Sarcasm

It’s not my fault.
Sarcasm is my body’s natural reaction to stupidity.

What is my fault is not recognizing when I’ve inadvertently surrounded myself with people who provoke my sarcasm…

[Sidebar for clarification: there is a difference between stupidity and ignorance. Ignorance can be educated. Stupidity is apparently inbred.]

"The trouble with her is that she lacks the power of conversation but not the power of speech"
- George Bernard Shaw

While we’re clarifying things, I suppose we should define sarcasm. It is not random shittiness. It is not an eyeroll, a snort, or a snide look in someone’s general direction. That’s nothing more than snarky behavior not brave enough to string together an actual remark.

"You have delighted us long enough."
- Jane Austen

Sarcasm is smart. It leaves one wondering if a remark was complimentary, or maybe not so much. It has a basis not only in wit, but in use of language. It requires timing and an innate sense of delivery. For exquisite examples of this, watch any Katharine Hepburn movie. Just pick one. I would suggest The Philadelphia Story with Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart (1940) if you’re truly interested in the brilliance of sarcasm properly delivered.

C. K. Dexter Haven: Sometimes, for your own sake, Red, I think you should've stuck to me longer.
Tracy Lord: I thought it was for life, but the nice judge gave me a full pardon.

I’ll be the first to admit that there’s a time and place for snarky – primarily before you’ve lived enough life to separate what matters, from what does not. But sarcasm, aptly conveyed, is timeless!