#2 No!!! Really?!

Here is an illustrative story:
I walked into the Crabtree Building, thinking about all the chapters I was hoping read before my next class. I was going to be up until the wee hours of the morning if I didn't get something done between classes. I sat at a table, and magically, there was a friend.
Hello, friend.
I chatted with the friend, and then it was time for class. As I got up, I said,
"I love how I just got all of my reading done." My reading wasn't done.
Hello, sarcasm.
Well, that was just wonderful. (More sarcasm, if you like.) I hadn't done my reading, and incidentally, given the time this blog was posted, you'll realize I'm starting another long night.
Or early morning, if you choose to look on the bright side.
Then again, as the friend pointed out, my little story provides material for this blog. My life is blog fodder. And that's supposed to be comforting how?

Sarcasm, as I've discovered, is rather difficult to define. There are numerous types I have observed in the past few days—stating the obvious, stating the opposite of the obvious (I knew that!), understating, overstating, responding to another's comment to deny the obvious (the "No!!! Really?!" type, if you will), and so forth. Even the use of a sarcastic tone of voice can transform ordinary words into sarcasm. The best definition I can produce for sarcasm is an expression or indication of irony (which is often mutually understood to be nonexistent or fabricated), generally coupled with a degree of pessimism.

The opening paragraph is an example of a slightly pessimistic but generally harmless brand of sarcasm. The danger of sarcasm is that just like the irony it shadows, it tends to carry a darker, less optimistic side. While someone can whip up a comical incongruity to glibly save face, entertain those around them, or just reflect their character, the power of ironic words, when used harshly, can quickly disperse friends, collect antagonists, and brand one as unfriendly, brash, or rude. For one who enjoys the common use of sarcasm, it is important to know the difference between funny sarcastic and rude sarcastic. But if you have a handle on the funny, and feel confident you won't injure the feelings of others, then I say, by all means, go ahead. It's not my skin.