, Humorous Blogs

Archived under: Communication, Correspondence, Cyberculture, Email, Etiquette, How-To, Internet, Languages, Sarcasm, Writers

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