Understanding irony, and a current event example

Irony is a form of humor, popular (and I guess originating) in England. The British claim, rightly, that Americans tend not to understand irony. I've explained (and will continue to cultivate one's appreciation of) subversive humor. I'm not fond of irony but I think it is important to understand, especially when an incredibly ironic event happens, as did in the past twenty four hours. Understanding irony is often a healthy barrier against "magical thinking." These past two generations are infected with occult, New Age, "alien" and "magical" interpretations of everyday events. They especially tend not to understand cause-effect, and mistake-consequences. They live in a very strange imaginary world that as the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI has described, it is a spiritual desert, one that has made much of the world very painful to live in.

OK, so "irony" is a form of humor where something is said and done that looks good or funny at first, but on further thought it has a "bad ending." Here's an example.

I was in England on business some years ago and decided to go to Canterbury and see the cathedral. So I took the train. When I got there I noticed a billboard, advertising something, I forget what, but some food or something that could be purchased at a grocery store. And on the advert there was drawn a huge coupon, with the statement basically saying, "And here's a coupon for you to use, giving you a discount on purchase of this item!" So there is a drawing of a coupon and it being "offered" to you, but it's like 30 feet up and a fake coupon, just part of the billboard.

That is classic "irony." The ad looks all cute and funny at first, but then you realize with a sag that the author of the "irony" is lifting your expectations, just to disappoint. So irony is a joke, or natural events, that at first look funny or like a good idea, but has a "bad outcome." If it is a joke then the let down is deliberate. If it is an event the events unfold the way they do, but the "bad outcome" is more of a natural outcome of an attempt to be humorous or agenda driven.

So that is irony. The next post will show you today's dreadful example.