Using Sarcasm As a Defense Mechanism

Using Sarcasm As A Defense Mechanism

         Using sarcasm is a defense mechanism that protects against vulnerability. These barbs are smoke screens and prevent open and honest communication in relationships. Sarcasm is a defense mechanism used because of experiences in the family's early years and social settings. Young men, Teenagers use sarcasm as a way to get accepted into peer groups.

         Cynics feel that this is a great defense mechanism:

   It is funny and light, and it protects you from pain.

   It helps avert criticism, and it helps prevent criticism.

   It's also a one-up move.

    However, there are losses for being a cynic. They are:

   It is aggressive.

   T creates an atmosphere of suspicion, and it establishes relational stuckness.

   Your life shifts, and there's no growth.

There's a lot less fun.

         Nevertheless, the sarcasm is verbal aggression, full of venom, aggression, and contempt. Irony has many fans and followers; TV characters use it to show off their exceptional minds with skilled sarcasm. Relationships that use sarcasm are relationships of trust, including co-workers, relatives, or significant others.

To protect yourself from a sarcastic person:

   Calmly say, "I didn't appreciate that comment at all."

   Make them expand on their comments.

   Explain to the "intellectual bully" what their sarcasm is doing.

         One example was when my friend and I went to our first class reunion. As we walked in the door, everyone yelled, "duck, here comes Marilyn!" She swore that she was not going to attend another reunion. Marilyn was a formidable opponent in dodgeball, and it would hurt if she nailed you! I was always the first one to sit down, as I let her hit me intentionally. I then had the fun of sitting and watching the others get hit!

         Narcissistic mothers have a profoundly damaging effect on their daughters, inflicting severe psychological trauma on them. The impact lasts well into adulthood and makes it impossible for a girl to become an independent, confident woman. A person with a narcissistic personality disorder leads people to have an inflated sense of their importance. They believe that they are superior to others. They crave attention and do not care about other people's feelings.

         A narcissistic mother is jealous of their daughter and competes with her. She sees her daughters as a threat and can't stand the thought of her daughter being more beautiful or successful than she is. The daughter forms a fearful avoidant attachment style with this kind of mother, who does not express unconditional love and affection.

         While sarcasm is using words that mean the opposite of what you want to say and are used to insult someone, show irritation, or be funny. Irony can also mean using words opposite to what you want to say. The irony also refers to a strange or funny situation because things happen opposite of what you expect.

         Trump explains away his embarrassing statements by using sarcasm. His most unhinged tweet was in a thread where he stated: When will all of the "reporters" who have received Noble Prizes for their work on Russia, only to have been proven wrong (and it was the other side which committed the crimes), be turning back their cherished 'Nobles.'

         His reply to the tweet was: "Does anybody get the meaning of a so-called Noble (not Nobel) Prize, especially as it pertains to Reporters and Journalists? Noble is defined as 'having or showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles and ideals. Does sarcasm ever work?

         Trump has consistently downplayed the coronavirus. In a news conference, Trump Mentioned using disinfectant injections as a possible coronavirus miracle cure. Trump had very little on his schedule but did not bother to attend the White House coronavirus task force meetings, which caused him to show up for briefings unprepared.

         During the challenging times of the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a change in humor people used humor and sarcasm as a way to deal with the situation. People often use drugs and alcohol, eat, engaging in physical activities and other hobbies as coping strategies. The best way to manage this is by using humor. Using humor relieves tensions, lessens distress and concern, increases well-being, and serves as a coping strategy.

         A coping mechanism is necessary for chronic illnesses like MS and Parkinson's. Find out what allows you to keep moving forward, fight, and get back up when knocked down. Everyone's mechanism is different. My methods for dealing with Parkinson's are:

   Laughter

   Sarcasm

   Empathy

         Laughing at a situation instead of getting angry works for people with MS and Parkinson's. Due to the increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression, I can laugh at my Parkinson's. If I have a fall that isn't serious, I get back up and laugh. Sarcasm also helps me take things less seriously. To top it all off, you need humility, which you need to move forward. Empathy is one of the most valued qualities that you can have.

         The most sarcastic actor is Bill Murray, who starred in the movie Stripes, among others.

   Michael Che has risen through the New York standup ranks. He uses eclectically cagey political humor and broad, poignant observational bits.

   Joan Rivers was known for cracking wise, working blue, and crashing comedy stag parties.  

   Charles Barkley, a Hall of Fame power forward, is a master of the one-liner.

   Jimmy Fallon, considered comedy's Nice-Guy-in-Chief, has made himself the most amiable host of late-night television.

   Melissa McCarthy starred in multiple shows, including Mike & Molly. She has lots of talent!

   Davie Letterman received Kennedy Centers' honors. He is an author whose humor is dry.

   Jerry Seinfeld is still the Gandalf of joke telling. He is best known for playing himself in the sitcom Seinfeld. He lists Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Bill Crosby, and Don Rickles as the Mount Rushmore of standup comedy.

   Rebel Wilson, at 26, is new to the scene, with a killer deadpan.

I liked all of these comedians, the top one being Don Rickles. He was best known for his insult comedy. My next favorite was Eddie Murphy, and I liked him in his role as Axel Foley in Beverly Hills Cop. Another one of my top favorites is Bill Cosby. He had a great sense on the Cosby Show, where he played a doctor. The last one I will mention is Howard Stern, a shock jock who interviews porn stars and other interesting people.

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References

Sarcasm Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sarcasm