Evolving Irony

Humans have used irony for millennia—if not for all of our existence. It comes in many forms—sometimes used intentionally for either humorous or sarcastic purposes and sometimes unintentionally, when its humorous quality can mock the user. An example of intentional irony could be when a lecturer says to a quiet group, “Don't everyone speak at once.” An unintentional ironic example could be a sign in front of a business that reads, “We are committed to excellense.”

A dictionary definition of irony is “the expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite—typically for humorous effect.” Its root comes from the Greek word eironeia (“simulated ignorance”), which stems from eiron (“dissembler”).

Perhaps the best-known ancient practitioner in the West of irony is Socrates—whose use corresponded to the above Greek root meaning of irony. In fact, Socrates' behavior was to feign ignorance when he encountered an unsuspecting victim on the streets of Athens, some 2500 years ago. He dissembled by faking admiration for the wisdom of that citizen, and then quizzing them to the point of confounding them. His behavior did not make him popular with Athens' gentry.

The use and understanding of irony has transformed, over the centuries. By the 19^th century irony was often used by Romantic philosophers in multi-layered ways—often implying a divided self that could contain a variety of perspectives. It was a time when elites were on the verge of floundering somewhere between the perspectives of the Enlightenment and the modern periods.

In the early 20^th century irony often found itself being expressed as a reaction to current events. For example, in the context of the two world wars, when politicians seemed to spout fraudulent propaganda, many common people used irony to puncture the phoniness of those politicians. They used obvious lies to expose the deceitful lies of authority, in a way to indicate the nature of the insanity that sent millions to die in futile wars.

Today's use of irony has yet further evolved, often becoming more cynical. Truth, morality, sincerity, and sentiment are increasingly rare today. We now understand that politicians habitually lie and we do not expect sincerity or truth on their part. 

Finally, the use of texting and emails does not allow for subtleties of irony that tone or facial expression can indicate, so we try to clarify our intent by using emojis and abbreviations such as LOL and OMG. Maybe the ultimate ironic current expression is, “Whatever;” but is it not really expressing alienated carelessness, rather than irony? In the meantime we wear T-shirts that read “Buy American,” or “Make America Great Again”... T-shirts made in China. Is that an example of unintended irony? Where will the use of irony evolve to next.

[Note: this post was stimulated by a June 2003 Guardian article by Zoe Williams, titled "The Final Irony."]