Lowest Form Of Wit?

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Someone just told me that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit. People echo this all the time, but how many people actually know what it means? I really don't have a clue (so I don't say it) but I just asked the person who DID say it and they didn't know either.

How does it work, then? Is there a hierachy of wit? What comes immediately above sarcasm, and what is THE BEST?!?

Answer seriously or, dare I say it, sarcastically. Just remember - its low, very low..

― hobart paving (hobart paving), Thursday, 29 July 2004 13:07 (twenty-one years ago)

that's just the first half of the phrase though isn't it? it's the lowest form of wit but the highest form of..........

― Porkpie (porkpie), Thursday, 29 July 2004 13:10 (twenty-one years ago)

the highest form of wit: limericks.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 29 July 2004 13:10 (twenty-one years ago)

That sounds like a really shitty graduate thesis, e.g. 'The Taxonomy of Wit: Sarcasm in the Endtimes'. It would be about David Foster Wallace and Amazing Randy.

― x j e r e m y (x Jeremy), Thursday, 29 July 2004 13:12 (twenty-one years ago)

This phrase has always been misinterpreted - originally, the word "lowest" actually translated as "cruellest", i.e. sarcasm is the cruellest form of wit.

So those smugglers who always bring it up as to imply the sarcastee is witless, are in fact insane. And sometimes it's kind to be cruel.

― Huey (Huey), Thursday, 29 July 2004 13:15 (twenty-one years ago)

The lowest form of wit: impressionism.

― Wooden (Wooden), Thursday, 29 July 2004 13:20 (twenty-one years ago)

nyimpressionism

― the neurotic awakening of s (blueski), Thursday, 29 July 2004 13:21 (twenty-one years ago)

highest: seinfeld.
lowest: coupling and that comedy thats on after it on bbc 2.

― thesplooge (thesplooge), Thursday, 29 July 2004 13:22 (twenty-one years ago)

'taxonomy of wit' sounds like something from 1650!

― g--ff (gcannon), Thursday, 29 July 2004 13:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Saying that sarcasm is the lowest form of wit is the lowest form of wit.

― Fergal (Ferg), Thursday, 29 July 2004 14:48 (twenty-one years ago)

http://66.51.162.143/pwned.gif

― roxymuzak (roxymuzak), Thursday, 29 July 2004 14:55 (twenty-one years ago)

Sundials? Delicious.

― Huck, Thursday, 29 July 2004 14:58 (twenty-one years ago)

I always thought the lowest form of wit was the Saturday Night Live variety of repeating a not-so-clever-the-first-time phrase until the audience is beaten into submission and laughs out of sheer exhaustion. Bullying laughs out of people by proving that you WILL NOT STOP until someone laughs is the lowest of the low. Wait, never mind, that's not even wit. That's just low comedy. Sorry.

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 29 July 2004 15:04 (twenty-one years ago)

OTF'nM.

― latebloomer (latebloomer), Thursday, 29 July 2004 15:34 (twenty-one years ago)

When I talked to Bob Newhart he said something along the lines of "that Saturday Night Live style of humour that just kills jokes"

― Huck, Thursday, 29 July 2004 15:41 (twenty-one years ago)

by kill he meant jokes that die, not comedians that kill audiences. which is a good thing.

― Huck, Thursday, 29 July 2004 15:41 (twenty-one years ago)

tangent: I learned from this week's New Yorker that Bob Newhart and Don Rickles are close friends and often vacation together.

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 29 July 2004 15:42 (twenty-one years ago)

makes sense

― Huck, Thursday, 29 July 2004 15:43 (twenty-one years ago)

I love Bob Newhart.

― St. Nicholas (Nick A.), Thursday, 29 July 2004 15:53 (twenty-one years ago)

I would love to talk to Bob Newhart. Or Don Rickles for that matter.

― scott seward (scott seward), Thursday, 29 July 2004 20:03 (twenty-one years ago)

the SNL repetitive style of humor is an unfortunate outgrowth of its live format. Skits have to go on and on so that the next set can be readied. This is also why there are so many long, long commercial breaks.

― Loose Translation: Sexy Dancer (sexyDancer), Thursday, 29 July 2004 20:24 (twenty-one years ago)

RACISM/SEXISM/CHAUVINISM
combined with mimery, make-up, and shadow puppets.

― Bum Lik-King Fargit (bumlikkingfargit), Thursday, 29 July 2004 20:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I nominate pranks by more powerful people on less powerful people as possibly the lowest form of wit.

― the music mole (colin s barrow), Thursday, 29 July 2004 20:37 (twenty-one years ago)

The highest form of wit is talking like the Incredible Hulk.

― St. Nicholas (Nick A.), Thursday, 29 July 2004 20:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Mole jokes.

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 29 July 2004 20:41 (twenty-one years ago)

Chthonic humor.

― Michael White (Hereward), Thursday, 29 July 2004 20:44 (twenty-one years ago)

SNL is also guilty of replacing humor (which requires intelligence) with production values (which only require money).

― Loose Translation: Sexy Dancer (sexyDancer), Thursday, 29 July 2004 20:50 (twenty-one years ago)

fat people are the lowest form of god's wit

his cruel humor placed them here to plague us

- - -

the highest form of wit is to secretly place your johnson or "member" on the office copier and run off a hundred or so copies, which are then carefully re-inserted into the paper tray

you chortle to yourself as the screams echo down the hall

it is a happy day

― Paladin, Thursday, 29 July 2004 21:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Apropos of the other thread, though, I must say I really enjoyed when SNL managed to create humor (which required intelligence) out of Lindsay Lohan's breasts (which according to Linsday Lohan did not require money).

― nabisco (nabisco), Thursday, 29 July 2004 21:02 (twenty-one years ago)

More like lowest form of tit

― Oscar Wilde (Burger), Thursday, 29 July 2004 21:40 (twenty-one years ago)

Now that's comedy

― Oolong, Friday, 30 July 2004 03:32 (twenty-one years ago)

farts aren't high humor...but some people think they're hilarious

― paulhw (paulhw), Friday, 30 July 2004 15:20 (twenty-one years ago)

i always thought puns are the lowest form of wit

and beer is the highest form of wheat.

― ken c (ken c), Friday, 30 July 2004 15:37 (twenty-one years ago)

So did I Ken, until I met you that is.

"Snap out of this please! Realise your problem and seek help! It's not too late!"

― witty, Wednesday, 4 August 2004 02:05 (twenty-one years ago)

I would love to talk to Bob Newhart. Or Don Rickles for that matter.

I wholeheartedly agree re: Don Rickles. I wouldn't even mind it if he decided to make jokes at my expense. I think he's probably the only person on this planet I wouldn't mind savagely tearing me apart. Heck, it would be an honor if he did that!

― Many Coloured Halo (Dee the Lurker), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 05:37 (twenty-one years ago)

probably OMG WTF LOL WTF OMG, but it's still always funny to me!

― kyle (akmonday), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 05:38 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought it was puns that were the lowest form of wit.

― antexit (antexit), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 13:06 (twenty-one years ago)

i'm a shining wit!

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 13:09 (twenty-one years ago)

is that a spoonerism?

― Bumfluff, Wednesday, 4 August 2004 13:12 (twenty-one years ago)

you debt your last bollard it is.

― dog latin (dog latin), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 13:14 (twenty-one years ago)

Jokes about the deep oceans are the lowest form of wit.

― caitlin (caitlin), Wednesday, 4 August 2004 16:27 (twenty-one years ago)

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