Do Americans take sarcasm and banter well?

[Slant]

Yes, Association Football. What's your point?

The colloquial term for most people in that area is "Football" and simply saying "Soccer" (despite its roots in the British lexicon) can draw anything from indifference to scorn, generally depending on who exactly is saying it.

Scorn? Is this Americans revelling in their being different again? Nobody gives a fuck what you call it. As long as you are talking about footy and not suddenly start explaining the merits of a fast wide receiver to people that think you're talking about a winger. Although, surprisingly, they do share similar traits, come to think of it... hum, interesting.

[Deleted]

A common assertion is that Americans don't understand sarcasm and banter very well. I'm curious how accurate that is in 2016

It is like shouting at a horse.

[Hooked]

We are competitive, if we think you are trying to put us down then we wont like your sarcasm. But that goes for anyone also, if you put someone down that's fighting words. If the person who was put down doesn't fight back, they will be shunned.

[Slant]

I saw a great game of soccer played the other day. The two teams showed considerable skill. The goaltenders, in particular, were quite good. The game ended in a zero-zero tie, with both goalies earning a shutout.

What's a shutout? And what game was this?

[Rudol Von Stroheim]

If I've learned one thing while on these forums, it either breeds or attracts a lot of self-loathing individuals. Their seems to be a point where this site's tended brand of intellectualism becomes this vapid echo chamber in which people rip on their own without consideration for the fact they're probably no better nor different really at the end of the day.

...Though of course, will give every ounce of mental acuity and stamina towards somehow apologizing for others they truthfully know nothing about. Which makes me think they like to be contrarian for the sake of being different or edgy.

To answer the OP; it depends on the individual. I love good humor but I often find sarcasm to be little more than snobbery or insulting without the proper context as its often tied to the two versus done out of mere jest. So like in all situations, gauge your audience, and don't make assumptions; especially concerning the United States. It has very much varied regions and peoples. You can have one prevailing attitude within a major urban sprawl with the complete opposite found in surrounding rural areas and this continues over the course of a rather massive landmass.

[Barbariangreataxe]

I handle it quite well as I get out of my chair under my own power and breath without help. :P

[Independent voter]

On the forums Adam and Fencers were having a conversation as much as we have conversations here. Fencers explained American culture to Adam after Adam said 'Do Americans have a culture?' or something like that. Fencers missed the sarcasm or was being polite or something.

Either way pretty funny.

[Deleted]

I do often use sarcasm and banter here however I feel many contrude that as sincere vile

[Machismo]

Americans are plenty sarcastic, we just don't happen to be as sarcastic as the Brits. Of course, it also depends on where you are at, as I've noticed that people in the South tend to be less sarcastic, as do Latinos. My guess would be that both are due to the more serious and "proper" upbringings. People from either coasts tend to be plenty sarcastic.

[Zecora]

A common assertion is that Americans don't understand sarcasm and banter very well. I'm curious how accurate that is in 2016

Eeh...you can't really generalize, I know. But on some issues, many Americans seem to take themselves a bit too serious. Of course, there are plenty who are able to laugh along too!

[Chirri]

A common assertion is that Americans don't understand sarcasm and banter very well. I'm curious how accurate that is in 2016

Uh, maybe? There seems to be a large chunk of the population who pride themselves on their sarcastic wit. Then there are people who are shit at banter.

I personally don't like sarcasm (makes me sad), do appreciate wit and humor, and loathe banter (only so long as it's directed at me; it sounds fucking ridiculous but I can't explain it any other way than to say that I process language "differently," and nothing's changed that in decades). That's not as an American, that's as a super unique and special snowflake surrounded by people who mistake mean spirited verbal barbs for cleverness and humor. Delivery has a huge impact, and quite a lot of people are failures at it.

I suppose I find them alright with people I'm quite familiar with, though. It's really a matter of being familiar with cues, and those can be lost between people of different regions, whether through tone, body language, or phrasing. Lots of people seem to get on with a sarcastic community, but again, there are cues to catch and there are a very large number of over worked Americans too fucking tired to bother looking for cues from strangers.

I'm rarely sarcastic. I am often facetious. The US is so damn large, with so many urban and so many rural areas, broad brushes don't paint us well at all.

[Independent voter]

I do often use sarcasm and banter here however I feel many contrude that as sincere vile

I don't think banter means the same thing here as it does there.

[Fencers]

A common assertion is that Americans don't understand sarcasm and banter very well. I'm curious how accurate that is in 2016

Sarcasm is often interpreted as insulting by Americans if used as part of conversation. Obliqueness is not well received generally.

Most are fine with banter though. That's more of a personal, person-to-person thing than a general cultural trait.

[Slant]

I don't think banter means the same thing here as it does there.

Or you guys just suck at it.

[May90]

After playing through Witcher series, I get the impression that Polish are the most sarcastic people on this planet - even though I know well that Geralt does not represent an average Polish person.

[Independent voter]

Or you guys just suck at it.

Was that sarcasm?

[Elim Garak]

Was that sarcasm?

Was that sarcasm?

[McFuu]

After meeting a ton of different people from around the country I can say that, it depends on where the person is from.

If they live in the North-East than sarcasm is a second language and insults are a sign of respect and friendship.

If you are from anywhere else they get butt-hurt when I give them a nick name that starts with fuck and ends in face.

[gyrados]

are u kidding me look up all the triggered kids wanting safe spaces on campus lol they get triggered by chalk

[Independent voter]

What is probably going on with all our diversity sarcasm is useless, nobody in your audience would get it. Or very few. In Britain everyone is more or less on the page.

And I'm not being sarcastic.