A Culture of Snark

[scrawlysteve]

the point isn't whether Dylan is a talented songwriter or not. the point is that in those early interviews his whole demeanour said very clearly 'i'm anti-establishment' and that would have been rapidly picked up on and copied by sectors of youth at the time. the fact that ironic detachment and a hip anti-establishment stance has now become a caricature of a caricature of a caricature of a caricature of a caricature, seems to be an irony that is lost on those who still buy into it.

Errrm--I don't think anyone's missed any point. It could hardly be "the point " whether Dylan is a talented songwriter or not--that is beyond question. Your point (a few posts earlier) seems merely to have been that his "bored, cynical , confrontational, flippant style" was influential....but that wasn't just Dylan's style (and it wasn't always his approach in interviews either) that sort of response was part of a huge groundswell amongst the young, and not so young.... "What are you rebelling against ?"...."What have you got?"(Brando), Lenny Bruce, etc etc.

 

[Patrick Hall]

I think the culture of snark is related to the Digitizing of Reality: Internet and all the other modes of communication that make the world smaller than ever. Reality is now cubist. Our perspectives, as variant and mutually exclusive as ever, are right on top of each other, all of the time. Any and every truth claim can be met with its opposite through a few keystrokes or a smart phone touch screen. Given this unceasing din of competing realities, snark starts to look like the best weapon for dispatching people who are threateningly different, especially because there is not the common ground required for honest discourse about what's true and false. Rather than sincerity, we now value "authenticity" - which may be a different thing?

 

[3fingers]

Rather than sincerity, we now value "authenticity" - which may be a different thing?

There is nothing wrong with authenticity on it's face. Unfortunately, as the term is used now it seems to give people the impression that they are free to act like jackasses without repercussion. If challenged, the response is something like "I'm just keepin' it real man" Which is another of my pet peeve phrases.

 

[skydog757]

There is nothing wrong with authenticity on it's face. Unfortunately, as the term is used now it seems to give people the impression that they are free to act like jackasses without repercussion. If challenged, the response is something like "I'm just keepin' it real man" Which is another of my pet peeve phrases.

This is a variation on saying something deliberatly hurtful to someone and following it with "You know I'm just kidding, right?" It allows a person to pointedly insult someone and then defend themselves by stating "What? I said I was kidding!" It's negative and cowardly.

 

[Feraud]

If challenged, the response is something like "I'm just keepin' it real man" Which is another of my pet peeve phrases.

I absolutely loathe this term.
The people I've heard utter this are the most rude and inconsiderate jacka$$es you'd have the misfortune of meeting.
It's an excuse to be a total boor and attempting to excuse such behavior..

 

[PrettySquareGal]

I absolutely loathe this term.
The people I've heard utter this are the most rude and inconsiderate jacka$$es you'd have the misfortune of meeting.
It's an excuse to be a total boor and attempting to excuse such behavior..

I grew up in 70s-80s NYC and my friends and I stated this often then and I still sometimes do. However I don't preface insults with it. I think the saying got bastardized over the years.

 

[jamespowers]

I absolutely loathe this term.
The people I've heard utter this are the most rude and inconsiderate jacka$$es you'd have the misfortune of meeting.
It's an excuse to be a total boor and attempting to excuse such behavior..

Exactly!

 

[sheeplady]

I grew up in 70s-80s NYC and my friends and I stated this often then and I still sometimes do. However I don't preface insults with it. I think the saying got bastardized over the years.

When I was young it simply meant not sugar coating something or being something you're not. It wasn't an excuse for being outright rude.


---------------------------
The other thing I hate is when you are using your normal language to describe something and somebody accuses you of being "too PC." Or, on the off chance of trying to not offend someone (because, honestly, most normal people don't want to offend other people) they accuse you of being "too PC."

I was having a conversation the other day with another person about saying, "a person with disabilities" rather than "disabled person." Another person butted into our conversation (rudeness #1) and then got on both of us "for being too PC" (rudeness #2). Any attempt at trying to be cordial is seen as being "too PC" and should be snarked at by others.

 

[PrettySquareGal]

When I was young it simply meant not sugar coating something or being something you're not. It wasn't an excuse for being outright rude.

Exactly!

 

[Sloan1874]

It's up there with "With all due respect..." and "I'm not being funny, but..." in the 'punch me' phrase stakes.

 

[Feraud]

---------------------------
The other thing I hate is when you are using your normal language to describe something and somebody accuses you of being "too PC." Or, on the off chance of trying to not offend someone (because, honestly, most normal people don't want to offend other people) they accuse you of being "too PC."

I was having a conversation the other day with another person about saying, "a person with disabilities" rather than "disabled person." Another person butted into our conversation (rudeness #1) and then got on both of us "for being too PC" (rudeness #2). Any attempt at trying to be cordial is seen as being "too PC" and should be snarked at by others.

I also dislike the "too PC" comment when used in your example. People want to be crass and not have to answer for such boorish behavior. Right below that group are those who use it because they hate not being able to be as homophobic, racist, and misogynist as they'd like to be. Poor things..