Apples of Gold
Radio Script for December 29, 2008
“The Sarcasm Hall of Fame”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
If there was a Hall of Fame for sarcasm, this would be in it.
It was the 1988 vice-presidential debate between Senator Dan Quayle and Senator Lloyd Bentsen.
Quayle was only in his 40’s, with about a dozen years of experience in Congress. At one point in the debate Tom Brokaw questioned Quayle’s experience.
Quayle said, “I have as much experience in the Congress as Jack Kennedy did when he sought the presidency.”
Then came Bentsen’s now famous response.
“Senator, I served with Jack Kennedy. I knew Jack Kennedy. Jack Kennedy was a friend of mine. Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy.”
The crowd erupted. It was a terrific zinger which sliced Quayle down to size.
And what was Quayle’s comeback? All he could muster was, “That was really uncalled for, Senator.”
Uncalled for, perhaps. But it put Lloyd Bentsen in the Sarcasm Hall of Fame. He was greatly lauded for it, and Quayle was roundly mocked.
Bentsen’s sarcasm had done its job. It’s the job sarcasm is usually used for, to cut someone down.
I googled the word “sarcasm” and I was surprised at what I found.
Sarcasm is “witty language used to convey insults or scorn.”
It’s used to sneeringly mock a person, to insult or wound them.
Sarcasm is “marked by mocking.”
It is “a cutting form of wit intended to make its victim the butt of contempt or ridicule.”
Sarcasm is meant to be unpleasant to someone or to make fun of them.
It is caustic words for the purpose of wounding another.
Interestingly, the word sarcasm comes from a Greek word that means “to tear flesh.”
Now not all sarcasm is meant to wound. On a rainy day you might say, “Wow, what a nice day.”
But what I’ve seen over the years is that sarcasm becomes a habit, a way of speaking. And it’s especially true for smarter people. Notice that sarcasm includes being witty.
A sarcastic person sees a situation the way it is, then can quickly twist what they see into a distorted, sarcastic version of that truth. Then they make a remark based upon that twisted truth.
For example, Dan Quayle said he had as much Congressional experience as Jack Kennedy. That was true. Then Lloyd Bentsen took that truth and twisted it. He twisted it as if Quayle was saying that he was like Kennedy as a whole. Then Bentsen made his remarks based upon that twisted truth.
I know all about the habit of being sarcastic because I’ve lived it. I was not raised in a sarcastic home, but I think I picked it up from television. I loved to laugh, and my favorite shows as a teenager were Saturday Night Live and Monty Python’s Flying Circus. I also loved the comedy of Steve Martin.
And I was drawn to friends who also enjoyed this type of humor. We became very sarcastic people, mostly just for laughs. Oh, we were very witty.
But as I grew up, and as I started trying to live for God, I realized that lacing my conversations with sarcasm was not a good thing. People got hurt. I blurted out things I shouldn’t have. I was mostly just trying to be funny, but the very nature of being witty and quick means that you are not being thoughtful. You blurt out the first sarcastic thing that comes to your mind and bam! The damage is done.
Sarcasm can really mess up a marriage. In the emotional ups and downs, with all the pressure points, if you have the habit of being sarcastic, you are bound to blurt out hurtful words and cut your spouse to the quick. You will both end up with your guard up all the time, which makes it impossible to grow very close to one another.
And sarcastic parents can really cut some deep wounds into their children.
I think sarcasm is often about one-upmanship. “Ha ha! I’m better than you.” I think it has an element of pride. “I’m smarter than you, quicker than you, wittier than you.”
But this is not at all how a Christian should be. Ephesians 4:29 says that only good should come out of our mouth, “that it may impart grace to the hearers.”
Verse 32 says we should be “kind to one another” and “tenderhearted.”
Colossians 4:6 says our conversation should always be “full of grace…”
If you aren’t sure whether you are being sarcastic, or if you think your sarcasm is okay, just pay attention to the way people respond. Are they ever hurt? Do they feel like you are putting them down or making them look foolish?
If so, then your sarcasm is over the line. It’s hurting people, and it is ungodly.
We’re coming up on the time for New Year’s resolutions, so here’s one to think about.
If the shoe fits, maybe a good resolution would be, “This year I am going to stop being so sarcastic.”
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
© 2008 The Arrow’s Tip
To subscribe to your own daily “Apples of Gold” e-mail, write dougapple@wave94.com.
If you want to be removed from this e-mail list, simply click reply and type UNSUBSCRIBE on the subject line.
If you want to catch “Apples of Gold” in its original audio format, go to www.wave94.com
To search through the large archive of past articles, go here: http://www.wave94.com/modules.php?name=Stories_Archive
If you have trouble reaching me at my main e-mail address, try this one: douglas_apple@msn.com
(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
-vi-
No comments:
Post a Comment