this post was submitted on 19 Sep 2024
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Unpopular Opinion

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Vote the opposite of the norm.


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  • If it is a Lemmy-specific unpopular opinion, start it with [LEMMY].


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This shouldn't need an explanation. If your post or comment is made just to get a rise with no real value, it will be removed. You do this too often, you will get a vacation to touch grass, away from this community for 1 or more days. Repeat offenses will result in a perma-ban.



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Before downvoting, check the community.

If you fail to use the /s tag or specifically call out that your comment is sarcastic, I'm going to treat it as being earnest. I might ask if you're being sarcastic, but I will downvote as though you are being earnest.

The /s tag not only clarifies, but it also confirms that you're being sarcastic. A thing you cannot ordinarily convey via written text unless you specifically call it out. You can hint at it, readers can infer it, but you cannot convey it. To convey it, sans directly stating it, you would need to include a recording of you speaking the comment, which defeats the whole point of text chats.

"It definitely reads as sarcasm, you're just missing it" So what? I'm neurodivergent. I barely get this shit in its normal, spoken context. Why should I be expected to understand the implied sarcasm in your text comment?

"Telling someone you're being sarcastic ruins it" Unless your definition of sarcasm is just lying to someone's face, you do indicate sarcasm when speaking. Via the exaggerated, deadpan tone you use. Something you can't convey in written text unless you specifically call it out.

"I made it very clear via hyperbole that it was sarcasm" Have you talked to people? Your obvious, over-the-top, hyperbolic sarcasm could just be someone's opinion taken whole cloth. In fact, you probably modeled your exaggeration AFTER a person. Can you see why, if I don't know you, there's no way to tell?

"I forgot the tag" cool, if I see the edit adding it back in, I'll revert my downvote. Consider it the opportunity cost of forgetting.

"It doesn't hurt anyone" Yes, it does. You give credence to your exaggerated position that you would never take because the people who think like that exaggerated position will point to your comment as proof that they have support. It's why 4chan rebirthed nazism.

"I still won't do it". Then have fun with the downvote. You want to make the internet worse? I'll be sure that you don't get the internet points your brain craves.

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[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 hours ago (1 children)

Unpopular opinion:

So you can downvote. It's OK. Downvotes are part of the communication. Downvotes don't kill anybody.

I am allowed not to give a damn whether you understand my texts or not, or whether you downvote or not.

I set the /s when I feel like it, not when you need it.

Even if you are mod - these higher beings who do not have to explain or justify their shortcomings - yes, many of them lack understanding in about the same manner as you do.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 6 hours ago

Sounds good to me, I'm not trying to tell you what to do. Just what I'm doing. And I'm not a mod. I don't have the patience to deal with people.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 hours ago

Great idea.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 12 hours ago
[–] [email protected] 1 points 8 hours ago

Maybe don't take the internet or "upvotes/downvotes" so seriously. This whole screed comes across as rather silly. People have rendered voting on comments completely useless as they'll do it to completely noninflammattory, on-topic comments they simply don't like for reasons only clear to them. Additionally, the idea that anyone cares about a particular individuals criterion for voting on comments is a rather self-important view.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

I honestly didn't think this would be as unpopular as the responses make it seem. I used to be against using /s because "it makes it less fun" but way too many people get the wrong message. I decided to start using it because I want people to understand me correctly. It's that the point of communicating with people?

IRL I try to be more over the top, but even then (like OP and others pointed out) if the person doesn't know your baseline then they might think you are being serious. It has happened to me countless times.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 hours ago

Completely disagree. Sarcasm is much funnier if you play it straight.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 14 hours ago

For the record, there is actually no necessarily discernable difference between sarcasm and lying to someone's face. People that are very sarcastic will often not adjust their delivery whatsoever. The whole point of sarcasm is to be somewhat plausible and convincing, after all.

The only real difference is in the motive to be humorous, which is just not necessarily discernable. This is why sarcasm is usually not used with complete strangers irl, since they won't know the person well enough to necessarily detect it, unless you grossly exaggerate it. Which is basically the same as an irl /s, where you deliver it in either an exaggerated deadpan or an almost singsong fashion to make it very blatant. Even in these cases, the person will often offer a polite apology for using sarcasm with a stranger, since it's kinda broadly felt that that's just not a great idea.

