Culture–El sarcasmo!
The people react to “el sarcasmo” (sarcasm) very differently in the Latin American countries I’ve lived in or visited than they do here in the United States.
Sarcasm is very widespread in the United States and is used as a common, daily form of communication. Such as, if a friend or family member purchased a new shirt that was obviously a little strange, you could tease them by saying “Nice shirt!” Of course, when you say “Nice shirt!” what you actually mean is, “Wow, that shirt is a little wild or strange.”
In Latin America, people usually aren’t accustomed to hearing or using sarcasm with one another. For example, one time I was working with a native Spanish speaker who was wearing a very interesting sweater. It was definitely out of the ordinary and somewhat strange. I said, “Nice sweater!” He then looked at me with a thoughtful look and said “Thanks”. He didn’t understand the fact that I was using sarcasm with him. He thought I was serious and was giving him a nice compliment about his unusual sweater.
After 2 years of living in different Latin American countries, I began to get used to this new attitude of not using sarcasm. It took quite a while, but pretty soon I didn’t use sarcasm at all. Because of the lack of sarcasm in Latin America, it seemed to me that there was generally more respect among people there.
Then, after two years of living among the natives and adopting this new mentality of not using sarcasm, I met up with an American. We were put on a project where we had to work together every day for about month or so. He had just arrived in Latin America and wasn’t used to the language or the native culture (without sarcasm). Many times, I found myself getting offended when he used sarcasm with me. I had become so immersed into the native Latin culture that I found his sarcasm offensive. It took me several weeks to get back into the swing of things and realize that he wasn’t actually trying to be rude or mean. He was just using a similar type of sarcasm that I had used previously when living in the United States.
Some of you may be saying, “I know some Latin people in the United States who are sarcastic”. If you do, it’s most likely because they have already begun to adopt some of our cultural behaviors. Just remember that most native speakers living in Latin America usually don’t use sarcasm.
Moral of the Story: When visiting Latin America, whether it is for business or pleasure, it’s important to know about their mentality on sarcasm. On the other hand, even though many Latin people living in the United States may have adopted sarcasm and use it frequently, still be careful when talking to them because sarcasm still may offend them. Although a world without sarcasm was very different to live in and get accustomed to, I grew to love it and found the people to be very respectful towards each other.
Sneak peek at next week: “Rest Homes in Latin America?”
¡Hasta luego! (Until later!)
David S. Clark — President / Director
Click here to learn Spanish.
Dave,
I’m responding to your lesson on sharing food. I attend a Spanish church and when we have meals, there is one particular family that takes an inordinate amount of food home with them; e.g., a 9″ X 12″ aluminum pan. I know the culture is to fix additional food so guests can take a plate home. Is that a bit too much or is that normal?
Karen