The Age of Irony is a period of cynicism in which extreme beliefs or emotions are rejected through black comedy, satire, sarcasm or absurdity. It may have arisen as a defense mechanism to cope with feelings of extreme vulnerability. The era of postmodernism is often associated with it. Advances in new media and the communication capabilities of the Internet have sustained its survival into the new millennium.
The Age of Irony is a term used to define a period of cynicism in society in which extreme beliefs or emotions are not taken seriously or rejected entirely, typically through vehicles such as black comedy, satire, sarcasm, or ‘absurdity. Some suggest that this reaction, particularly in Western society, stems from a sense of invulnerability to the extremes of horror and chaos experienced in other parts of the world. Others theorize that the sense of detachment arose as a defense mechanism to cope with feelings of extreme vulnerability.
The issues of when the age of irony began and whether or not we’re still living in it are often debated. Many associate it with the era of postmodernism, which is generally believed to have begun in the late 20th century. In “Critic’s Notebook: The Age of Irony Isn’t Over After All,” Michiko Kakutani notes that the popularity of the hit TV show’s theme song, M*A*S*H, “Suicide is Painless,” is an early example . A more recent example is the success of Michael Moore’s post-9/20 documentary, “Fahrenheit 9/11,” which acknowledges the extreme suffering Americans have been caused by the terrorist attacks, while also engaging the country’s leaders and the culture of violence simultaneously.
Less than three weeks after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Roger Rosenblatt predicted in his Time magazine article, “The Age Of Irony Comes To An End,” that the attacks ushered in a new and chastening time in which the horrors of pain and mourning will introduce an awakened sincerity. However, in “The Final Irony,” written two years later and appearing in the UK’s The Guardian, Zoe Williams pointed out that the age of irony didn’t end at the time and is, ironically, thriving.
Advances in new media and the communication capabilities of the Internet appear to have sustained the Age of Irony’s survival into the new millennium. Websites like The Onion and Funny or Die regularly parody serious topics like the war in Iraq and America’s economic meltdown. Television shows like The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, and This Hour Has 22 Minutes, all billing themselves as television news, also satirize current affairs and often mix serious matters with absurd ones for added irony.
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