Mar 19 2006
dead ironic
A draft Wikepedia entry summarises multiple categories of irony. Without knowledge of these categories I used to use them in work and social situations.
From Wikipedia, my emphasis:
“belief in Britain, Australia, and Canada that Americans are unable to understand the use of irony… …there are many Americans who do understand and even use irony regularly… …Americans can be confused by deadpan, ironic comments if they are unaccustomed to double meanings. The unfortunate result is that an American, assuming that what someone says is exactly what they mean, can simply find a visiting Brit rude“
Many = what? more than 10?
Visiting Brit = what? Someone who intends to return to Britain within 90 days?
In the US I have tried to stop using socratic irony at work. It appears more likely to produce misconceptions about my actual knowledge and skills. It gets effective results but I am less likely to be recognised as instrumental in achieving those results. Sadly, I have felt obliged to change my working style to be perceived as effective at work.
Americans taking my comments ‘literally’ in non-work situations has lead to some bizarre, unpublishable, misunderstandings. I perpetuate the likelihood of these misunderstandings by persisting in using irony in non-work contexts. Over 40yrs a spontaneous use of irony has beome an integral part of being Wendy.
Reading the Wikipedia definitions of irony helped me understand why I experience many* Americans as ‘earnest’. I recognise the importance of being earnest. The US readers of this blog that are not anticipating irony should consider that many (more than 10) of my posts are, dead, ironic.
* many = those Americans except the Many (10+?) that understand and use irony.
1 inspirational thought about dead ironic
