alt Hacker NewsPart of the problem is that sarcasm relies heavily on shared group values (common wisdom), to make it clear that a given statement is meant in the opposite sense. Our shared group values have been fragmented pretty hard (eg half the country has thrown away conservative American values in favor of open strong-man fascism). The icing on top is the tech-contrarianism that rejects common wisdom in favor of looking for an edge. It was innovative when done from the bottom up in a subculture, but it lands somewhere between tedious and horrific now that tech has taken over mainstream society.
> Part of the problem is that sarcasm relies heavily on shared group values (common wisdom), to make it clear that a given statement is meant in the opposite sense. Our shared group values have been fragmented pretty hard (eg half the country has thrown away conservative American values
Apart from that, it is also true that a lot of people here aren't Americans (hello from Australia). I know this is a US-hosted forum, but it is interesting to observe the divide between Americans who speak as if everyone else here is an American (e.g. "half the country") and those who realise many of us aren't