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PatchworkGirl82@reddit

I think dry humor is a lot harder to get across through writing/texting. A lot of our joking around happened because we all hung out together in person.

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True. And this has been the case for a long time, that’s why “/s” exists, or the SaRcAsM font. But still sometimes I think of something funny that’s sarcastic or facetious and I don’t want to use a joke indicator because I feel they ruin the joke when people know it’s a joke

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

The second I see the "/s" I know it's not gonna be funny. You absolutely gotta commit to make it work.

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vsaint@reddit

Sometimes you gotta take the downvotes for the sanctity of unlabeled sarcasm

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Interesting-Stay297@reddit

Downvotes I can take, all the Ackshullies are harder to ignore.

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WheelOfFish@reddit

Jesus the number of times I've seen people get worked up over a joke, it really does fly over their heads.

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Remote_Bumblebee2240@reddit

This is very true. Taking reddit downvotes to preserve the sanctity of sarcasm is true bravery.

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murph0969@reddit

The hero we need.

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New_Stats@reddit

Yeah if you can't make it work through writing then just take the L and try to get better at writing

Adding the /s sucks

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Bacteriobabe@reddit

“The S is for… sucks.”

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Neil_sm@reddit

And even if you do it very well, there’s still always gonna be a few people who need it explained to them. Just accept that, don’t ruin for everyone else just for those few.

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ElliotNess@reddit

In this thread I have found my people

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Over_Interaction_925@reddit

Yes .. welcome to the community.

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Remote_Bumblebee2240@reddit

True heroes.

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card-board-board@reddit

A lot of subs use auto-translation as well which eats sarcasm

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Ednathurkettle@reddit

Thank you! I have found my people! 😭

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SignificantApricot69@reddit

I remember saying something sarcastic and being lectured that I should have used that, and frankly it seems like the stupidest thing ever to have to tell people you are being sarcastic.

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PatchworkGirl82@reddit

That's why I love being in the MST3K/Rifftrax fan base, everybody gets the jokes and sarcasm. And absurdist humor, which also doesn't translate well over text

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Moosyfate17@reddit

This. That community is awesome

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PatchworkGirl82@reddit

I put my faith in Blast Hardcheese!

gif

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arborealsquid@reddit

Big McLargehuge!

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PatchworkGirl82@reddit

Gristle McThornbody!

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Moosyfate17@reddit

Buff Drinklots!

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dvoecks@reddit

Flint Ironstag

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TomPalmer1979@reddit

Oh are we doing Space Mutiny? Might I suggest this absolute nightmare (yet 100% solveable) of a crossword puzzle I made 10 years ago?

https://old.reddit.com/r/MST3K/comments/6t79cs/this_is_the_only_place_that_would_appreciate_this/

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Moosyfate17@reddit

Yes! 😆

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AssignmentGreen4257@reddit

I feel like I’m making it work

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BigPoppaStrahd@reddit

And circlejerk subs where the default language is sarcasm and you have to indicate when you’re being serious. They’re fun to visit when i’m feeling particularly cheeky

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ikeif@reddit

The circle jerk subs always irritated me - at least my local one, because it was always less sarcasm and more about being spiteful and acting like “but I’m sarcastic!” makes their shittakes “palatable.”

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DengarLives66@reddit

Ah, like r/Xennials!

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Sullacuda@reddit

Watch out for snakes!

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Moosyfate17@reddit

Sorry about the face!

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53L3C7A@reddit

BANG!!!

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bug1402@reddit

I was told that /s meant "serious"...and I wasn't sure if they were trolling or not so I just told them to have fun with that. I know there are some shitty takes on here but I would have to block more people or certain subs if I believed people were indicating seriousness with the /s usage.

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likeyournamebutworse@reddit

/s is for cowards.

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scooterbike1968@reddit

I believe the “/s” cane into existence because AI is not capable of recognizing sarcasm.

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tres-vip@reddit

No, they are like this IRL too. The younger folks, especially Zoomers, don't see sarcasm and dry humor as funny.

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Kade7596@reddit

eh, sure they do

gif

it just depends who you talk to individually, just like with adults

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southshorerefugee@reddit

It'd be like my kids reading Norm MacDonald's jokes. Until I have them watch hours of Weekend Update, they can't see the humor because they wouldn't know how to read it like we do in Norm's delivery and manner.

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AllRushMixTapes@reddit

Imagine not knowing that Frank Stallone is the perfect punch line to any joke.

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southshorerefugee@reddit

Or so the Germans would have us believe.

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FatherFarnsworth@reddit

What did the Germans ever do?

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arcxjo@reddit

They love David Hasselhoff.

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n10w4@reddit

Also was dry humor big in our generation? There were always the scolds or humorless types who didn’t like it. Maybe it’s bigger with the online types but I always had to see who I was talking to to use it (& different regions had different views)

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Automatic_Beat5808@reddit

Yep. I have a friend who is a young millennial and they do not understand my dry texts.

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arcxjo@reddit

OMG you used a period. That's literally a hate crime.

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lakatos_intolerant@reddit

Completely agreed.

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CariniFluff@reddit

Exactly what I was thinking.

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NPC261939@reddit

I agree. Poe's Law plays a large roll in that.

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a42N8Man@reddit

As does Cole’s Law

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enters_and_leaves@reddit

Mmmmmm. Coles Law.

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StopClockerman@reddit

It’s hard for me to square comments about Gen Z and younger generations not getting dry, sarcastic, sardonic, etc. humor when half of the Gen Z kids are out here constantly quoting shows like I Think You Should Leave which isn’t exactly the same type of humor but it’s certainly adjacent. Clearly not your over-literal, on the nose stuff.

