This is really weird. Apparently I come across as a complete jerk when I write in Arabic, people are literally up in arms against my writings.I tend to be a little sarcastic and enjoy poking fun at almost everything. But people here, unlike myself, have principles and things that they hold dear. So put two and two together and you pretty much have an idea of what a complete jerk I come across as.
So far the list of things I have criticized includes Arab leaders, the Muslim clergy and scholars, the armed folks (not sure if I wanna call them resistance) in Iraq, the other Armed folks is pretty much every Jihad spot on the planet, the U.S. government and it's agents in the regions, the Shi'ites, and most importantly Nancy Ajram. Yes, I have managed to pull that off in record time and I still have some amo left to take shots at others.
At the few occassions that I have actually apologized, I said "I was joking". But semantically, joking is not the same as being sarcastic. A joke is just a way to deliver humor. Sarcasm is a way to communicate a message and a mood. A joke, if not understood, causes no harm. A sarcastic remark, misunderstood, is enough to warrant a war. It's this last property that makes it harder for me to be sarcastic in Arabic. Not only am I being misunderstood, but my foe club is bustling with new members, greeting each other and discussing what a loser I am over coffee and donuts.
Cheers.