A week or two ago I attended a rally sponsored by Americans for Prosperity.  The two featured speakers were P.J. O’Rourke and Michelle Malkin.

Now, I would probably not have gone there at all if O’Rourke had not been invited.  He’s one of my favorite writers, and he was signing books, and you could not have kept me away if my skin were brown and the Arizona Highway Patrol had been lined up blocking the door.  I paid my money, which included lunch, and signed up.

I had thought I might leave right after O’Rourke’s presentation, but I didn’t want to forego the lunch I had paid for, so I sat through the rest of the speakers.

O’Rourke was, all by himself, more than worth the price of admission.  There were a couple of speakers who presented statistics showing how bad liberal policies are, which was mildly interesting.  Dr. Milton Wolf, the President’s cousin, was mildly amusing.  Michelle Malkin absolutely set my teeth on edge.  She sneered; she was mean, even caustic.  The crowd laughed and cheered.  I was embarrassed.

One of my coworkers was there, too, and when we got back to the office I commented on how much I had disliked Malkin’s presentation. My coworker, who likes Michelle Malkin very much, reminded me that O’Rourke is at least as sarcastic as Malkin.  He’s right.

So what’s the difference?  I’ve been thinking about that ever since.

Sarcasm is sometimes defined as a taunting or caustic remark.  My favorite informal definition is that sarcasm is when you say something positive and mean just the opposite.  And any definition of sarcasm would have to include the intent to be derisive or contemptuous.

By any definition, O’Rourke is sarcastic. 

But he is also one of the wittiest people I have ever read.  And I think that’s the difference.

Anyone can be sarcastic.  Really.  As a matter of fact, some of the stupidest people I know are the most sarcastic, because they don’t know the difference between sarcasm and wit.  They hurt people without making any kind of a contribution.  They’re the ones who turn to a child who has just spilled a glass of milk and say, “Good job!”  And then they laugh because they think they’re being funny.

Bare naked sarcasm requires no intelligence, no wit, no research, no effort.  I find it small-minded.  In my eyes it diminishes the person using it.  Michelle Malkin is a pretty, intelligent, and personable woman.  But I will never think well of her.

Posted by Sharon under Observations | No Comments »