I think the use of language is something very important and over the past few months (wow, how quickly weeks turn into months) we have seen a lot of twisting of the uses, a lot of shifting of the notions of words to fit a particular narrative. Those people against #GamerGate, I’m looking at you.

Recently, the concept of satire has been under attack, although I’m sure most people don’t realise this. A pernicious trend has surfaced where insult has been labeled as satire, presumably to increase the moral ambiguity of the act. Satire, after all, is not seen as an insult. It is not seen as malicious. Sarcasm, however, is.

Where some seem to come unstuck is the thought that satire can employ sarcasm at its most militant. It is a mistake to assume that everything sarcastic is satirising. Intent and perception are important in this regard.

Satire and sarcasm are often used interchangeably but they are not the same thing. Whilst satire is used to jolt an established group into action, because of the depictions made within, it is not used vindictively. Satire is used to depict the failings or limitations of society, groups or individuals.

Sarcasm, on the other hand, is nasty in nature and is used to sneer. It is the unflattering retort or insulting imitation. It is often an insult veiled in the words of praise but obviously never meant as one.

This is a stark contrast to satire, of course, as the disapproval of society’s actions needs to be depicted in order for the effect to become apparent. A great place to see this is in the writings of Jonathan Swift whose unfortunate adventurer, Gulliver, shows disgust at actions he perceives. These actions are meant to bring to mind some of the political failings of his day. An 18th century reader would understand that.

Modern satires work in the same way. The “Beyond The Fringe” show’s sketch, “Entirely a matter for you”, satirises Judge Cantley’s summing up of the politician Jeremy Thorpe’s trial. Thorpe was acquitted of murder and Cook’s sketch voiced the opinion that Judge Cantley’s summation jumped through a few hoops in order to try and get the accused acquitted. It was not a sneer at the people involved but a retelling of events with comic inflation of the situation to bring the absurdity into sharp relief.

The above is not done in ill humour. It is not done to offend, which is the point here, merely to inform. It may embarrass the subjects of the sketch but it is sarcasm that would, outright, call them names.

One of the most important things about satire is its use in discussion of society’s problems. Its purpose is to gently show somebody that their actions may not be quite right. Sarcasm, on the other hand, is more likely to drive people away. It is a jab at someone who is not liked. Even though satire is concerned with the morality of society, sarcasm has often been used by people in order to belittle others because of their views. It might not be concerned with actual morality but is often used to push someone else’s morality through Ill-humoured debate. It is one-upmanship, after all. It is used in order to wound or alienate. Whilst Satire educates, sarcasm does not.

To finish off, I wanted to illustrate sarcasm by using the pinnacle of sarcastic comedy, Blackadder.

In that video you can see every line is built by sarcasm. Blackadder’s position as the head servant allows him to be rude to his masters (who don’t understand him) and his subordinates (who can’t do anything about it). We find these lines funny primarily because they are not aimed at us but at other people. If this were a real situation and we were in the room, no doubt we might find the words and actions uncomfortable, if not offensive.

Consider some of the things we have been told are satire in recent weeks. What category do they fall in to? Is a fake Twitter account (for example) satire or sarcasm? It’s very dependent on what is actually said. It could be either but if the intention of the tweets is done to mislead, belittle or mock then it is not satire. If the intent is to encourage change then it is. Even with these parameters we must be careful. The instigator of a remark can also have an effect on whether a piece is seen as satire or sarcasm.

If you’re writing a piece and you want to be funny, consider what you are writing. Does it educate and inform or are you taking a jab at someone in a veiled attempt at moral superiority?

The latter is not satire!