Have we lost the ability to tell when things are meant genuinely or sarcastically?
I think we do end up over thinking these things these days because we're so unsure of how people will take them. This is also a big world, so we can't expect people to know every meaning that every person might have taken on for a word or phrase. It's like when someone quotes a line from a film, there's no guarantee that everyone will have seen it.
Hey, @minismallholding.
There's definitely something going on out there. Avoiding the use of a word or phrase when it's really the way it's said and the context, then basically duplicating the thing you're avoiding by using some other phrase, but in a condescending or sarcastic way certainly doesn't improve on it.
re: know every meaning
I'll agree with that. Usually, though, there's an opportunity for a dialogue about it. I'm surprised when some phrase or word that has been used or perpetuated over time suddenly is unknown. It's like, what happened to that? It's especially perplexing when it's my own sons and I know I've used the word or phrase over the course of their lifetime. :)
re: unsure
We're in the age of wearing our emotions on our sleeve, taking offense, etc. I do have to say, though, when people purposefully confine themselves to the least amount of characters possible, without context or preamble, and then expect people to "get them", it's a recipe for disaster. There's so much lost without the non verbal cues to begin with, then saying something that people will consider out of place or oddball doesn't help matters for sure.