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Sarcasm 10

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EngAP

EngAP

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Jun 6, 2007
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After browsing these forums for a while I have noticed a lot of sarcasm in answers. Maybe some questioners desevre it for posting questions that a little hard work would solve but I have also seen it widespread in response to very good questions/answers.

As an example I recently replied to a thread with an answer that I obtained directly from a data/spec sheet, with my response drawing a sarcastic reply from another poster suggesting I was incorrect. However it is by no means limited to to that thread - I have noticed it in threads where I am in no way involved in the discussions.

I do not see the reason for it, other than for the "sarcasmee" to feel like a bigger person.

It may be a misunderstanding of cultural differences as these formums have no national limits but I see it as genuine bad manners.

I would be interested in others' opinions on the matter.
 
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I've never worked much with North Easteners one of our Directors when I was first here was from Boston. He was definitely different from the locals but not like back home either.

Also it's all sweeping generalizations, there were people back in the UK that couldn't take it - despite the fact some of them liked to give it.

Pat, I'm a Southerner, must be why we're at loggerheads all the time;-).

monkeydog, not lately, I must be slipping down the MVP list faster than housing prices.



KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...
 
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Like Kenat says, the regional trends thing is really VERY general.

Regards

eng-tips, by professional engineers for professional engineers
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.
 
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Many times, while reading posts, the very first thing I do is put my hands behind my back and think for a while. My natural impulse is to put a scathing, sarcastic remark similar to many of the ones in "thread1088-219172: Favourite funny answers to threads". When I first joined the forum, I let a few get by and they were fairly quickly red flagged and removed. Now I try and keep my posts straightforward and dull, although I do slip some cheekiness in there occasionally. The red flag process does work. I just won't post anything on a poor post and red flag it instead.

I have also trained myself to always hit the "Preview Post" button first. It helps to weed out some off-color remarks that get by as well as proofing spelling, etc.



If you "heard" it on the internet, it's guilty until proven innocent. - DCS
 
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I just wish I had the nerve to say something sarcastic but I don't have it in me.
That doesn't mean I disapprove of sarcasm, far from it, I enjoy the ready wit and cutting sarcasm (directed at others) but I just worry too much about upsetting someone if it is me doing it.

There are times I yearn to let rip and I'm sure that occasional "mouth first brain second" incidents would do me some good.

My "mouth first" colleague and I were walking through the engineering office one time on our way to lunch when we passed a bunch of the women secretaries clustered round old "Bert" who was slumped in his chair and doing his best (unconciously) to slide to the floor.
"What's up?" demanded my colleague in a loud voice, "Has Bert died on the job then?" (I think he some double meaning was intended here).

There was a brief silence when it then occurred to my colleague that that was exactly what the tableau suggested and then the secs went back to being Flo Nightingales and ignored my colleague.

As it happened, Bert's funny turn wasn't immediately fatal (just as well as he had not given HR prior notice of an intention to demise in situ). As it also happened, it didn't seem to do my colleagues status any harm at all and a brief "oops!" gesture was all he showed that he might have better said nowt.

On the other hand, had it been my comment I am not at all sure that it would have had the same outcome.

I'm not just being paranoid here, I noted that another colleague, Dave, had a thing for one of the Girl Fridays in the office. He was about as non-PC as you can get and the sexual harassment laws meant nothing to him, nor, it seems, to the company.
He'd say outrageous things and pester her to distraction.
Then one day I was giving a presentation to the assembled staff and asked a question that called for some basic understanding of what we made and sold. I got blank looks from all and sundry except the Girl Friday who made the desired response.

"Come on guys," I said, "even Girl Friday understood." (I supress her real name).
Next morning I got a real chewing out from all and sundry from HR and line managers and well and truly had my card marked.
The problem was that I only meant that Girl Friday's job didn't require her to have any engineering and she got it yet those supposed to have some basic engineering knowledge seemed unequal to the task i.e. my remark was innocent of any malicious derogatory intent nor was it intended to be sexist or demeaning and yet I got clobbered.
Dave who had the maximum deviant intent at all times and under all conditions got away with it day in and day out.

Ce la vie. Lesson learned, don't say or do anything to upset anyone. In the end, the only one that gets hurt is yourself.


JMW
 
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As in many other cases, some people are born with teflon overcoats, not that different than someone who dolphin flip like Phelps. It's unfair, but people just are not born equal.

TTFN

FAQ731-376
 
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"Wilde seems to pop up as a possible source, if so he was probably being ironic."

Ouch. Greg, I thought puns were supposed to be the lowest form of humor.
 
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As someone who has asked a stupid question on here (maybe more than once), I appreciate the sarcasm. Knocks me down a peg, and makes me think twice before asking a question that might as easily be found, looking in a textbook.



V
 
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I have been of both ends also, and never took offence at receiving, but I did pull my head in and check my facts before my next post and learned to be more cautious in future.

Regards

eng-tips, by professional engineers for professional engineers
Please see FAQ731-376 for tips on how to make the best use of Eng-Tips Fora.
 
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Ouch Monkeydog, I thought my wisdom on Red Flaggin if you didn't like it was worth the star alone;-).

Guess most posters just aren't on my intelletual plane, not many of you stoop that low.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...
 
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I suspect some of the sarcasm stems from the fact that engineers are generally expected to have all the answers. I've been in plenty of meetings and on job sites where when a question is raised that nobody knows an answer to, it's "Where's the engineer?" If the engineer doesn't have the answer (or a fast/easy way to figure it out), everybody acts as though they have failed. I think this can easily lead to a somewhat arrogant sterotype. The engineer acts as though they know everything and have everything under control, because that is what the public expects. I think the sarcasm may reflect this trend.

Admitting that something takes a bit of work or that you don't know something and can't figure it out is just not acceptable for engineers, from the public point a view.

I don't mean to offend anybody or perpetuate a sterotype that engineers are arrogant. Just my 2 cents +/- $0.02.

-- MechEng2005
 
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