isn't it ironic?

Ok, I'm back to Chuck Klosterman again. I should probably write him a fan letter and maybe I will, but first I want to explore an idea sparked by one of his essays involving Ralph Nader, the consumer advocate turned national political candidate, and Rivers Cuomo, the singer/songwriter and frontman for the band Weezer.

I started running recently. I would say, "again" but honestly that would be totally disingenuous. I'm sure my lack of discipline surrounding a regimented exercise routine will eek it's way into an entry at some point, but for today, let's just picture me as a runner. Jacked up on sunshine, a wide woodsy urban trail packed with comrades drinking the cool aid, an athletic-enough me hitting a good stride with my iPod fueling the pace. Weezer's "Troublemaker" on loop and my gleeful connection with the lyrics evident on my face. I get it! Klosterman nails it again: Cuomo isn't being ironic, he means what he is saying! Listen to it now with this in mind...it is awesome and interesting.

In his essay, "T is for True," (http://tinyurl.com/2drfv2a) Klosterman deftly identifies how both men present a literal and non-ironic world view and this is confusing and frustrating for most, if not all, of the rest of us. Irony is so common in our culture. It makes us laugh, feel comfortable, be casual, sound smart. Being literal can confuse most of us. There's a bit of a lie in irony and it's easier to hide in that space - for the giver and receiver. The literal truth can be harder to swallow, and sometimes we also just don't care. Sometimes I think it can even backfire. A filter can be good and useful. Irony can be useful, can't it?

I am a classically ironic person (note how many times in my entries I have to pull us out of irony by saying words like "truthfully," "honestly," "literally" and "really"). I like to be casual, funny. Yes, you've heard me say how open I think I am, which can mean less ironic and more literal, but the truth is that I am typically only really open and transparent with those closest to me. (Admittedly I do think I am probably more open than maybe the average person, but still...) Like David Foster Wallace wrote in 1993, "an ironist is impossible to pin down." That can be me. That can be a lot of people.

I was talking to a friend of mine the other day who, according to him, made the mistake of asking his ex-wife how she is doing. He got an ear full, but I think he was hoping for the ironic "just super, thanks." Even with the likely scathing delivery, he could have stepped away from that answer much quicker, which is what he wanted. For all of my talk about being more open, bringing more authenticity to the table, having the courage to tell some truths (not all), blah blah blah (insert smirk), I have to say...irony is an oft-used, pervasive tool and frankly, it's a safety-net. Can you imagine if I employ literalism when the barista at my building's coffee shop asks me how I am doing, and I reply with: "Not great. I'm freaking out about lack of income right now, I've only eaten half a piece of toast and crappy tea this morning, and you are about to charge me $5.70 for a cup of milk with some green powder in it and I'm completely at your will because I have a headache that requires caffeine to relieve it." COME ON! Even if I went the other way and went literal with the positives (which would sound like bragging), the bottom line is that both scenarios would evoke the exact same reaction - horror. Who the hell is this woman? Or if I answered every question about my divorce with what really is in my head? Uh, no. Depending on the audience I will say things like, "It's super fun" or, "Don't do it. Just have more sex." Light and flip. Ironic.

All of that being said, it's possible that we do overuse the "to tell you the truth" lead-ins that soften the impact of the literal statements. David Foster Wallace also said that "...our pervasive cultural irony is at once so powerful and so unsatisfying." But I wonder, is it really so unsatisfying or can't we find a happy medium between the two? Can't irony be a valuable social tool, the aforementioned safety net?

Klosterman envisions the possibly asexual, and therefore not likely to even get married, Nader delivering a wedding vow like this: "In sickness, with the possible exclusion of self-contained vegetative states, and in health, assuming neither party has become superhuman or immortal." Who wants to hear that? On the other hand, Rivers Cuomo has a line in "Troublemaker" that I love and play over and over again. He builds it up by telling you that he is going to pick up his guitar, play heavy metal riffs, exactly like he likes, and lays it on us with: "You want arts and crafts? How's this for arts and crafts?" and he breaks into a brash and loud braggart-feel guitar riff. I love it. Listen to it - it's fun. And Cuomo meant it! He's in your face, there is no irony. But again - maybe moderation is really the key. We can't all run around answering every question like maybe the answer is in our heads, can we? Like maybe Cuomo, giving exactly what I am thinking with a loud guitar riff-esque approach? The answer in your head is no. Mine too. We all know that most of us can't and don't want to run around being literal all the time. People also don't necessarily want to hear it either, and that's not a bad thing. Ironically, irony can keep us connected but also allow us to step-back and take a breather when we may need it. Putting the guitar down is not so unsatisfying.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch."

–Jack Nicholson

For the record...there's at least one literal statement in this entry.