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Adventurous_Lake_973@reddit

I think norm MacDonald is hilarious but the only guy I know who makes sarcastic jokes is just an asshole so it’s kind of dead IMO. I used to be sarcastic when I was like 12 because it seemed funny but now that I’m older it feels mean spirited

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

Sarcasm is kind of like low brow sardonic humor. At the very least low hanging.

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Powerful_Deal_7052@reddit

I think this generation is so used to having everything sanitized for them. They’ve destroyed comedy, for example. Luckily, my 15 year old has sarcastic and sardonic Gen X parents and doesn’t fall for the “I’m so easily offended” mess that is so prevalent in today’s society.

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Powerful_Deal_7052@reddit

Absolutely agree and satire seems to be lost on this generation as well.

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SkazzK@reddit

My 8 year old beat me at a tabletop game a few days ago, one he'd never played before. So I gave him a mock scolding, "What a horrible little boy you are, pretending not to understand the game while racking up points, and absolutely creaming your poor old dad. Don't you know your old man is a sore loser?"

(In Dutch, a sore loser is a "bad loser", as in bad at losing.)

He looked me in the eye with this deadpan stare and said: "I dunno, dad. You just managed to lose just fine."

Does that count?

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Express_Signal_8828@reddit

Read my mind. I was just thinking randomly in which ways I, a firm Xennial born in 1980, am closer to Gen X than to a Millenial, and #1 for me is a dark sense of humour and a certain cynicism instead of the Millenial "get offended by everything" energy.

I may behave like a respectable citizen when out and about, but with family and close friends I'll joke about anything and everything 🤷🏻‍♀️. Good thing I have no political ambitions, since my Whatsapp history would get me cancelled in a minute 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️.

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Yuck_Few@reddit

Millennials aren't really offended by everything though. That's just a boomer cope

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Express_Signal_8828@reddit

Well, I spend more time on IG than I should, and it's amazing how in basically every single post about a famous person, half the comments will be a variation of "What about". Just today a post where Macron asks for the audience to listen more respectfully on a speech, "but what about what France stole from Africa?". Radiohead announces a concert, "but when will Thom say 'Free Palestine'?", and so on and so forth. And if you look at the profiles and the way of speaking, it's usually people on their 30s.

So I stand by my position that (many) Millenials are offended by everything and want to cancel everyone who doesn't think exactly like them.

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nartimus@reddit

Remember half of all online activity are bot farms. You can usually tell by either one sentence replies (a lot of “what about isms”) ending with multiple emojis, or fing walls of text.

People don’t realize how common influence campaigns are nowadays.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/emmawoollacott/2024/04/16/yes-the-bots-really-are-taking-over-the-internet/

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Express_Signal_8828@reddit

Shoot, that's so scary and discouraging. What I don't understand is what such bot farms would win by e.g. campaigning against Radiohead. Unlike an election, musical tastes or even concert attendances are not a zero sum game. But I'll read the article --thanks for sharing it and for the reminder to be more skeptical of social media comments!

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nartimus@reddit

Some people just want to watch the world burn. 🤷‍♂️

Honestly though, some are just positive/negative PR campaigns (notice how the internet will suddenly start loving or hating certain celebrities all at once)

The more nefarious ones just jump on any popular figure/post to cause division and push ppl to more extreme positions. For the Radiohead example, some will read that and think “yeah! When is thom going to say anything?? They should speak out!” Pushing them more to a more pro position. And others will think “why do these ppl have to always bring up Palestine?? I’m sick of it!” Pushing that person towards a more anti position.

Tbf some are actually ppl, but a it’s a 50/50 chance it’s a bot farm.

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Express_Signal_8828@reddit

We're so screwed 🥲

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crazycatlady331@reddit

Gen Z seems more offended than millennials.

Years ago, I had a staff that if you called them woke, that would be an understatement.

I had their assignments color coded in my analog way using the whiteboard and sticky notes. Pink was one team, green another, etc. I purposely color coded everything using the right dry erase marker/sticky note.

They said it was 'racist' to group people by color. I explained that markers and sticky notes were inanimate objects and aren't subject to racism. It was the first time I felt ancient on the job.

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

That's when you pick up the eraser and say "no, removing the color would be ver-e-rasist".

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Express_Signal_8828@reddit

OK, I confess I have little contact with younger Millenials or older Gen Z (my kids are barely Gen Z and Alpha), and am not the best at distinguishing them. But based on what I see online, a big proportion of people in their 20s and 30s seem to be constantly looking for reasons to be offended, and confuse vague virtue signaling with actual action or change.

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crazycatlady331@reddit

I have no kids (I have niblings ages 6-13).

I feel like the terminally online crowd is in a league of their own though.

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Express_Signal_8828@reddit

Yeah, that may be it. I have several Gen Z and Millenial colleagues and they are really nice, normal people (as far as I can tell, we don't talk much about our private lives). The one annoying colleague who spent half a work event evangelizing on the superiority of their gentle parenting philosophy was an older Millenial, FWIW.

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temporary_bob@reddit

JFC. OK thankfully I had kids later and my kid is solidly Alpha. I despair of dealing with this Gen Z bullshit. I think something really went wrong there. The millennials I work with seem fine and able to have a sense of humor and be normal about things.

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NPC261939@reddit

My brother and his friends are a few years younger than I, placing them squarely in the millennial generation. They deserve a gold medals for their hivemind mental gymnastics. Everything is "not okay" or "problematic" . To be fair, they're just doing what they've been programmed to do.

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NPC261939@reddit

I'm pretty similar. I have a morbid sense of humor and I won't typically go out of my way to offend anyone. But I'm not a pearl clutching snowflake who feints offense over everything.

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

I thought you were gonna use "feint" incorrectly one way but then you used it incorrectly a different way.

I got feint feinted! ("feign offense" is the phrase, but you might have just got auto-incorrected.)

