How to deal with sarcasm
From ArticleWorld
To deal with sarcasm requires the person at the receiving end to have a sense of humor as well as a ready wit. Sarcasm is of two main kinds. People generally resort to sarcasm when they want to be rude and the comment is meant to hurt while at other times the sarcasm is just supposed to raise a few laughs, albeit at the cost of the person at the receiving end of the sarcastic comment. Here are some tips on how to respond to either form.
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A few suggestions
- Learn not to rise to the bait. The sting and most of the effect of the sarcasm is lost if you do not allow the person to perceive how the comment has affected you.
- If you cannot think of a sharp repartee then you may resort to laughing the comment away. Laughter will also diffuse the situation that could turn ugly if you allow the other person to goad you.
- If you carry your wit with you on social occasions then you could respond by saying something witty which will make people appreciate your sense of humor and you will have succeeded the carpet from under the other person’s feet.
- Another way to treat a sarcastic comment is to ignore it. Either take it at face value (behave as if you have not understood that it is meant to be anything else) or just let it slip by without commenting on it. This may seem tame to many of you but occasionally it is the only way to respond to cynicism.
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Do’s
- Let your response be based on the relationship that you share with the person making the comment. If he/ she is a friend then let it pass for the time being and treat it as a joke (which it was probably meant to be in the first place).
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Don’ts
- Don’t let a comment pass if you think that it has crossed the limits of propriety.
- Don’t brood over it or it may snowball and seem bigger than it actually was meant to be.