Understanding the Irony Gap

[akirlu]

I think it just gets down to experience at school, and subsequent norms of acceptability in social intercourse. One of the reasons Americans don't see it when Brits are being ironic, is because Americans simply will not believe that anyone is so unkind and so socially shriveled that they would casually use deadpan cruelty and nastiness on a perfect stranger for the sake of "a laugh". So an American must interpret an interaction like that as straight, rather than ironic, otherwise they would have to, by their own lights, believe something reprehensible about Britons. In general, Americans simply don't get the idea of cruelty without anomie.

This is part of why I say that Americans are dogs, and Britons are cats.

Comments

[don-fitch.livejournal.com]

Yup, many Britons can, when they set their minds to it, do "catty" superbly.

The cat/dog analogy seems to have a lot of merit, but maybe a significant flaw. The British people I know tend to be forthright & outspoken (to the point of appearing aggressive, IMHO) in situations where an American (or a cat) would do the "let's not go there"/avoidance thing.

I tend to think this has filtered-down from the Upper Class/Nobility -- people whose social status is so secure that they have nothing to fear from those lower in the hierarchy -- and that it's come to be part of a general Attitude.

OTOH, Americans in general do seem to have the "I want and expect everyone to like me" attitude that I associate with (good) dogs.

[greyorm.livejournal.com]

Then again, many Americans are just plain irony-stupid. They barely grasp what it is, so they don't get it when it is being done. So it's a cultural thing, but not a "I can't imagine someone not being nice so I'll take it that way." Rather, "I can't see how this could mean anything else."

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Fascinating observation. How startlingly original.

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

Ah, but if you know anything about dogs, you know they have a much more complex system of good manners and ways to "not go there" than cats do -- they have to, they're naturally social animals that could, if not prevented by social pressure, kill each other in conflicts. Dogs that have been raised by dogs are vastly polite and socially circumspect.

[hal-obrien.livejournal.com]

All my British friends agree.

[greyorm.livejournal.com]

Because I know how impressive your observation skills are, I knew you would think so.

[stevegreen.livejournal.com]

I must have missed that memo whilst I was at Novacon.