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NPC261939@reddit

Auto correct isn't always correct. Is this the AI we're so worried about?

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rationalmisanthropy@reddit

I would hazard a guess the decline in critical thinking skills is connected to the falling quality of schooling is connected to the infantalisation of humour etc.

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pendejo-san@reddit

Yep. In AI spell checking and thought policing are ushering in the Newspeak prophesied in earlier eras

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Sumeriandawn@reddit

True. Today's humor isn't as smart as the humor we grew up with.

Which of these is your favorite?

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throw20190820202020@reddit

Now see there you go, brilliant. But three hours and only three upvotes, and one of them mine.

I think there may be an ego issue at play.

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neuro_space_explorer@reddit

These were suppose to be funny? I thought they were pure sport…

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copyrighther@reddit

Thank TikTok. Kids are growing up with very broad, obvious humor from content creators and rely on cues to tell them something is funny

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jtl909@reddit

That’s why it’s okay to break character in contemporary sketch comedy. It signals to the audience that it’s okay for them to laugh.

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copyrighther@reddit

As someone who does improv, I find a lot of it is just a self-congratulatory attitude of “Aren’t we so funny!?”

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

Yeah, it used to be that Denis Leary or Mitch Hedberg would break character with just the slightest hint of a real smile before diving back in and it was very endearing, but now they seem to ham it up a lot more and try to make that part of the humor, which falls somewhat flat.

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jtl909@reddit

Yes. Very smug.

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episcoqueer37@reddit

I have to disagree a bit here. Josh Johnson is one of the most popular comedians on social media. While his bits can be chopped for a tiktok-length video, his full sets are worth the payoff. I work with teenagers and they get into some pretty deep humor.

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copyrighther@reddit

So one guy

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episcoqueer37@reddit

He is an example. It's like if someone says "no one makes any good music anymore" and I respond that I like the Mountain Goats' newest work. I'm not saying they're the only good newer music, just the one that comes to mind fastest because I've been grooving to it lately.

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copyrighther@reddit

Hard agree. I absolutely detest the “music isn’t good anymore” argument. There is always incredible music being made at any given time in modern history. You’re just old and have mentally given up on challenging your brain to new sounds.

Wow, what a crazy coincidence that the music that was popular when you were a teenager is somehow the best music ever!

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ToonaMcToon@reddit

Does the Pope shit in the woods ?

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Funandgeeky@reddit

Would you rather meet a man or the Pope if you were alone in the woods?

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

How old am I in this scenario?

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Funandgeeky@reddit

The better question to ask is “which Pope?”

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bcentsale@reddit

Is a bear Catholic?

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neuro_space_explorer@reddit

And if the bear is catholic, does it make it easier or harder for women to choose the bear?

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

I mean, the Pope's from Chicago, so he might have converted a few players.

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Legitimate-Special36@reddit

If given the chance, they'd consume the body and blood of Christ. So, maybe?

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lueur-d-espoir@reddit

I mean, look, none of us are really out of the woods.

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albauer2@reddit

As a matter of fact, Pope John Paul II was an avid outdoorsman, so from 1978 to 2005 the the answer was definitely yes.

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Fine_Violinist5802@reddit

The pope is a weirdo. Sent me a note to give him a handjob in the woods and he didn't even show up...

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

He's an old American now, so unless he somehow lived a life devoid of camping, I think we can safely answer that he does.

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Ebessan@reddit

What I've learned over time is that 35% of human beings do not understand satire/irony/sarcasm/etc.

Their sense of humor is limited to: "That fat guy fell down!"

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satanya83@reddit

“Ow! My balls!”

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

Such a perfect movie. It works both for the people who don't get sardonic humor and the ones who do!

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Negative-Wrap95@reddit

Go away! 'Batin'!

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FoppyRETURNS@reddit

This is a little smarter than our future

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dogtweredog@reddit

At least their president tried to make things better. And listened when he found someone he thought knew better.

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LazarusDark@reddit

Mike Judge was actually an optimist, imagining a better future than what he knew was coming.

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punky100@reddit

I said that he was an optimist last time I watched this, because he thought it would take us that long to get there.

We're fuckin speed running this shit!

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iwasnotarobot@reddit

90” tv screen. Half of it taken up by ads. The future is here.

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bgva@reddit

Something something something Idiocracy was a documentary. I watched something on one of the streaming services, and when I paused the show I got a still ad. On a service I pay for and has commercials. It’s ridiculous.

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arcxjo@reddit

Dude, it's like ¾.

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autocosm@reddit

aka ChiveTV

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Fillmore80@reddit

Favorite quote from that movie.

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theshoeshiner84@reddit

BAITIN

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Da12khawk@reddit

...god damn it

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rsint@reddit

I understood that reference

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ThresholdSeven@reddit

I mean, that shit's still funny

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spaceporter@reddit

Satire can work as humour to those who already agree with the message.

Satire never works as a persuasive medium. People just like the straight show if they don’t understand or agree with the underlying satirical element.

Many, many comedians have stopped using offensive bits explicitly because they saw their audiences laughing at the wrong point or in the wrong way.

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dzuunmod@reddit

A lot of people who watched the Colbert Report were in on the joke, but some people legitimately agreed with him and did not know he was in character.

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SleestakSamurai@reddit

Sad thing is that show absolutely would not work at all in 2026. The current administration says and does things 100x more insane than anything Colbert cooked up on a daily basis.

At this point, the insanity is normalized, satire is dead, and a lot of the stuff we used to think of as "just trolling" is actually just the reality we live in now.

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rewdea@reddit

I think this is why we can’t do shows like The Office anymore. The racial/gay/weight/etc jokes were funny, good intended humor when we all thought we were on the same page that they were very inappropriate, which the show seemed to make clear. As it turns out, a big percentage of the population weren’t/aren’t on that same page, as the last ten years has made abundantly clear.

