Sarcasm appears to be a group membership test mechanism. It involves saying something that is obviously untrue according to the speaker’s group’s beliefs as if it’s true, with the expectation that members of that group will understand that the speaker can’t possibly believe that, and nonmembers will show their non-membership by acting as if the speaker does.
Sometimes it’s the other way round. The speaker says something with easily-recognised markers of not saying what they actually believe (e.g. call something a “modest proposal”), to cloak the fact that they are saying exactly what they actually believe. Insiders know what is being communicated, while plausible deniability is maintained to outsiders.
Can you give an example of something labled a “modest proposal” that is actually advocated by the speaker? I’ve only seen those words as a way to draw attention to the satire.
Not really, because if you’re pretending to be satirical in order to say exactly what you think, the plausible deniability goes out the window if you own up to it. See also Ha Ha Only Serious.
And this is just too perfect:
Like a maniac shooting flaming arrows of death is one who deceives a neighbor and says, “I was only joking!” (Proverbs 26:18-19)
Via TVTropes. I had to look it up independently before I believed they hadn’t just made it up.
Sometimes it’s the other way round. The speaker says something with easily-recognised markers of not saying what they actually believe (e.g. call something a “modest proposal”), to cloak the fact that they are saying exactly what they actually believe. Insiders know what is being communicated, while plausible deniability is maintained to outsiders.
Can you give an example of something labled a “modest proposal” that is actually advocated by the speaker? I’ve only seen those words as a way to draw attention to the satire.
Not really, because if you’re pretending to be satirical in order to say exactly what you think, the plausible deniability goes out the window if you own up to it. See also Ha Ha Only Serious.
And this is just too perfect:
Like a maniac shooting flaming arrows of death
is one who deceives a neighbor and says, “I was only joking!” (Proverbs 26:18-19)
Via TVTropes. I had to look it up independently before I believed they hadn’t just made it up.