Sarcasm seems rare here. Quite difficult to grasp if you do not master a language well. Where to start? With self-mockery? From my point of view, that seems a safe bet. By highlighting a flaw in your own self-image, you create a moment of weakness, in other words, accessibility. Someone who realizes this reacts tactically and therefore would not see it as an invitation to destroy that self-image once and for all.
Of course, sarcasm is not an island. Humor cannot be put in boxes. In that respect it is like a freight train: if 1 wagon tips over, nothing will continue and nothing will arrive.
My mind goes wild here when I catch something that does have a sarcastic undertone. Did he say that? Is he allowed to say that? Which committee has agreed here? What if this goes viral? Will heads roll?
Sometimes – the latter – yes. A girl, a Key Opinion Leader, sang the Chinese national anthem in the wrong way. She was jailed for a few days. On the other hand, a presenter made a joke on TV about the fact that in China everyone always muscles in. Nice self-reflection, I thought, but also carefully packaged criticism = self-respect with a touch of sarcasm? The audience laughs. One minute later, the same presenter receives a handout and starts to read out commercials aloud. The irony escapes many.
Sometimes I fantasize about setting up a YouTube channel called “Humor from China”. Going out on the street and asking people strange questions. “What does Xi Jinping actually think?” “What grade would you give the government?” Or to children: “Why would you study so hard if everything you have to do later is checking your phone the whole day?” And to all answers nod seriously while shouting “Soo desu ne!!!”.
Whence this twisted rancor? Humor is fun, but not easy. On a day when I suddenly lash out against my beautiful and sweet daughter, it is comfortable to disguise my self-image, hush up self-criticism, and avoid self-deprecation, for fear of it getting too serious. I understand the reluctance, but only temporarily.
Written on March 5, 2019