While I’m sure 4th Grade teachers in our public or private schools would not find their 9-year-old students amusing if said students were mouthy, disrespectful, and sassy, (and I concur with the teachers), I actually find a little sass somewhat amusing in the real world. While I would not tolerate disrespectful sass from subordinates in a power-relationship, among equals I find sass somewhat entertaining.

What is sass? It is a sardonic response combining playful wit, sarcasm, and a touch of daring. It involves a cheeky retort that blends humor, disdain, mockery, and snark. It can be done playfully, ruefully, or even mendaciously (the latter of which I can do without). But a little sass now and again is nothing I worry about; I actually find it amusing and clever. As long the person issuing forth some sass is a decent person and not a cruel or mean-spirited clod, I admire the wit that goes into sass.

I guess what this reveals is that not overreacting to the sassiness of our interlocutors is a sign of strength, of not taking things too seriously. The occasional verbal romp during a repartee can be a reprieve from the tedium of life, from the drudgery of the pedantic, or the more pedestrian elements of life, punctuating smugness, rupturing the bland, and adding a bit of spice to our conversations.

I’m good with a little spice. I’m OK with some sass.