Ultimately sarcasm is predicated on the idea that people's casual words should not be trusted though, which is just generally good advice anyway. Trust systems, not people, unless you know them well. Words are simply too cheap, they're as often a toy as they are some serious information transfer mechanism.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 14 hours ago

Definitely an unpopular opinion, but it's one that's catching on for sure. Great post, no sarcasm.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 14 hours ago (1 children)

As someone who doesn't use the /s and regularly gets downvoted as a result, I'm less interested in your downvote and more interested in why anyone upvotes.

For example, if we're discussing American healthcare and you're arguing for universal healthcare because it makes sense, I'm likely to respond sarcastically with "But that's socialism! In America, we'd rather pay and arm and a leg to die from preventable diseases than just secure healthcare! That's true patriotism!"

Now, if you were to take that at face value, I'm curious as to who you think would genuinely argue for excessive payments to die from preventable diseases so blatantly. Literally no one does that. That's not giving credence to an exaggerated position because it's not an actual position anybody would take. But your reaction is beside the point, because I'm not interested in you.

I'm interested in the people who agree with my sarcastic position, often by tamping down the hyperbole, because they're unreasonable. These are people I'm trying to catch with my vinegar honey pot. It might giving credence to their views long enough for them to respond positively to me, but after that...it's all mudslinging. And if someone says they oppose universal healthcare because it's socialist, well then I get to have being extremely sarcastic with them while you get downvote me.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 9 hours ago

...but in his mind his political opponents aren't people with different points of view. They're stupid people who hold the exaggerated position you laid out without a hint of irony.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 hours ago

Kalama ate my dog it's true I saw it on the internet /s

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

Must suck ass never being able to tell when someone is being sarcastic through context.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 12 hours ago)

It really doesn't help that most people use /s not when they're being sarcastic but when they are mocking those with opposing views.

Unfortunately it's hard to employ such mockery in text as you just end up repeating the arguments you're trying to refute.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

I dont use it when I'm shitposting.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 15 hours ago (1 children)

Assuming we're talking as OP, I think the community covers the intent.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 13 hours ago (1 children)

I shitpost outside of shit posting communities in the comment section all the time

Obviously we need to abandon our tools for fighting disease

This is an example of I comment I made in some news forum about antivaxxers or something. People did not seem to miss the sarcastic nature of the comment.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 13 hours ago

Fair enough

[–] [email protected] 7 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (2 children)

I’ve felt this on both sides. It’s no fun “giving up the joke” by tagging it, but the simple truth is sarcasm comes across poorly in text, especially when the audience is made up of strangers.

You almost always need to use the /s tag when using sarcasm in online discussions.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 12 hours ago

My preferred way around this is to spoiler the tag, since there's a few other tags of this sort floating around: /j (joking), /hj (half-joking), /srs (serious) for a few examples. Doing that still gives you a moment of not giving up the joke, but it's still ultimately there for anyone that wants or needs it

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 hours ago

Two days ago I wrote an overly sarcastic comment but it was late at night and apparently I both made it sound too realistic and didn't put an /s - I didn't think anyone would think anyone could be that stupid.

Turns out a lot of people assumed I seriously thought that my fictional dog's vets were more likely to suggest euthanasia if they are Asian because I believed they used the corpses for meat and handed me fake ashes. I'll definitely make sure to use /s in the future now. To both avoid looking like a racist conspiracy theorist and a dog owner.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 14 hours ago

One of those cases where the post deserves an upvote for being !c appropriate, but strictly speaking we are never going to see eye to eye. If my sarcasm doesn't land, I don't deserve the stupid little doots.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 15 hours ago

Brilliant idea.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 15 hours ago

I didn't know one could be so based.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 hours ago (1 children)

But why does it deserve a downvote?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 11 hours ago

*assuming the position would be a really shitty one, since it's sarcastic, downvote as though it's earnest.

[–] [email protected] -2 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Oh no a downvote, how will we ever live without your approval?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Oh no! Using sarcasm to create a strawman out of what I'm saying? Whatever shall I do? I suppose I must die, now and forever. Bleh! /s

Yeah, it's all the ammo I got, but it's better than endlessly arguing the need for the tag with an ever-changing cast of opposition. Cause that's exhausting

[–] [email protected] -4 points 12 hours ago

Cool, so just shut up and do it?