Do We Live in an Age of Irony?

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http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/20 ... ef=opinion

This may apply most to the U.S. (particularly certain segments of U.S. society), but I am sure these attitudes can be found pretty much anywhere.

As I was reading the NY Times Sunday edition, I saw this article from a guest essayist about our fondness of irony, and how our current "counterculture," the hipster, epitomizes irony. Irony, as Dr. Wampole notes, is a symptom of indifference to choices, and therefore an absence of concrete values in one's life. This is generally true of younger Americans, particularly those of middle class families on the coasts. It's a quick read, and one I think explores how far into the irony trap we have descended.

I personally found this article to be rather moving, as it is making me look at my own life. I am CERTAINLY not a hipster (although I have no problems with individual ones), and yet I have realized how a sense of irony has seeped into my daily life. I use indirect speech patterns out of mortal fear I'll offend someone. I find myself having an ever-growing indifference to major world issues, to my own future or that of people I know. I have transitioned from a life of inbred values to one of growing indifference. It's not necessarily my fault I am more indifferent, especially if I get signals every day telling me to be this way. Rather, I have just lost sight of what I do value.

So does anyone else agree that we live in an ironic, valueless age, which has affected more and more segments of society? My friends from highly religious areas may not know what I am talking about (for one cannot be religious without well-defined values), but I think certain segments are entering a moral crisis. It may even extend to our friends in Europe, and maybe even outside the Western world.

I'm not religious, but I definitely think that our current generation doesn't have much of an identity or any sense of morality, therefore we're just drifting through life.

We just live, Irony is just another label.

I love the way that article was written. She has some good points, too.

No, it's not like irony is everywhere.

(sorry, failed attempt to give an ironic response )

Is not life itself ironic?

We live, we work, we strive, we suffer, we overcome and then we die.

ruveyn

Well, think about it.

The best super hero of the 2010s is... Iron Man. And his hidden identity is a sarcastic monster.

This is so different from back of the 40s where we had Super Man.

We live in an age of stupidity, ignorance and gullible sheep.

Personally I sometimes blame the prominence of neurotypical leadership, but then some members here seem to be just as bad.

Didn't even think about that, that our superheroes are even ironic. Then again, Batman is the ultimate ironic figure, IMO. He's a superhero with a troubled past and a sense of tragedy. Far different than Superman.

I can't believe how earnest the author of that article was trying to be. Too funny.

This does not make sense. If you enjoy making sarcastic comments you can't do that but then you aren't doing what you like. How does being ironic mean you have no morality? That does not make sense.

After passing through the Stoney Age, and the Bronzey Age, have we finnally reached the Irony Age?

Havent read the article, but I suspect that every era of human existence was an age of irony.