Originally posted by: C3PXMy apologies, I didn't intend to start a battle here. You have some very good points, I still think the initial quote from this thread was a valid comparison; you don't seem to be seeing our point of view, but neither I nor anybody else really cares. It really isn't important enough to waste anymore time on.
Phew! I'm glad I was 'battling' a gentleman (gentlelady?), I'm too much of a stubborn git to let something go, even something so trivial! I was relieved to see this thread off the first page as it meant no on was going to read my post and then see it as an attack. I let out an 'Oh no!' when I saw it was back, 'who had I rubbed up the wrong way this time?'; thankfully I had nothing to worry about. Hehe, 'git'; funny how differently I write and really speak!
Originally posted by: C3PXOriginally posted by: Gillean
I really got to stop using sarcasm here; I need to remember that this forum is mostly visited by Americans. This isn't an attack on Americans, but simply the truth; Americans find sarcasm offensive or generally just don't pick it up, whereas people from most other western countries consider it affectionate and can sense it pretty easily. It is funny the shock American friends get when they visit here, they think we're all attacking each other when we're just having fun. Of course now I've written that I'll find out C3PX is from the home of sarcasm, Australia!
Ha! That is a pretty funny observation. From my experience in America, Americans can be pretty sarcastic. I must admit some of them are unbelievably dry; I can't count how many times I have received confused or annoyed looks from one after making some facetious comment. Especially the office workers or computer tech types, they all seem to take everything seriously. All around Europeans are a lot more fun and laid back. But generalizing in such a way is pretty pointless; I have known people from plenty of other places that take life way too seriously also. It is very hard not to realize that regardless of being American, Australian or whatever else, sarcasm can be a bit hard to pickup in written from.
Yeah, re-reading my paragraph, I way over-generalised the point I was trying to make. I think that had I read what I wrote the first time I would have replaced the emboldened bit with 'this isn't an attack on Americans, but I find that a lot of them either see sarcasm as offensive or just don't pick it up, whereas people from most other western countries tend to consider it affectionate and can sense it pretty easily.' I dunno, something like that. My opinion on this was actually formed because American friends told me that was the case and then I just observed it many times. I do know plenty of Americans that definitely aren't offended by it and pick it up fine though; they don't use it themselves much (which is really better for everyone!).
I'm positive that sometime since finishing schooling some fuse between my brain and my hand broke, I'm often reading things I've posted and finding they didn't match up at all with what I was thinking! A couple of days ago I was reading something I'd just posted on a Mac forum and, well, what I was reading wasn't even English, somehow I'd replaced random words with other random words! I must remember 'and' doesn't equal 'had'.
Originally posted by: C3PXAlso I thought it was funny that I mistakenly said "Next to the Mona Lisa in Rome." When I have been to the Louvre in France and have seen the real thing.
