Whether that is “disciplining” is just something I’m not sure I agree with. I use sarcasm all the time. Most of the time, to just be funny.
I use sarcasm all the time. Most of the time, to just be funny. But when I do use it to “make fun” of something or someone, I’m not really “punishing” them. If anything, I’m pointing out something they may not have seen, and instead of straight up telling them, I’m using humor instead.
Oh, sure. Me too. But I bet you we mostly do it with our peers. Like, say, your original comment to my post on this topic could be interpreted as sarcastic. Which is totally fine, since on this platform, we’re structurally equals. So I think it depends on whether we consider Hook and Henry to be “peers.” I would argue that they’re not. Nor was Hook’s comment gentle or humorous teasing. Combine that with the character’s general tendency to choose weaker or vulnerable people to be the object of his ire/sarcasm/snappy remarks/violence, and it’s hard to interpret his lines in the spirit of sassy, snappy cuteness.
More broadly, and this goes to @POM’s commentary, this might be about a disconnect between writing and perception. I interpret Hook as a self-absorbed man-child. Much of my reaction to him is probably colored by my general lack of patience with that sort of character. But I’m sure some people find that sort of thing endearing, and that’s fine.
I had a quick thought about Emma in relation to this. It’s interesting that in order to be with Hook, Emma’s character has to be re-written as a sullen, selfish, lovelorn teen. In part, I think this is because this is where Hook’s at in terms of his emotional development. But then, it struck me that this might be also where Emma’s at, as a character. She’s had some very hard experiences, but she’s also skipped some crucial things that might have allowed her (or forced her) to mature in particular ways. She’d been robbed of a “normal” childhood by Regina, she did not have the experience of being a parent to Henry and missed most of his childhood — that diaper changing, up every 3 hours at night with colic, learning to crawl/walk/talk part that Regina was there for — and she will never (or not for a long time) have to face her parents getting older, frailer, and vulnerable in a way that forces one to invert one’s sense of self to become the care giver, rather than the recipient of care. So many of the emotional milestones that regular people go through, Emma simply hasn’t had.