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nartimus@reddit

The Dinner Party episode will always be funny and I will die on this hill!

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malibuklw@reddit

My kids were watching the office with us and I had to explain that Micheal is supposed to represent a certain kind of person, and the funny part was not what he was saying but that he was saying it at all, especially as a boss at work.

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username__0000@reddit

I had a friend for a long time, like grade 7-8 to our 30s. We didn’t live in the same city as adults so maybe that’s part of it. But I thought a lot of our joking around was us joking. I finally realized she actually was being kind of serious about it and felt the way I thought we were mocking.

We are not friends anymore. But I felt like an idiot. lol

She was a woman who didn’t like woman, like a sexist woman, so all the times we’d make sexist jokes I was thinking we were mocking how ridiculous it was, but she did not. That’s just one example, but there were other injustice type things where she was being serious and I thought we were joking about how dumb it is.

It’s really weird realizing that late and then thinking “damn did I ever really know that person?”

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Plus-Pomegranate8045@reddit

Yep, we are living in a world where America’s Funniest Videos has been on the air for like 35 years.

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WheelOfFish@reddit

Agree, I don't think this is limited to any one generation, although I have no idea what the % averages out to. In some social groups it seems most everyone will miss the joke, in others it'll be the other way around, regardless of age.

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malibuklw@reddit

This makes sense to me. I love sardonic humor and rarely see humor in what most people do. Americas funniest home videos always made me super uncomfortable, and a lot of comedies just don’t do it for me

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el_caballero@reddit

So are you saying that about 60% of the time, it works every time?

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NDMagoo@reddit

"But 'Football in the Groin' had a football in the groin."

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notedrive@reddit

You must have met my ex-wife.

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Sumeriandawn@reddit

Oh really?

Is this tweet serious or just a joke? Can you figure it out?

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BigPoppaStrahd@reddit

The funniest home videos were always the one where someone fell down

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Claude_Henry_Smoot_@reddit

Yes, but Football in the Groin had a football in the groin.

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PetuniaPicklePepper@reddit

God, I hope not. At least my teenager gets it?

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CalmTheAngryVoice@reddit

My sense of humor was warped by joining the military out of high school. Most civilians don't think it's as funny as I do when they're told, "Kill yourself."

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zurenarhhhhh@reddit

Not at all. I worked with many Gen Z/ Gen Alpha and they’re right there. I think it always comes down to who can grasp more abstractions about stuff and who needs things to be very literal, and that transcends ages.

Just another ridiculously broad statement on Reddit.

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Sufficient_Turn_9209@reddit

Hard agree. Gen Z has a really odd but interesting sense of humor, and aren't generally bitter or depressed enough yet (not genuinely anyway) to be sardonic, but their sarcasm is so on point that a few times it's slipped over my head, and I thought they were serious. Lol In one on one conversations or small groups, the sardonicism is on full blast, which to me implies a much better understanding of its application. OP might need to learn to read the room if their own humor falls flat or becomes offensive.

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zurenarhhhhh@reddit

My experience pretty much. I’m elder millennial so sarcasm and sardonicism is also in my genes but sometimes I have to ask if they are being serious or not which is still funny to me. They’ve taken the levels of sarcasm and sardonic perspectives and amped it up to the Nth dimension. Could learn a thing or two. The kids have ball.

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Sufficient_Turn_9209@reddit

I have to ask if they are being serious or not which is still funny to me.

Yep. I'm laughing either way every time.

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projectilemoth@reddit

I just commented similar. I think Gen Z is hilarious. They're also masters of the "way homer" type of humor. You don't even realize it was funny till later and then you are like "Ohhhh shit. I see what you did there"

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Zilhaga@reddit

Agree. I think the zoomers are funnier than the gen Xers I work with. They just don't laugh at shit that isn't funny, so a lot of the olds think they have no sense of humor.

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zurenarhhhhh@reddit

Right? I’ve had to adjust to the times as elder millennial when my stupid jokes don’t land.

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Turbografx-17@reddit

Agreed. My Gen Alpha daughter absolutely gets and uses sardonic humor and instantly picks up on it (unless she's in a shitty mood and decides to just be argumentative/easily offended).

It's not a generational thing.

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n10w4@reddit

Exactly and it’s not like our gen didn’t have people who didn’t get sarcasm

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zurenarhhhhh@reddit

I’m glad to hear that the yoots are carrying the flag for us.

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Da12khawk@reddit

Its like skating up hill.

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zurenarhhhhh@reddit

ICE skating uphill specifically

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

The irony from your last sentence is delicious.

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zurenarhhhhh@reddit

Aw come on mate don’t be such a Xennial

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DrMcJedi@reddit

gif

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Striking-Access-236@reddit

Any good recent shows out there that feature this kind of humour, asking for a friend...

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

I feel like Legion had a lot, but it's a very weird horror show so you have to be into that as well.

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tgerz@reddit

This is the same type of things people were saying about millennials just after the turn of the century. Also, feels like mostly an American perspective. I moved from the states to the UK and you can't survive without sardonic humour here.

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PlumSome3101@reddit

From what I understand the U.S. in particular seems to have a culture of young people often finding things offensive. I don't mean things that could truly be considered harmful I mean in a very pearl clutching way. I think it's much more prevalent and virulent online but I've got enough friends who have gen z children who are essentially the humor police that I see it irl too.

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

I honestly cannot decide whether to say "sounds lovely" with intense sarcasm or utmost sincerity. I lean toward the former due exclusively to your spelling of "humor".

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AssignmentGreen4257@reddit

How can we not?

