We keep hearing that irony is dead, and that we must embrace a new age of sincerity. Supposedly, the current world climate is such that irony is a luxury we can’t afford.
But maybe when they say that — you know, “they” — they’re being ironic. It’s hard to tell; maybe they’re just really deadpan. Maybe what they’re trying to tell us by proclaiming the death of irony is that tough times require us to be even more arch, and even more suspicious of the seemingly benign. And maybe a statement decrying irony should be interpreted as meaning the exact opposite!
If so: yay! We love irony!
Or, we don’t, and we’re being ironic.
