“Irony poisoning” was a term coined about a decade ago to describe the rise of irony and its influence on popular culture and society as a whole to an alarmingly negative degree.
This was exemplified by the rise of cynicism and self-deprecating humor breaching into every corner of society, making us more jaded and cruel as a result.
Once upon a time, irony was used as a tool to reveal the dark sides of culture and call out hypocrisy and corruption. It is now difficult to distinguish between true sincerity and the self-aware, tongue-in-cheek variety.
This change, according to famed American writer David Foster Wallace, came about as a result of changing television in the ‘60s.
Wallace wrote that television was to blame for adopting a self-deprecating and ironic attitude to make their viewers feel smarter than the rest of the public, to “flatter them into continuing to watch.” This attitude bled into other art forms and eventually into society as a whole, becoming the often accepted default setting.
This reality negatively affects us by fostering a pessimistic attitude and shaming many sentimental moments for being “weird” or “cringey.”
Wallace wrote that people are so frightened by the possibility of being labeled naive that they will use irony as a sort of shield to defend against that possibility, not allowing themselves to think any other way.
Movies will make jokes that wink at the audience as if to say “We know we are being cringe and silly, but since we know that too, it’s okay for you to laugh.”
This poisoning stretches far beyond popular culture though, as it has embedded itself into the very foundation of our society.
It was once viewed as a wholly positive thing to have an optimistic outlook for the future. Now, through a combination of changing economics and irony-infused culture, it is much more acceptable to be nihilistic and accept the ‘reality’ that nothing will get any better.
Where sincerity and thoughtfulness once were, aloofness and emotional distance have taken root, ensuring that many young people, the primary creators and consumers of new cultural movements, will adopt this mindset and infuse it into their world, further continuing the cycle.
It has gotten so bad that some people online must clarify they are enjoying things ironically. They are traveling to certain places as a joke. They don’t actually think this thing is good, but they are simply ‘in’ on the joke and are playing along for everyone else’s benefit.
Wallace mused that a new generation of artists and thinkers would rebel against this philosophy. He thought that in the same way that irony and pessimism had taken over the bright optimism that came before, youthful exuberance and light would create a counter-cultural movement that would drive out the nihilistic darkness.
It has been almost thirty years since then and irony still holds a firm place in our culture and society. If it is not properly addressed, it may go past the point of no return.
By allowing ourselves to be intimate and vulnerable, we actively work to remove the stigma around these real human traits. If artists can be unapologetically sincere and hopeful, then consumers may absorb that thinking in the same way we have absorbed the worst parts of irony up to this point.
It is not uncool to be vulnerable and it is not naive to hope for a better tomorrow, no matter what the world tells you.
But of course, that’s just one man’s opinion.
Categories: Opinion
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