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Do_it_My_Way-79@reddit

All I gotta say is don’t ever be ashamed to laugh. If someone has a problem with it, it’s their problem, not yours.

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FoppyRETURNS@reddit

The irony of the modern world is that its very nature ia repulsively offensive, yet everyone is offended by everything.

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Sumeriandawn@reddit

" A man sees a bear in public on Tuesday. He assumes he will see bears everyday for the rest of his life"

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bcentsale@reddit

I mean, if you're in San Francisco or Providence, the odds would be in your favor.

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

Or Chicago.

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HotDogPantsX@reddit

Great, another Pope joke. We get it

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Stratospheric-Ferret@reddit

It's gotten me in trouble on many occasions when I say something dry/sardonic, and people don't understand and assume I'm being deadly serious.

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neuro_space_explorer@reddit

I also found this happened a ton after moving from New Jersey to Tennessee. A lot less people down here get deadpan or sardonic humor. Gets me in trouble sometimes.

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HorrorAvatar@reddit

I live in NC and same. Lot of transplants in my city and the Michigan expats get it. Great people.

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neuro_space_explorer@reddit

Glad you found your people.

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HorrorAvatar@reddit

I imagine that’s difficult to do in TN. Visited there last year and found a lot of the people to be pretty insular and hyper-religious. Chattanooga is great, though!

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WheelOfFish@reddit

Agree, also from NJ and even in western NY a lot of people don't get it.

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PathosEatsLogos@reddit

To be fair I have spent time in Tennessee and that is not the only thing they don’t get

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Clumsy_Ninja2@reddit

What happens to me these days is someone says something and I mistake it as sarcasm or dry humor because it’s that ridiculous

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spaceporter@reddit

You should know your audience. If you make such a comment in front of people who don’t know you well and they assume you are serious, that’s on you.

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Stratospheric-Ferret@reddit

Should I do an interview of everyone in the room with a multi-point test to assess their humour, and follow up with a quick credit score?

Unfortunately some people are just dumb and quick to offend.

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NPC261939@reddit

I'd toss in many people aren't offended at all. Some in our society have decided to attach a certain value to being perpetually offended. Performative outrage is everywhere these days.

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Proof-Emergency-5441@reddit

Also not finding something to be humorous doesn't mean one is offended.

Sometimes you aren't funny.

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NPC261939@reddit

Everyone has a different sense of humor. I find some comedy to be more cringey than funny. Doesn't matter, I'm not the arbiter of jokes.

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Proof-Emergency-5441@reddit

Again, this comes down to know your audience. If you can't read a room, that's a you problem.

Also it's clear when people are reaching. My husband is bad about that. Not everything needs to be a smartass quip. Hold out for the good ones.

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JamesMattDillon@reddit

Not everything needs to be a smartass quip.

💯 This

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

Mmm... Sardonicy goodness.

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EricRShelton@reddit

Counterpoint, if I say something so ridiculous there’s no way it could be true, like this other previous coworker used to make a living wrangling gerbils and milking them on a tiny dairy farm, they should be able to tell that’s not true

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PathosEatsLogos@reddit

Huh I never thought of that. I had only ever considered guinea pigs for rodent milk due to the size and that they will make a certain noise to let you know they are tapped out.

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

Well somebody has to be wrangling those gerbils! Can't have them going all feral!

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TheAdminsAreTrash@reddit

Those are the worst. And sometimes so disappointing.

I had to stop making jokes around my older sister because of it. I'd say something intentionally obviously wrong, it'd fly over her head and she'd just agree 😞

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Da12khawk@reddit

Yea. The ones that require someone to use some logic...

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PathosEatsLogos@reddit

Yeah I didn’t realize how many people I offend on a regular basis until my wife pointed it out.

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FoppyRETURNS@reddit

Everything is taken litetally. The downside is that if you don't take some people literally they'll double down on something insane and suddenly their "joke" becomes "I meant what I said."

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Affectionate_Ask_769@reddit

I think they get it just fine. I think the issue is that many from our generation confused sardonic humor with abusive humor. Saying shitty things and saying “just kidding” no longer goes over well. But Gen Z gets sardonic humor well. And it’s best when delivered with a straight face of disinterest which they have down pat

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Formal_Ground6513@reddit

Oh, not my GenZ and Alpha kids! The oldest is a pro at it. It comes naturally. My son is quickly learning it from her but, he's still silly about it. He finds morbid things funny, the more ridiculous the situation the better. I feel like I lucked out quite often.

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

Absurdism is actually my go-to, but I often get cornered into sardonic humor by people acting the fool.

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Formal_Ground6513@reddit

Hahaha! Yes. 🤣😂😑

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catcherofsun@reddit

Seems like understanding context is something the younger generations really struggle with

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Narrow_Grapefruit_23@reddit

Also, it depends on if you’re punching down or punching up. In the 80s and 90s punching down, seemed to be the easiest way to get a laugh. We’ve evolved. Fight the real enemy.

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RetroBerner@reddit

I don't think so, but I also don't think there is a talent around who could deliver it as effectively as Carlin did.

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wasabinski@reddit

I think younger generations are extremely sensitive, and are easily offended by the most minor things. I'm not saying it's wrong to be offended, but it can get really annoying and dumb.

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wasabinski@reddit

Bring on the downvotes, they prove my point

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audvisial@reddit

I'm super dry in my humor, and my teenager hates it, so I'll just go with "yes," based on that extremely small sample size.

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FirehawkLS1@reddit

Never died for me ☺️

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Mission_Fart9750@reddit

I'm sarcastic as fuck, and love dry British humor. I've been working with my autistic teen since forever about understanding it, and realizing that it's a joke. Most of the time, he's pretty good at picking it up, but every now and then, he takes stuff seriously.

