Newsweek's Evan Thomas on Snarkasm

Ever notice how some blogs (ahem) are overwhelmingly, painfully snarky? As in, you wouldn't feel comfortable approaching the writers, out of fear of becoming their next target-- a helpless dartboard for all their incisive criticisms and breezily-tossed epithets? Point is, some bloggers come off sounding like mean dudes, even if they aren't mean at heart. (And especially if they are.)Newsweek editor-at-large and Princeton Ferris Journalism Professor-in-Residence Evan Thomas also noticed this phenomenon. He's seen his fair share. Recently, he visited my Writing Seminar and ended up telling us a little tale of snarkiness and sarcasm-- or snarkasm, if you will.Once upon a time, Evan Thomas wanted to be voted "Most Sarcastic" in his senior class. He went to Andover, where, according to him, everyone lived in a state of constant vigilance -- a constant "defensive crouch," each boy always trying to outwit the other and gain some kind of social capital in the process. Being sarcastic and critical was their "armament," their defense mechanism. It was the way they played out the age-old power dynamics of high school.So when he sees that same strain of snarkasm in mainstream journalism these days, he's unsurprised. He remembers a time when the old guard  had to ramp up their snark-game just to keep up with "younger, wittier" journalists. And he also remembers the way it nearly took over the magazine: reporting seemed to degenerate into all sneers and no substance. It's a dangerous trap. When he sees it in bloggers, he recognizes that same fundamental insecurity that tinged his (and apparently everyone else's) prep school years.Though he acknowledged that this kind of cynicism can be funny, "to do it well is a high bar." He admits he isn't any good at it himself: he remembered the one time he made a pointed attempt at snarkasm, and was quick to deem it the single worst article he's ever written (it made his students cringe, apparently). According to him, all too often snarkasm's a cheap, easy substitute for original thought. It might sound "fresh and counter-conventional"-- even when it isn't. These days, he's embarrassed to think about when he vied for that dubious yearbook honor.To him, the highest goal of journalism is to be human -- to strike a balance between "(good) humor, forgiveness, and recognizing the universality of human weakness." ATTN blogosphere: did you hear that? Evan Thomas wants you to have a soul!We'll sure give it a shot.(image courtesy of icanhascheezburger.com)