George Packer on sarcasm and persuasion
Recently, George Packer wrote this for The Atlantic:
“Habitual sarcasm toward fools who can’t see why you’re right is usually a sign of political weakness, suggesting that you have no hope or intention of convincing the unpersuaded of anything. Contempt is a style of proud and perpetual defeat.”
This is a very sharp and succinct articulation of at least some of what is broken with political discourse.
Don’t get me wrong, sarcasm can be one of this life’s greatest pleasures. But when it’s relentlessly deployed it can be a little bit… absolutely exhausting.
Nowhere is this clearer than online. If irony is the internet’s native language, sarcasm is the main dialect. We’ve all witnessed a Twitter mob descend upon some bozo who publicly stumbles onto their radar. They call it “dunking,” but it’s often more of a layup line. ⚑
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