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edasto42@reddit

Ah, missed that context — thanks. Here’s a refit:

There have always been people who didn’t get sardonic humor at any age, it’s never been a universal thing. Younger generations aren’t ‘killing it’ they’re just shifting where the edge is. Humor evolves, and that’s okay. Todd Phillips (writer/director of the Joker’s movie) whined about not being able to punch down anymore and that fired up his writing for that movie. But sardonic humor aimed at power or absurdity is still very much alive. The ‘offended by offense’ loop you’re describing, that’s just the latest version of the same old ‘kids these days’ complaint. Sardonic humor isn’t dead, you just might not be laughing at the same targets.

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Secure-Pain-9735@reddit

Younger generations?

They learned it from the fun-sucking wet socks of prior generations.

Some of the younger ones still get it. I know I raised some savages.

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spderweb@reddit

Jimmy Carr is currently my favorite comedian. It's not dead. I don't think newer generations are watching comedians as much as we have, including at their age.

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

I like him for the most part but feel like he's kind of B+ grade compared to what we used to have. That may just be due to the quantity of material he comes out with. They can't all be great jokes.

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spderweb@reddit

I like that he makes fun of himself as well. And he's a really nice person when he knows he needs to be. Good guy.

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Equal_Question_4594@reddit

It makes me so sad how so many younger people these days seem to lack humor or be very literal. Like, if I say a self-deprecating joke, they’ll respond with pity when I was expecting a laugh, which then makes me feel like crap.

There are two younger (gen Z, presumably) gals who work at the desk at my vet’s office who kind of remind me of Olivia and Paula from White Lotus. My jokes never land with them and it’s just this awkward silence. I want to tap an imaginary microphone like a stand-up comedian and be like “is this thing on?” 😆😐

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gold_dust_woman13@reddit

As a high school teacher with this kind of humor, sometimes I have to explain to students what I mean, but mostly they get it. My middle schoolers didn’t really get it, but there were a few little weirdos that did and man did they make me laugh sometimes.

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bgva@reddit

I find myself having to put an /s on things more and more. Either that or I have to explain I’m being facetious because people can’t wait to miss the point and be snarky. I get that text is hard to interpret at times but it’s still annoying.

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imhereforthevotes@reddit

I'm training my kids with strong bad emails and The Far Side. It's a start.

Recently saw someone posting a Far Side cartoon on Explain the Joke (couple has made it off a shipwreck onto a rock and the guy is talking about how there are edible mussels all the way to the top...). "Oh, they're going to die? That's not funny." Yes, it's actually funny.

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Donald_Epstein69@reddit

Sure seems like it.

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Darkwing873@reddit

I think a lot of people relied on it too much, I know someone who thinks layers upon layers of sarcasm is just amazing. But it's a needed tool in the toolchest.

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jackfaire@reddit

The problem isn't the younger generation it's us. I can be a smart ass in person and it generally comes across as such.

It doesn't come across well in text unless the person knows you really well or it's steeped in context. And it hasn't for as long as texting has been a thing which is most of my adult life. But a lot of our peers still don't seem to get that things that work verbally don't translate well to text without indicators.

It's rare that I see our generation even use italics.

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Chance-Succotash-191@reddit

I don’t think so. It’s just more niche. Our five year old gets sarcasm.

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Kahnza@reddit

To me, sardonic humor often just sounds like whining.

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pl0ur@reddit

It won't be dead until they pry it out of our generations cold dead hands.

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Specialist-Leek8645@reddit

I watched a lot of British humor. Recently I saw a skit that brought me right back. "Women agree we should all fuck off," kinda message lol. It was perfect dry British humor. I've heard that the Monty Python guys were assholes to Miriam Margoyles so I've tried to compartmentalize them like I did when Grandma would call someone "colored." Not all of it has aged well. Ppl are very easily offended now and everything is a personal attack. I love self deprecating comedy, like in Bridesmaids when she shits in the middle of the street lmao. By the time Tropic Thunder came out I was getting iffy on the blackface..

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Annual_Grass538@reddit

It doesn’t work on the Internet because a lot of people are ESL as well. My daughter is 4 and already says some hilariously mean and creative things so I think she’ll help keep the flame alive.

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SlackerDS5@reddit

I have to verbally explain to people that I’m being sarcastic. Which sucks, but like someone put it, if you don’t know the person, you don’t pick up on it. I work in the public sector with people old and young. Sarcasm is our primary language.

Being sardonic isn’t dead, it’s more of a lost art.

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eatsleepdive@reddit

Aubrey Plaza is fairly sardonic

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imnottheoneipromise@reddit

Good lord I hope not. It’s the only humor I have.

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Minute-Yogurt-2021@reddit

actually the alpha generation - our kids are getting the hang of sarcasm.

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temporary_bob@reddit

Not sure if you mean alpha gen does or does not get sarcasm (or whether they're our kids)... but as a mom of a gen alpha who absolutely does sarcasm to a T and most of her friends do too... I see no problems here.

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Minute-Yogurt-2021@reddit

They are our kids and they do get sarcasm. And so far they've missed the idiocy of GenZ.

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

I'm not having kids just so someone will get my jokes. Nice try, Mom!

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Minute-Yogurt-2021@reddit

dad here, they hate my dad jokes, but understand why I need to make them.

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

Not a dad, but I still gain great satisfaction inflicting pun on others.

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DengarLives66@reddit

At work, I got a complaint filed against me that I’m too sarcastic. Found out a while later it was the only Gen Xer on staff who complained about me. Unless you work in mainstream media, it behooves everyone to remember that you can’t paint the entirety of a generation with a single brush.

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Expert-Housing-8488@reddit

I'm offended!

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SadApartment3023@reddit

Edgelord humor was never funny. It was shocking, not funny. The world has becime shocking enough thay "sardonic" jokes are even less funny and Gen Z isnt afraid to say so.

