Academics Steven Kapica and Peter Kunze were kind enough to share their expertise on sarcasm in comedy. Both agree that using sarcasm can easily lead to confusion and misunderstandings.
Peter Kunze notes sarcasm’s linkage to insincerity. “[O]nline, the sincere and the insincere are always difficult to distinguish. It truly is in the eye of the beholder,” he says. Dr. Kapica observes that sarcasm is location-specific and is best used in contexts where audiences are “in the know” and “of like mind”.
There are instances when sarcasm should be used cautiously. “Teachers, for instance,” Kapica adds, “should generally steer clear of using sarcasm in the classroom. Bad idea because the student/teacher relationship is rife with complicated power dynamics.” That’s why the relationship between the user and the receiver is very important.
“[P]erformers have very specific kinds of relationships with those to whom they perform. Sarcasm, then, is a performative choice, a choice built upon audience awareness. Performed sarcasm should be attuned to its intended audience. And when I say ‘performed,’ by the way, I mean everything from telling a joke to creating and posting a meme,” clarifies Kapica.
The sheer amount of comedy accounts online that rely on sarcasm would suggest that it automatically makes everything funny. Dr. Steven views it as a double-edged sword. “Done well, sarcasm can elevate an otherwise basic (lame) joke. Tongue-in-cheek, what have you. Done very well, it can provide layers and nuance. A meme or joke that engages its audience on multiple levels? Good comedy.”
“Conversely, poorly executed sarcasm can sink an otherwise good or well-intentioned joke or piece of comedy. I think of Daniel Tosh’s [sexual harassment] joke debacle (and George Carlin's far superior handling of subject matter generally deemed ‘off limits’).”
We come back to context. “Context is everything in comedy,” says Kapica. “Context is why some scholars and comedians argue that jokes can't effectively cross cultural borders. What's funny to an urban New Yorker is not necessarily funny to a reader in the Southern Tier (rural, western New York). The same is true with American-oriented comedy and, say, Brazilian-oriented comedy.”
“Because sarcasm is so context-dependent, it is far more likely to miss than hit its mark. And when sarcasm misses its mark, it misses BIG,” claims Dr. Steven. He points to “cancel culture” as one of the best examples of a failed attempt at sarcasm.
Memes about work life and relationships tend to get the most views online. Sarcastically looking at these topics can offer us some release. “[W]hen do we most need the release sarcasm can offer?” asks Kapica.
“When we're buried in work, wrestling with incompetence, bored out of our minds, butting heads with colleagues, or bosses, or simply facing insurmountable tons of tedious work. Or when the ebbs [and] flows of our relationships test our sanity and will to live.”
The simpler answer is that those are just universally the most relatable topics. “Work and relationships are two of comedy's commonplaces. Everyone works. Everyone has relationship troubles. Everyone poops,” Kapica quips. “Work and relationships. Farts. These are both easy targets and necessary targets (the comedy-as-release, or topical pain relief, factor).”
Was Oscar Wilde right, then? Is comedy really the lowest form of wit? Peter Kunze says it’s not necessarily the lowest, but it is on the easier side. According to him, people tend to like clever wordplay or satirical edge in their jokes. “The casual irony of sarcasm, imbued with snark and derision, can make it rather alienating—but also quite fun,” he adds.
