After watching a video of a motorcyclist launch themselves and their motorcycle through a ring of fire, you might say, “That looks safe. ” Avoid directing sarcasm toward a person unless they are a friend or not present. For instance, referring sarcastically to poor decisions by politicians, celebrities, or business leaders can get you easy laughs.
If you’ve lost the note cards you wrote for your speech and your friend says, “This is bad,” you might reply sarcastically, “No, you think?”
Imagine your friend is telling you about an acquaintance who wrecked their car. If you know that they are a notoriously bad driver, you might respond, “He wrecked his car? What a shock. ”
Similarly, if your friend is walking around looking down at their phone and bumps into a post without injuring themselves, you could make a sarcastic comment like, “Great job. ”
If you get your test back with a bad grade, you might say, “Wonderful. I really needed this. ” If you need to get money from the bank and arrive there only to find they’ve already closed for the day, you could exclaim sarcastically, “This is just perfect. ”
For instance, if you and your friend are running behind and they say, “We’re going to be late,” you might reply sarcastically, “Gosh, you don’t say?”
Refrain from being sarcastic around those who do not like sarcasm. Additionally, don’t use sarcasm toward teachers, police officers, or other authority figures. Don’t be sarcastic with people who can’t take a joke, people with no sense of humor, or people who just aren’t in the mood. Don’t make sarcastic comments about issues that you know your conversation partner is sensitive about.
There is no way to quantify how much you should use sarcasm. Different people have different sarcasm tolerance levels. Substitute wit for sarcasm when you (or your conversation partners) have had enough sarcasm. Wit is less hostile and more easily appreciated than sarcasm. For instance, if you and your friend are walking together and they suddenly and inexplicably stumble, you could make a sarcastic comment like, “Real smooth. ” But you could also make a witty comment like, “That ground just came out of nowhere!”
The frequency with which you should practice your sarcastic comments depends on the strength of your memory. If you can memorize the sarcastic comment after practicing it two or three times daily, there’s no need to practice it more than that. If you need to practice your sarcastic comment more often before you can memorize it, do so.
Remember, even good sarcasm can be overused.
For instance, imagine you and your friend Joe are big fans of the Hulk. If Joe accidentally breaks a bunch of fragile dishes, you might say sarcastically, “You saved the day again, Hulk!”