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

Conflating "edgelord humor" with "sardonic humor" is likely to expose you to some sardonic humor, friend.

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GleefullySardonic@reddit

Is sardonic humor dead?

God I hope so.

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

Calm down, Marvin.

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PathosEatsLogos@reddit

You can lump gallows humor in with it too

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Kiethblacklion@reddit

I don't think it's solely younger generations. I've had some of my dark humor/sarcastic comments downvoted and responded to by people roughly in our age group. I just think society as a whole has lost some of that edge to it.

The development of my sarcastic sense of humor came from many of the movies and tv shows we had in the 80s and 90s. I've watched a lot of newer movies and tv shows with my son over the past decade and they just don't seem to have as much sarcasm in them (with a few exceptions). I've been trying to teach my son (who is 12) the concept of sarcasm but he just doesn't get it yet.

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Yikes0nBikez@reddit

It's not dead. It just takes as much wit to understand it as it takes to deliver it. That's not a quality of this new generation. There's nothing "nuanced" about them.

Looking at media today, the type of "humor" that seems most acceptable is attempting to make a seemingly innocuous moment as awkward and "cringe" as possible. Or, and this is borderline not humor but sociopathic behavior, pranking unsuspecting people by being rude, abusive, or over-the-top simply for a reaction on social media. Again, to create an awkward or uncomfortable feeling that somehow translates into "humor".

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crapatthethriftstore@reddit

We live in a very sardonic-humour-house. It takes the kids friends a little while to get pretty much entire conversations. But that’s fun too; introducing little weirdlings to the finer ways of speaking 🤣

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SweetCosmicPope@reddit

I was with my son the other day and we were watching a house fire in our town. I said something like “hopefully nobody died.” And he replied completely deadpan “at least they wouldn’t have to go to work tomorrow.” Lol

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genesimmonstongue415@reddit

Absolutely had to look up the definition of that word.

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Epicardiectomist@reddit

not dead, but definitely harder to get across. My humor frequently falls flat at my job (well, pretty much everywhere). I don't mean offensive jokes, but just dry and sarcastic things that only I end up finding funny.

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

I have less trouble with it in person because I can just stare at people with the dryest, most judgmental, half-lidded eyes until people get that that the patently ridiculous thing I've said was in no way serious despite the tone used.

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Imaginary_Ad_9682@reddit

I’m seeing this. We need to get these generations watching The Simpsons…stat

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

David Spade and Norm Macdonald were the gold standard I think.

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throwawayhbgtop81@reddit

It not dead for me. It's the bulk of my humour

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kaest@reddit

They think adding punctuation at the end of a message is aggressive, not surprising that they see disdainful mocking as offensive.

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VoddieMC@reddit

I was having this conversation with a mate not too long ago about how certain types of humour don't land anymore. Things like Fawlty Towers or There's A Girl In My Soup simply cannot be understood in today's current climate and not because they're outdated but because the techniques used are impossible for people to understand. Humour and comedy today are very on the nose, very explicit and very quick to explain that they're inoffensive...which is not the point. Hicks, Pryor and Burr could never launch their careers today. Even the Marx Brothers would struggle because the humour (while mostly timeless) just can't be understood in a world that doesn't get it unless it's obvious.

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MitchellSFold@reddit

My brother in law and his wife (both in their early 60s now) have never found Fawlty Towers funny, and actively believe 'The Germans' to be offensive to actual Germans. I should say that she is German, he is not. I remember the first time I saw them both go off on one about it, I literally thought they were doing a bit - but no, they think it's John Cleese and Connie Booth attacking German people. I pointed out that if that's true, why is it only Basil - and a recently concussed Basil - who comes across as the most ridiculous in the episode? He's the only who doesn't know how to react around non-Brits, not the Germans themselves who are perfectly mature and civilised (the one who gets upset is understandable given Basil's conduct).

But no. It "attacks Germany", according to them. Incredibly strange way of thinking.

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MetalEnthusiast83@reddit

actively believe 'The Germans' to be offensive to actual Germa

Well, they started it!

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

The simplest explanation for their reaction is that she is German and he is married to her.

(Sorry, I couldn't help myself after that setup.)

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Gian_Luck_Pickerd@reddit

I've never thought Fawlty Towers was funny. It just isn't too me. When our PBS station used to have a Saturday night britcom block in the 90s and 2000s, the FT theme was the Saturday night answer to the MASH theme. At least until they switched FT out for I think Red Dwarf. Then the Doctor Who theme was the bedtime signal

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VoddieMC@reddit

Interesting. Perhaps that way of thinking is more prevalent now (he said acknowledging his own bias). On a personal note, the Major has always been one of my favorite supporting characters (which is difficult to defend as a POC). In that same episode, he goes on a racist diatribe about cricketers and Germans, and it's a beautiful way of lampooning what was then the dying establishment. It's also the section that's edited out of the re-releases.

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MitchellSFold@reddit

Maybe I should have grown up only having seen the edited versions, then I wouldn't have grown up to be a xenophobic, fawning, cheap builder-employing, gambling addicted, authority-fearing, stressed-out mustachio'd, ageing, brilliantined stick-insect from Swanage.

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

Well I'm glad we had it while we did!

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Low_Basket_9986@reddit

Some of them really like cringe humor, which is probably their version of sarcasm because its based on a negativity (and is a mirror into their fear of being cringey).

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-notfadeaway-@reddit

Generationally, it’s like speaking different languages.
gif

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Status_Entrepreneur4@reddit

It’s not dead but you definitely stand out more these days which is fine by me

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projectilemoth@reddit

IDK, I have 2 Gen Z kids and they are sarcastic AF and appreciate dark humor also. As do many of their friends. I think it's the effect of coming of age during the pandemic, among many other insane world events.

