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Thursday, July 22, 2004 · posted at 11:46 PM

Author's note: Some programs are required to have educational messages within each show (e.g. Captain Planet's environmentally friendly tip and assertion that "The power is yours!"). In the same way, I feel obligated to occasionally offer up some intellectual fodder. This is it. Wrinkle brain, wrinkle!

Malapropianistic

It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought... it figures

The English language just begs for errors and the misuse of words. Some such as saying "I feel nauseous" instead of "I feel nauseated" are less heinous than, for example, using "should of" when you should HAVE said "should have" or basically anything Bush has to say.

One of the blunders that seems to have penetrated to pop culture media is the misuse of the word "irony."

In Alanis Morrisette's chart-topper, "Ironic," she laments on just really bad luck (e.g. black fly in your Chardonnay, rain on your wedding day) and slaps on the "ironic" label. Fallacy, I cry.

In Reality Bites, Troy calls irony, "when the actual meaning is the complete opposite of the literal meaning." Director Ben Stiller and screenwriter Helen Childress are quick to comment that this is, in fact, sarcasm.

The actual dictionary definition of irony is:

the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning b : a usually humorous or sardonic literary style or form characterized by irony c : an ironic expression or utterance

incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result

Mo Rocca had this to say during VH1's "I Love the 90's" series:

Irony is the disparity between what you expect will happen, and what does happen. So raining on your wedding day isn't ironic, it's just crappy. It would have been ironic if she had lived in a place like Seattle, and traveled to the desert of Mexico for a wedding and it ended up raining there, but not in Seattle.

Alanis always gets the last laugh though. We all sit here, saying her song isn't ironic, but in fact, that's pretty ironic that she wrote a song called Ironic that wasn't really ironic. Those Canadians are pretty crafty.

The more you know, the more you grow. And yes this will be on the test.
____________________

Author's note: Technology has made the world much smaller and can be extremely humbling. Via the internet, you discover there are many, many funny and witty writers and creative people living out your pipe dreams. It's the whole big fish/little fish thing. For example, I thought I was being novel and profound in thinking of the misuses of irony, but really, the likelihood for every situation is that there exists someone else who did it first and did it better than you.



	Thursday, July 22, 2004 · posted at 11:46 PM Author's note: Some programs are required to have educational messages within each show (e.g. Captain Planet's environmentally friendly tip and assertion that "The power is yours!"). In the same way, I feel obligated to occasionally offer up some intellectual fodder. This is it. Wrinkle brain, wrinkle! Malapropianistic It's like rain on your wedding day It's a free ride when you've already paid It's the good advice that you just didn't take Who would've thought... it figures The English language just begs for errors and the misuse of words. Some such as saying "I feel nauseous" instead of "I feel nauseated" are less heinous than, for example, using "should of" when you should HAVE said "should have" or basically anything Bush has to say. One of the blunders that seems to have penetrated to pop culture media is the misuse of the word "irony." In Alanis Morrisette's chart-topper, "Ironic," she laments on just really bad luck (e.g. black fly in your Chardonnay, rain on your wedding day) and slaps on the "ironic" label. Fallacy, I cry. In Reality Bites, Troy calls irony, "when the actual meaning is the complete opposite of the literal meaning." Director Ben Stiller and screenwriter Helen Childress are quick to comment that this is, in fact, sarcasm. The actual dictionary definition of irony is: the use of words to express something other than and especially the opposite of the literal meaning b : a usually humorous or sardonic literary style or form characterized by irony c : an ironic expression or utterance incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result Mo Rocca had this to say during VH1's "I Love the 90's" series: Irony is the disparity between what you expect will happen, and what does happen. So raining on your wedding day isn't ironic, it's just crappy. It would have been ironic if she had lived in a place like Seattle, and traveled to the desert of Mexico for a wedding and it ended up raining there, but not in Seattle. Alanis always gets the last laugh though. We all sit here, saying her song isn't ironic, but in fact, that's pretty ironic that she wrote a song called Ironic that wasn't really ironic. Those Canadians are pretty crafty. The more you know, the more you grow. And yes this will be on the test. ____________________ Author's note: Technology has made the world much smaller and can be extremely humbling. Via the internet, you discover there are many, many funny and witty writers and creative people living out your pipe dreams. It's the whole big fish/little fish thing. For example, I thought I was being novel and profound in thinking of the misuses of irony, but really, the likelihood for every situation is that there exists someone else who did it first and did it better than you.	Recent Posts Blind leading the blind. What do you do when instr... Dress your family in corduroy and denim. Guys ofte... Excuse me, but my Rorschach blot has wrinkles. Ha... Child's play. I’m not sure I quite understand the ... The bag of chips. VH1's "I Love the 90's" premie... Can’t I hold the boom mic? Karen's old roommmate m... Gobstopper Going to the movies always brings cert... Jedi Mind Tricks Spider-Man 2 broke opening day r... The problem with lies is that you build them up an... Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, and Kurt Cobain I jus... Morning news babie goose ryan bluemouse daves son dawntaught desiree diorama emily escadawg galveric high entropy invisible cube jepgato kyellow lilly mhuang mogbert nudream starfish + coffee verbivore Archives March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 January 2007 March 2007 April 2007 November 2008

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