It’s sarcasm, Josh.â€
“Sarcasm?â€
“It’s from the Greek, sarkasmos. To bite the lips. It means that you aren’t really saying what you mean, but people will get your point. I invented it, Bartholomew named it.â€
“Well, if the village idiot named it, I’m sure it’s a good thing.â€
“There you go, you got it.â€
“Got what?â€
“Sarcasm.â€
“No, I meant it.â€
“Sure you did.â€
“Is that sarcasm?â€
“Irony, I think.â€
“What’s the difference?â€
“I haven’t the slightest idea.â€
“So you’re being ironic now, right?â€
“No, I really don’t know.â€
“Maybe you should ask the idiot.â€
“Now you’ve got it.â€
“What?â€
“Sarcasm.
People often say that the English are very cold fish, very reserved, that they have a way of looking at things – even tragedy – with a sense of irony. There’s some truth in it; it’s pretty stupid of them, though. Humor won’t save you; it doesn’t really do anything at all. You can look at life ironically for years, maybe decades; there are people who seem to go through most of their lives seeing the funny side, but in the end, life always breaks your heart. Doesn’t matter how brave you are, how reserved, or how much you’ve developed a sense of humor, you still end up with your heart broken. That’s when you stop laughing. In the end there’s just the cold, the silence and the loneliness. In the end, there’s only death.