The Irrational Exuberance of the Snark Market

Copping an Attitude Is Still Profitable. But Signs Of Froth Are Everywhere.

Remember when snark was subversive, like the kid blowing spitballs in the back of the classroom, before it became the social norm? I look back to 1986 as a key year in snark’s ascent, with the generational handoff from Rodney Dangerfield to Robert Downey Jr. in Dangerfield’s old-school comedy Back to School. While Dangerfield dominates the screen, Downey blows in from the margins, sharp and precise. “You know what you almost never see?” asks Downey’s character. “Somebody heckling a diver.” Downey’s performance, which snapped the traditional tone of Dangerfield’s straight-up …