In Defense of Sarcasm & Humor: A Response to the Earnest
When I was 10, helping my father—the pastor—to prepare for a baptism, I'd hop into the baptismal pool and give a dramatic, Unshackled-style before-and-after testimony, complete with tears, a Damascus road moment, and a changed life. At 15, I'd intone pious-sounding nonsense in what I called my "Christian talk-radio woman" voice. It was a revelation when I discovered the now-defunct Wittenburg Door, a religious satire magazine, and I watched Saturday Night Live—church lady and all—with guilty, absorbed pleasure, though, in fact, my rather conservative parents were not bothered by my love for satire. If anything, they encouraged it, enjoying the irony the first time I was interviewed on Christian talk-radio: now I really was a Christian woman voice on the radio.
The ways we humans speak and behave follow conventions. We perform expected roles and speak conventional lines, and there's nothing wrong with it. Liturgy is right and good and serves important purpose. I wouldn't want Thanksgiving dinner to be a completely different meal every single year—I expect that sweet potatoes will make some kind of appearance—but I don't necessarily need them marshmallow-topped. In other words, we like our traditions—even our traditional ways of speaking and acting.
But every now and again, we love us a good remix, and sarcasm is just that. Last year, our own Karen Swallow Prior skewered the worst Christian clichfamp;copy;s and it became one of Her.meneutics' all-time most popular posts. It's fun—and funny—to look closely at the ridiculous things we all do and say.
Writing for Her.meneutics recently, Micha Boyett rightly pointed out (in response to discussion between Ann Voskamp, Tim Challies, and Beth Moore) that we are in a cultural moment that's rife with irony: "We see everything with an eye roll." It's true: many of us are jaded and suspicious of earnest claims. But to me, sarcasm is a kind of truth-telling. It has the ability to see conventions as conventions, clichfamp;copy; as clichf©, insincerity for what it is.
There's a good reason Jon Stewart is, for many people, the king of information. By posturing as "just" a comedian, Stewart exposes the hypocrisy and absurdity in "straight" journalism and in politics. I sometimes think of him as an analog to the Preacher in Ecclesiastes (no, I'm not claiming Stewart is divinely inspired), who walks through the world seeing injustice in the place of justice, envy, and self-interest as primary motivators, and folly and futility at the end of it all. The style, if you'll excuse the clichf©, resonates.
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Sabrina Messenger
Laughter is great as long as it's not at the expense of others. Sarcasm is not ok. Far too often, sarcasm is hostility wrapped up in a humorous package. It can be hurtful to the other person. Also humor can be used as an avoidance technique. These days we're too busy laughing to notice that person who may be struggling and crying and genuinely needs us to listen. I'd say to be mindful when it come to laughter and humor and not go with what the world does.
JANE HINRICHS
Laughter is good. Kidding around is great. Humour comes in many forms and all of them can be uplifting as long as we don't tear down another person for our own laugh or benefit. If it hurts another person, then it is wrong.
Rachel Stone (@rachel_m_stone)
I am pretty sure that sarcasm is not by definition unkind. Often sarcasm mocks an idea or ideology.
Chris
I enjoy a good laugh. Laughing at myself is the most fun. I use snark a lot about myself but quite carefully and lightly with others.
SynCallio
I agree with your point, but I think you could have made it clearer. The power of humor is the way it makes us see things differently. Life is full of absurdities, and humor points it out, often showing us where our pride has gotten the better of us and reminding us that (thankfully) it doesn't all depend on our intelligence and hard work. If we can't laugh at ourselves, then we're in denial, 'cause there is an awful lot to laugh at! Humor loosens our grip on human constructs, traditions and methods that may have lost their strength and we haven't noticed because we're too used to them. Humor helps us appreciate what is valuable, bringing out all the fondness we have for each other, and thankfulness for our blessings. Humor lets us laugh at everything Satan throws at us, reminding us that pain is temporary. Joy is eternal. God uses sarcasm. He also uses silliness and absurdity to make a point - and just to give us something fun. How else can we explain snapdragons?
Alison Swihart
Humor is great. Sarcasm is, by definition, mean-spirited - at the expense of the recipient. Why in the world would we intentionally want to make someone feel bad?????
Johnny Sharp
Sarcasm and satire are great. I love and have been told I'm really good at both, in my writing and in my banter. But they are destructive when they are the default approach to life. Yes, Jesus and a dozen others in the Bible employed it. But it wasn't Jesus' primary mode of communication. He was, most of the time, straightforward and direct. The current trend to see ALL earnestness as insincerity or "corniness" can be an acid that is eroding our ability to receive helpful testimony and encouragement from those who've actually encountered God.
Funkymunkee
Check out Jon Acuff Stuff Christians Like. http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike Christian satire. :)
serena
I wish there was a verse in the New Testament that said "Jesus laughed." I'm sure he did - he must have....but I have to use a lot of imagination to find actual humor (at least, my idea of humor) in the Gospels.
Tim Childs
A sense of humour is a gift from God, and a good belly laugh I believe is good for the soul; now and again! But with age comes wisdom, and with wisdom comes discernment; we should never laugh at cruel things and we should never make fun of people either for a cheap laugh. Where would we be without a sense of humour? But a sense of sarcasm is something else; I can be a sarky bugger at times with the best of them, but I always try to include everyone in the joke! Better to make fun of yourself than other people. And humour is universal; what often one group of people find funny another group does too. I think God does like to laugh; just look at the platypus! Throughout the Bible, especially the OT, there are all kinds of times where there is ambiguity; are we meant to be serious, or is God pulling our leg?!
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