From the Outbox -- Have We Taken Irony Too Far?

I'm cynical, too. I mean, just consider these four facts: (i) it's very hard for a person to turn out decently enough -- a lot of genetic and environmental things have to go right at the right times; (ii) it's very hard to solve countless collective action problems, particularly global ones that require action well in advance of the manifestation of the harms; (iii) we know so little about so many important things, including our ignorance, so our actions are often very risky; and (iv) we as a species have global dominance. So, in a sense, we're "destined" to fuck shit up. We as a species may of course end up thriving if technological progress continues for long enough, but a lot of damage will have been done in the meantime, and a lot of good things will have been irrevocably lost. So, yeah, "everything" turns to shit.

I lack the knowledge to really evaluate David Foster Wallace's claim that, in your words, "we've gone through an irony revolution that has made earnestness and sincerity seem campy and risible," but it does resonate with me. It seems that everyone who's taking something seriously, especially a cause, has to toe a fine line to avoid being accused of self-righteousness, self-importance, overearnestness, heavy-handedness, and/or overzealouness. This may have always been true to some extent -- none of our opposition to these things is purely cultural -- but it does seem to have become more an issue these days. I suppose there are at least two main reasons: (i) the business of modern real-time mass media, which thrives on controversy, gossip, and the like, and often creates or amplifies these things when they don't really exist (e.g., giving every issue two sides, characters, and a traditional narrative, even if it's not an open question and/or is more complicated); and (ii) changes in our culture. I can't really speak to (ii), which of course is intertwined with (i), but I think I know what Wallace is getting at. People tend to be regarded as uncreative, lame, self-indulgent, too personal, and the like when they don't throw in enough self-reflection, self-awareness, and ironic distance from their concerns . It's like people have to put up disclaimers for their passion and sincerity, especially if it's about an issue that "everyone" already "gets." It's like people have to apologize for speaking from the heart, as if everything that comes from the heart is sentimental bullshit. (Perhaps one way of looking at this is that the logic of the anti-emo movement has been overextended. Perhaps another way is that everyone's so afraid of being "called out," so we wrap our basic points in irony, complexity, and qualifiers, which reduces clarity and dilutes our messages -- at least until the time comes when we feel comfortable being straightforward about these messages.) That said, I think we do want this "ironic check" to exist in our society to some extent. Some people should be mocked for the lack of self-awareness and critical distance that comes from never taking the ironic pose. But yeah, we're too inclined to say "Get over yourself!" Some selves aren't worth getting over.

Incidentally, I love that things like The Daily Show exist, because they seem to be able to get away with more passion and sincerity by virtue of being funny and possessing an overarching irony of sorts.