There was nothing very interesting in Katherine Rankin’s study of sarcasm — at least, nothing worth your important time. All she did was use an M.R.I. to find the place in the brain where the ability to detect sarcasm resides. But then, you probably already knew it was in the right parahippocampal gyrus.
What you may not have realized is that perceiving sarcasm, the smirking put-down that buries its barb by stating the opposite, requires a nifty mental trick that lies at the heart of social relations: figuring out what others are thinking. Those who lose the ability, whether through a head injury or the frontotemporal dementias afflicting the patients in Rankin’s study, just do not get it when someone says during a hurricane, “Nice weather we’re having…”
So is it possible that Jon Stewart, who wields sarcasm like a machete on “The Daily Show,” has an unusually large right parahippocampal gyrus?“His is probably just normal,” Rankin said. “The right parahippocampal gyrus is involved in detecting sarcasm, not being sarcastic.”
But, she quickly added, “I bet Jon Stewart has a huge right frontal lobe; that’s where the sense of humor is detected on M.R.I.”
A spokesman for Stewart said he would have no comment — not that a big-shot television star like Jon Stewart would care about the size of his neuroanatomy.
Good thing our readers always click through to each and every article to read and understand the details of what we post instead of blurting out the first nutball hack remark that comes to mind.
There are several masters of sarcasm who frequently comment here at DU. That fact is readily apparent when the opposite of what they say consistently makes such perfect sense.
Good thing our readers always click through to each and every article to read and understand the details of what we post instead of blurting out the first nutball hack remark that comes to mind.
What do you mean?
yeah, if that’s true then why doesn’t my wife get sarcasm!!!!!!!!!!!
Hey! My first blurts aren’t always nutball.
See !!! This explains why Bush thought “Brownie” was doing a “Hell of a job” after Katrina – he is BRAIN-DAMAGED, and doesn’t even know it !!! “Leader of the Free World” ??? SHUDDER !!!
adogg4629: Let’s see… You didn’t beat me to that. Lucky for me, my wife adores my constant sarcasm.
Good thing our editors always click through to each and every source to read and understand the details of what they post instead of blurting out the first nutball hack item that comes up on Stumble Upon.
I just need more practice.
RBG, maybe
Hey! I resemble that remark!
Don’t you just love intelligent design?
So they can deduce which part of a brain is damaged, by the kinds of jokes that people find funny?
Does the Hippocampus make you think fat jokes are funny or insulted?
# 5 JimD,
How do you know he wasn’t being sarcastic and you were not the one with brain dammage and couldn’t tell? Always two ways to look at something.
I’m just say’n…
A waste is a terrible thing to mind.
Oh wait…where is the understanding of a pun located in the brain?
#12 – OmegaMan,
A good pun is detected in the gut, by the severe intestinal damage it causes.
>>This explains why Bush thought “Brownie” was
>>doing a “Hell of a job” after Katrina
Hey, buster, our POTUS is not a profane blasphemer. He said that Brownie was doing at HECK of a job.
A guy who’s responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of people would never use the word “Hell”.
Sheesh.
Sarcastics Anonymous.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNuDbO3NrgU
#14 – Mister Mustard,
A guy who’s responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of people would never use the word “Hell”.
Yeah. Or nuclear.
Great video rectagon (enthusiastically) … or was that great video rectagon (sarcastically)? I can’t tell whether I mean that sarcastically or not. Damn.
Wow bobbo…sorry..didn’t mean to make light of your head injury earlier..I didn’t know…
(although I’m sure MM will say I should have been able to deduce from already available evidence..^_^)
#18–Shin==I think noticing sarcasm is a good thing. I think BEING sarcastic is something to avoid. Too easy to be hurtful under passive/aggressive responsibility avoidance of “just being sarcastic.” Much better to be direct.
I think Saturday Night Live had a few skits on “Mr Sarcastic” who got himself convicted of a crime because he said “Of course I did it” thinking the jury would appreciate the sarcasm? Most people don’t appreciate sarcasm, because usually it is only thinly disguised dishonest aggression. Only took me two girlfriends dumping me for being sarcastic to figure that one out===then I ran into and away from a girl who was sarcastic. Life’s lessons.
Not sure how to respond/or respond.
So, this study means that cops and politicians have damaged brains? That would explain quite a bit. ;->
I have dain bramage.
http://tinyurl.com/3nnrk4
#23, a fine-looking bunch, but I can guess who’s not the designated driver.
Thank you #15!
19 bobbo. “…usually it is only thinly disguised dishonest aggression.”
Ouch.
RBG
#26–RBG–course saying “Nice Weather” while it is raining is a nice kind of sarcasm, not delving on the personal. After I learned I couldn’t handle being sarcastic, I got hit with the same complaint about being “honest and direct.” Seems most of that is also thinly disguised dishonest aggression.
Its taking me a long time to be a sweet loving human being as I demonstrate here nightly.
Nice election we’re gonna have….
Don’t forget that Global Warming is gonna kill us all….
#19 – bobbo,
Likewise in My Cousin Vinny … “I shot the clerk?! I shot the clerk! (pause, too late) Whoa wait a minute!”
This is a very insightful thread.