Do Americans do irony?

Question

Just wondered.Could you give me an example?

Answer 1

@dumberthangeorgebush

You cut and pasted someone elses article...that must have been very difficult for you.

Examples of irony in the USA:
(i) Enforcing democracy(will someone please tell me how you can enforce democracy?)
(ii) Complaining about immigrants(the whole population ARE immigrants)
(iii)Selling arms to Iraq (and then allowing Oliver North a spot on Fox News, apparently an 'expert' on military operations)

the list goes on and on and on and...

Examples of Irony being used by North Americans:
None

Answer 2

There are a few reasons why we think the Americans have no sense of irony. First, theirs is rather an optimistic culture, full of love of country and dewy-eyed self-belief and all the things that Europe's lost going through the war spindryer for the thousandth time. This is all faith-based - faith in God, faith in the goodness of humanity, etc - and irony can never coexist with faith, since the mere act of questioning causes the faith fairy to disappear. Second, they have a very giving register that, with a sense of irony, would be unsustainable (how can you wish a stranger a nice day with a straight face?). Third, because we think Canadian Alanis Morissette is American, and she proved some time ago, with her song Ironic, that she didn't know what irony meant (this is so ironic - first, because we think we're the more sophisticated and yet don't know the difference between America and Canada, second because America sees Canada as such a tedious sleeping partner, and yet Canada is subversively sending idiots into the global marketplace with American accents. Of course, I'm being ironic. Canadian accents are not the same as American ones!)

In fact, this is absolute moonshine, since the consummate and well-documented superiority of US telly over British telly is largely due to their superior grasp of irony (as well as the fact that they have more cash). Take, for instance, the opening sequences of Six Feet Under versus the opening sequences of Casualty - they both start every episode with a vignette in which a stranger dies a horrible death or suffers a hideous accident. In Six Feet Under, this will never be straightforward - the porn star will never die because her silicon implants explode, she will die in some way that could happen to anyone; the wheezing, scared-looking sportsman will turn out to have been just a bit thirsty, while his amazingly strong team-mate will be dying in the background from heat stroke. There's always some cosmic irony, swiftly followed by ironic dialogue. In Casualty, on the other hand - man leaves pub in middle of day; commences dangerous-looking welding job; burns own eye out in drunk accident. Dur.

Answer 3

No, they don't. Because irony needs some sense of humour. Take MR Bush as an example. He himself can be an irony.

Answer 4

Like the irony of driving a mercedes clk to a protest against a "war for oil"?

Yeah, we do that.

Answer 5

if your asking are they an "irony" yes they are an irony itself but if you want to know if they do iron they clothes who cares!

Answer 6

yeah George Bush is a perfect example

Answer 7

Don't be daft - they are not intelligent enough to understand irony!!

Answer 8

In my experience, when I worked over there for 3mths, they don't. They tend to be more into "in your face" humour

Answer 9

yes i am in the US ARMY and i swear to protect my country. so they send me to germany

Answer 10

You