What am I trying to accomplish when I mock and make fun of another person. Here are some possibilities. 1.I might just be having a good time with a friend. I send friendly darts his way and he fires them back. This can be a lot of fun and I have a good time teasing my friends. I do this a lot with my wife as well. When I do this it is important to know my audience. 2.I could be trying to prove a point. Mockery is not an effective method to do this. Those who agree with me might enjoy it but if I mock the beliefs and/or ideas of someone else for this purpose it can end a productive discussion and cause division. 3. I could be trying to humiliate someone. If that is my purpose then mockery is a good method. The next question of course is why would I want to humiliate someone. It could make them angry or cause them pain or both. 4. Maybe I am just trying to entertain and/or impress my friends at the expense of someone else. Maybe the person I am talking trash about is not around. Someone I had a lot of respect for once became much smaller in my eyes when I heard him mocking a very sweet women who was struggling to get by as a single mother with two teenage children. I have done all of these things but lately I am asking myself why.
I think why depends on purely context and situation. Mockery is a form of sarcasm. Mockery is a form of comedy. Mockery is a form of derision. You list all of these things. It really depends on situation and usage.
Could be just to amuse yourself. As long as nobody else (the target) hears it, fine. As soon as the target hears it and is affected, not so fine.
Mocking someone is a failsafe for when you can't think of a good comeback. Always makes bystanders laugh, which gives the impression of quick wit, and in turn makes you the victor in a verbal duel.
I love a bit of the old banter mockery. A bit like wrestling. Entertaining, good exercise, and nobody really gets hurt. But mockery from a self-righteous standpoint? Nah! paulie
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