[quetzalcoatl]

What is the Orthodox position on puns?

[Godstud]

How does Moses make coffee?

Hebrews it.

[Zamuel]

How does Moses make coffee? - Hebrews it.

That's pretty good !

Zam

[Nets]

sarcasm is considered the most tasteless and pathetic act one can do in orthodoxy.

God himself uses sarcasm in the Bible, Russkie. Surely you would not accuse God of a tasteless and pathetic act?

[Ummon]

So it's a lot like the 1920s, party while you can. The 1930s are right around the corner.

That's not a bad comparison. At some point the shit will hit the fan over here. America is in a state of deep denial about itself, the state of the world, and its place in it. It is denial that it is losing to China, it is in denial that its extreme militarism is no longer financially sustainable and that the problems created by that policy will now come back to bite us in the ass as the world becomes multipolar, it is in denial that its economy is not sustainable and that the extreme right nature of its economy compared to the rest of the developed world is responsible for its failure (for example by causing child poverty), it is in denial of technology and that business as usual will not cut it over the next 20 years as automation and other trends upend the market, and it is in denial that in 150 years time the world will have moved past its negative qualities that caused its failure just like the world moved past the Confederacy and the weaknesses it created in itself through the exploitation of human beings.

[Besoeker]

Can you give an example?

My Boss told me in front of everyone before "I know that you hate me", because Im a quiet worker who does his job and prefers not to be bothered by social gossip at work.

Maybe it wasn't sarcasm.............

[Hindsite]

What drives an american to make a shameful sarcastic comment as if its a normal conversation? I have been noticing this for awhile now in many work cultures in the US. Its pitiful, and its intention to cast mockery on someone or a group. At the very least, its lying, being dishonest.

Why is it part of the American Culture now to make stupid sarcastic comments? Do you even know what the word 'sarcasm' mean? Its Greek derived, meaning "to eat one's own flesh'.

Is it because when you're void of any culture heritage, you end up with this result?

Discuss.

Simple Definition of sarcasm

1: the use of words that mean the opposite of what you really want to say especially in order to insult someone, to show irritation, or to be funny.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sarcasm

The people of the USA are a mixture of many cultures, so they may express certain things in different ways and mean different things by it. The guy may have been reaching out to you because he believe you did not like him for some reason. That was your time to speak up and find out his intention instead of just assuming the worst. Perhaps you are right, but wouldn't it be better to find out if there was a problem and what you could do to remedy any hostility, if possible? At least you will know the score and have a clue as to how best to proceed.

My wife doesn't always appreciate my sense of humor, but she shows her disapproval quickly by telling me "that's not funny". I know that on here, when I try to say something I think is clever and funny, that other posters accuse me of being a racist or in a recent situation of encouraging violence against someone. Some people just take everything so seriously and literally that they do not see the humor in it.

It is often hard for a new person to fit in with the established group. Perhaps all you can do is put up with it for awhile until you can get another job where your boss has a different personality and different way of communicating things. I wish you good luck in assimilating into the varying cultures of America.

[Godstud]

Sarcasm, unfortunately, doesn't always translate well on forums, unless you are very familiar with the poster. Too often your sarcasm is taken at face value.

I know your posting style a bit, Hindsite, and if you were to say, "I am the biggest atheist in the world!", I would know that you were being sarcastic, based on what you've posted on this forum.

I've found Americans don't use/handle sarcasm much, but Canadians and Brits use it a lot. That's just my observation, of course.

[Scamp]

Russkie, your example is hardly sarcasm.

[Scamp]

The more people that hate your boss, the less people he has to please...Now that is sarcasm.