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burnerburneronenine@reddit

The problem is too many people - many peers if we're being honest - are offensive and punch down under the guise of being sardonic. And that, imo, is why it's not as prevalent. Few take the time to learn the nuance and do it correctly and get lambasted when they don't.

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

That's reasonable. For my part, I typically assume people are actually ignorant and not "being ignorant", so I typically try to avoid anything too abrasive until proven otherwise.

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Significant-Rush-129@reddit

I experienced this in a place I worked. The people weren’t even that much younger than me. But they didn’t get it. Felt bizarre AF. They also didn’t know how to talk, look people in the eye. Felt like I had stepped into an alternate universe. The more entry level ones kinda looked up to me. It was kinda cute, I was like this person from another era…but not that much older than them at the same time. Being an Xennial was truly felt during that experience.

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1042Mary@reddit

I feel like I am constantly rescuing my brother-in-law in the family group chat by putting the “haha” reaction on his sardonic replies so that the older and younger generations understand he is joking.

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RainbowMage81@reddit

I’m a high school teacher and I can confidently say that sarcasm and dry humor are alive and well.

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

Sardonic humor is dry but dry humor isn't necessarily sardonic. I'm gonna need further confirmation.

And sarcasm isn't always terribly intellectual but is the shortest path to annoying parents for personal amusement.

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SidFinch99@reddit

I don't think it's dead at all, but if you don't know the person very well, sardonic humor can sometimes be hard to differentiate from them just sounding really depressing.

We live in a time where everything feels like it's falling apart, people may deal with that using humor, but if you don't know the person very well and they are using sardonic humor, it can just sound depressing.

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I_AM_DEATH-INCARNATE@reddit

No, my nine year old is keeping it alive. I can't even tell sometimes, that's how dry she is

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

Well if Death Jr. gets it, there's still hope!

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RogueAOV@reddit

I think if you grow up in the age of emotes and spend time around people who did not, you are going to miss things like sarcasm unless it is pointed out.

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Sumeriandawn@reddit

Could it be an age thing with you? Back in the 90s, middle aged adults weren't tuned into what was considered cool among 90s youth. Back then, old people didn't know who Green Day or Wutang Clan were.

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

I have pretty much never kept up with cultural trends, so no.

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Sumeriandawn@reddit

Then how would you know if sardonic humor is dead with the younger generations?

Here is a pic of some of the most controversial Youtubers. I'm assuming most of their fans are under 30. You're saying younger generations don't like offensive material?

Paul brothers- lots of controversies

KSI- rape jokes, used racial slur

Dr Disrespect- filming people in the bathroom

Boogie2988- appeared nude on Twitch

Jack Doherty-

" Younger generations can't handle controversial content "

Then why are these Youtubers so popular🤔

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

You confidently thinking sardonic humor is the same as offensive humor is such a strong reinforcement of my point.

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Sumeriandawn@reddit

Sardonic meaning

" cynicism, disdainful, scorn, derisively mocking"

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

You stopped before the part about it being intelligent...

Did you find that part offensive?

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Sumeriandawn@reddit

Which website has that definition?

Merriam Webster and Dictionary.com doesn't mention the word "intelligent"

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sardonicism

"wit" is the word you're looking for in the first sentence there. It's important to differentiate between something being "sardonic humor" and just "sardonic".

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Turloughs_skinnytie@reddit

You should try being a British expat in Yankland!

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CarlSpackler22@reddit

No

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militant-hippie@reddit

Humor doesn't die. It might hide but it never dies. There is someone out there that will still laugh their asses off Ata pie to the face.

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threebeansalads@reddit

Sardonic humour is also “smarter” and I think we see as with everything, a lapse in ability to “get it” unless it slaps them in the face.

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MattheiusFrink@reddit

All humor is dead

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SunshineInDetroit@reddit

Counterpoint: the kids are going to be fine https://www.reddit.com/r/dumbphones/s/h16ZdalIOV

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SunshineInDetroit@reddit

Three different reasons * Poe's law. * We've become inundated people trying to be funnier than the last person that it's become tiresome especially over social media * Doesn't come over the same on text

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Thisizamazing@reddit

No. Of course it isn’t dead. If it were 💯 accepted, then it would just be vanilla

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FuckYouNotHappening@reddit

>Is sardonic humor dead?

Maybe it dies with us, but I can’t imagine the people who employ sardonic humor will change their style because people don’t get it.

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Sumeriandawn@reddit

A Millennial complaining about the younger generations. The irony!😂

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

People not getting it only makes it funnier, if somewhat frustratingly so. Kind of a "King in Hell" situation.

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EBMille4@reddit

Agreed. I like sardonic humour and I’m not changing.

To quote someone super smart, “FuckYouNotHappenjng”

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Ambitious_Unit1310@reddit

I don’t think it’s dead, I think a lot of people are not good at it. In the process of one upping the previous joke, they take the easy route and make it hateful.

Eventually it gets to the point where it’s just mean. Then they get sensitive and make excuses for why the joke didn’t land

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mlo9109@reddit

IDK, I find more older folks are offended by it than younger folks. Younger folks just don't get it.

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MaruSoto@reddit (OP)

Older folks are offended by everything. Maybe that sort of broad taking offense at everything just skips a generation.

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Cubelock@reddit

The only people that get offended by this type of humor are the younger Millennials (early 30's), in my experience.
Everyone younger than that seems to like it quite a bit.

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grimorg80@reddit

I never liked it. Mocking each other on things that hurt is not fun unless you have a very, very good relationship with the person mocking you.

It's offending people. Hilarious for the mocker and their audience.

Yeah, it's just mean.

Sarcasm in debates is a different thing.