Is the sarcasm emoticon needed for obvious sarcasm?

Do we have that many here on DU who can't see obvious sarcasm? Do we have to post a sarcasm emoticon to just to help them see it?

Boy---they must have fits with the Stephen Colbert show.

Now, you tell me, was I being sarcastic there or not?

but if it's obvious as the nose on your face, what then?

sense of humor and take me seriously. See, e.g., the Shirley Booth thread of a while back...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x4597380

oh... :sarcasm:

:sarcasm:

that even DUers have.

Voltaire didn't need a :satire: emoticon.

don't know if your a freep or a moron,............so yes please use it!

but what do I know?

Yeah, I think you probably need to use that emoticon.

When reality has become crazier than anyone could have imagined satire being only a few years ago, well, some people just won't get it.

... that jillions here won't get it.

I should make a movie! I'll call it: "Idiots revealed"!

:rofl:

"Sarcasm on a Message Board"

too obvious? :rofl:

If the sarcasm tag isn't there. It's not really sarcasm. People who don't use it aren't really being sarcastic.

:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:
:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

If you don't use the sarcasm emo, be prepared to have a 'that was sarcasm' sarcastic reply ready.

If 'net communications weren't fundamentally flawed in conveying emotional subtext, we'd never have needed any smileys at all, would we?

Many a flame war has been averted by judicious and correct use of smileys to convey meaning that words alone cannot.

Nothing is perfect, though. :)

This was a sarcasm-free post. :)

and being jumped on over it by literal minded DUers, yes. yes it is.

and i'm TOTALLY ok with it. :sarcasm:!

is lost on another. But because using :sarcasm: destroys any entertainment value in a well-written sarcastic post, IMO it's better to let some people flip out thinking you're serious.

While not all of us are good at writing sarcasm with much success, I applaud any among us who are willing to give it a go. If we succeed, great; if not, so what? A forum reader can always request clarification. We have some talented folks on DU who thankfully refuse to be redundant by employing the sarcasm emoticon. Sarcasm is an art form which calls for much practice. What better place than on a forum to practice writing skills and receive feedback.

As for smilies, I believe they should be used sparingly. A thumb's up is fine. It serves to substitute for an entire phrase; e.g., "I'm with you!" I'm also in favour of any emoticon which conveys laughter, tears, winking--any action--and those which substitute for words.

But using emoticons to substitute for written clarity is a form of mea culpa, as in, "Hey, I may not have made my meaning clear, so I'm adding an emoticon to help you get my drift."

And now, gawd help me if I've ever used them here "incorrectly."

wink wink nudge nudge

On Edit::sarcasm:

Many read this blog who aren't regulars. There was a case when something on a blog that was sarcasm but was being discussed in another country as fact. Sorry, I can't remember the details but it was on dailykos.com.

:eyes: works pretty well. It also conveys my sense of superiority. ;)

A) Just because you think your sarcasm is obvious, doesn't mean it really is obvious. Keep in mind that there are idiots who actually hold really strange and perverse beliefs, so it isn't a stretch for many people who have to deal with such morons to take you at face value. Remember, these days it "is getting harder and harder to distinguish truth from satire."

B) If people don't get your sarcasm, maybe you just aren't a talented enough writer.

C) It would waste less time and makes room for more worthwhile threads if we could dispense with the occasional misunderstanding.

:sarcasm:

(:eyes: can work, too)

OK, I was being captious

i declared a moratorium on smilies back in 1996.

I would say it's not obvious to everyone all the time...

I know I sometimes have trouble with interpretation... :shrug:

Being specific instead of using pronouns is also helpful. I seem to always be trying to clarify my thoughts. Just because I know what I'm referring to doesn't mean everyone is on my page.

Since I don't care if people are pissed off or confused by my posts. Especially when I'm in THAT mood, it's great entertainment. I'm certain I've never used one.

And don't tell me that if the point of these endless yammering posts isn't amusing oneself at least some of the time-then what's the point of being on a message board anyway!??

Redstone

without a big honking sarcasm emoticon.

On edit: I worked with someone who couldn't recognize spoken sarcasm unless there were others around who laughed at the remark... then he knew to ask.

when I don't add it, I get flamed

I've offended even people I like with sarcasm, because I didn't use the emoticon.

It's a bad fit. I like the eye-rolling smily. But blood-dripping sarcasm is the sort of thing I expect from freepers, Rush Limbaugh, and (sadly) a few of our own tin foilers around here. And yet some people com across as so dense around here.

Case in point: In GD someone was speculating that the only reason the JonBenet Ramsey story broke this month is because the White House and the monolithic media they utterly control were trying to cover up some bad news in Iraq.

I responded:

I thought that was a pretty obviously dopey thing for a DUer to say. And yet someone responded...

My first thought was that using two question marks and two exclamation points with such a thickheaded question just had to be someone one-upping my ironic understatement with their own comic overstatement. But I realize now I was giving them much too much credit. This person really thought I was defending the quality and integrity of the major tv news media.

Amazing.

:rofl: oh............................:sarcasm: