Thursday, October 29, 2009
Barry / By the Way The Rebirth of Irony
Posted by Bruce Barry on Thu, Oct 29, 2009 at 12:10 PM
Young, who lost his starting role after last year's season opener against Jacksonville, will ironically make his return as the No. 1 quarterback against the Jaguars.Some will argue that the word "ironically" is misplaced in the sentence, since Young, when he makes his return to the backfield, will not himself be acting in an ironic manner (unless, of course, he walks onto the field while issuing irony-laden remarks to his colleagues). But the more interesting question--granted, interesting primarily to language obsessives--is whether or not this is actually a legitimate example of irony.
The New York Times stylebook observes that casual "use of irony and ironically, to mean an incongruous turn of events, is trite. Not every coincidence, curiosity, oddity and paradox is an irony, even loosely." The usage panel of the American Heritage Dictionary, meanwhile, has deemed it inappropriate to label as irony mere coincidences or disappointments that "suggest no particular lessons about human vanity or folly."
So is the fact of Young's return against the same foe that marked the start of his hiatus ironic? I say no, it's just a coincidence--but stand ready to be persuaded otherwise.
Comments (19)
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Not only do most people -- including professional writers -- not know how to use the word ironic, but most people -- including Scene staffers -- don't know how to use the phrase "beg the question."
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Heh. If it's true that most professional writers don't know how to use the word ironic, would that fact itself actually be ironic?
I have hated the misuse of irony the moment
I understood what it meant. I am happy someone
else has the where with all to point it out.
Thank you so very much!
Usage Note: The words ironic, irony, and ironically are sometimes used of events and circumstances that might better be described as simply "coincidental" or "improbable," in that they suggest no particular lessons about human vanity or folly. Thus 78 percent of the Usage Panel rejects the use of ironically in the sentence "In 1969 Susie moved from Ithaca to California where she met her husband-to-be, who, ironically, also came from upstate New York." Some Panelists noted that this particular usage might be acceptable if Susie had in fact moved to California in order to find a husband, in which case the story could be taken as exemplifying the folly of supposing that we can know what fate has in store for us. By contrast, 73 percent accepted the sentence "Ironically, even as the government was fulminating against American policy, American jeans and videocassettes were the hottest items in the stalls of the market", where the incongruity can be seen as an example of human inconsistency.
I'm with you, jamiealex, with "begs the question." I had a philosophy professor in college who jumped on it, explaining the original usage, and I haven't been able to shake it out of my head ever since.
Ironic or not, the sentence could at least have been: "Young, who lost his starting role after last year's season opener against Jacksonville, will make his return as the No. 1 quarterback against, ironically, the Jaguars."
And, no. I don't think this is irony either. But, the bastardization of our language continues. Another one I hate: "Impact" as a transitive verb.
I think, at this point, we're supposed to be appreciative if anyone forms sentences, pleased if they follow them, ecstatic if they read them, and flabbergasted if they pay for them...
People usually mean something is coincidental or sarcastic when they say something is ironic.
G-O-O-o-ooo Vince! I don't care two damns if it's irony, improbability or coincidence. (Irony to me connotes a negative sense. And there's not negative thing about Vince Young floating back to the top of the heap.) I hope Jeff in his special coach/quarterback relationship with Vince has said things to him like Vince Lombardi told Bart Starr. Went something like this: "You are my quarterback. Now go do what I know you can do."
Maybe I'm being sophomoric, but I think we could just be witnessing right here the restoration of our Titans' power in the NFL.
G-O-O-O-o-o-o-ooo Vince! I don't care two damns whether it's irony, coincidence or incongruousness. (To me, irony connotes a negative sense. And I don't see anything negative at all about Vince Young floating back to the top of the heap.) I hope Jeff, in his special coach/quarterback relationship with Vince is saying things to him similar to what Vince Lombardi said to Bart Starr. Went something like this: “You are my quarterback. Now go do the things I know you can do.”
Perhaps I am being sophomoric but we just might be witnessing the beginning of the return of our Titans' to power in the NFL.
Sweet Fancy Moses on a Stick, is this what passes for media criticism at this dipshit publication now?
Henry Walker wept.
I mean this blog suuuuuuhhhhhhhccccckkkkkssss since Southcomm took over. Like, it throats the ENTIRE poll.
Christ, words fail at how miserable a read the blog has become not to mention the luke warm glossy shit sandwich that is the print edition.
This town needs a real alt weekly.
Did I read another post on here about equestrians in Belle Meade or something from like the 1800s? Pretty sure I did.
It seems they mean coincidentally, but that "unexpectedly" also might work. Is it a surprise he's returning or is it just notable because of the Jacksonville coincidence?
Some will argue that the word "ironically" is misplaced in the sentence, since Young, when he makes his return to the backfield, will not himself be acting in an ironic manner (unless, of course, he walks onto the field while issuing irony-laden remarks to his colleagues).
No, but it would be better at the opening of the senence, assuming it is indeed "unexpected."
At the risk of sending TSB into a head-exploding rage, I will mention that in this morning's paper The Tennessean committed the same usage no-no:
"Ironically for Young, his return will come against the same team the Titans were playing in last year's season-opener when he lost his job to Collins."
Suppose Fisher had intentionally chosen Jacksonville for Young's return, because of past history. Would it then be ironic and not merely coincidental?
Also, if anyone out there knows TSB, could you call and check up on him today and make sure he hasn't committed suicide?
Suppose Fisher had intentionally chosen Jacksonville for Young's return, because of past history. Would it then be ironic and not merely coincidental?
Possibly. A key definition of irony as applied to events (as opposed to statements) is "incongruity between what might be expected and what actually occurs" (American Heritage Dictionary). So if Fisher, say, knew that VY has performed especially poorly in past encounters with JAX, and chose JAX as the occasion for VY's return with that past history specifically in mind, then I think that would be an ironic choice on Fisher's part.
