Yeah, Right

The word is snarky. It’s a recent addition to the lexicon, but gaining acceptance rapidly. It refers to what used to be classified as satire, cynicism or ironic comments. It’s usually crude, and in our culturally degraded society always clearly understood and laughed at. Here’s an example:



The gesture looks totally innocuous. Simply an unself-conscious movement of a man speaking before a receptive audience. But the audience “gets” it. They respond instantaneously. And, then the give-away comes, the smirk, the smile, the self-satisfied grin that he executed the plan, got the reaction and retained deniability. That’s snarky.

Now, we’ve got another snark before us. You know what I’m talking about.



If this candidate is so incredibly intelligent and politically aware, how could he not relate that line in his script to the vice-presidential candidate of the other party? How could it not be deemed a sexist slap at the Republican ticket? Sarah Palin co-opted the lipstick franchise during her acceptance speech and even if Obama’s statement was taken at face value without malice, a politically astute individual would be well aware that danger lurked there. Clearly snarky.

Probably more important to the snarkishness is the context itself. Notice that in all of his stump speeches he continually demands that his opponents, whether Democratic nomination seekers or Republican general election opponents, take the high road and debate the issues. Yet, the content of the speeches is snarkiness. He belabors the injustices done to him, while slashing viciously at the enemy. He casts aspersions freely and addresses the issues, as he does in that clip, by simply reciting a litany of problems that the other side won’t talk about. Demonstrating awareness of the electorate’s concerns is fine, but listing them as a Christmas wish list is not positively debating or proposing feasible policies. It is snarky.

I’m increasingly coming to believe that except for a small cadre of converted faithful, the majority of Americans is recognizing the snark-meister. The majority is currently small, but a month ago it wasn’t a majority at all. As the clock winds down to November, I’m praying that the majority will continue to grow. The Presidency is not a snarky job.