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Thinking people are being ironic when they're not

Started by 23 Daves, February 13, 2008, 09:34:06 PM

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23 Daves

I'm diseased by this particular syndrome, I'm afraid.  In the Mary Whitehouse experience, they had a character called Ray who was afflicted with a sarcastic tone of voice.  I, on the other head, am afflicted with a condition whereby I either assume people are being sarcastic when they're not, or else I think they're attempting irony.

The worst trouble I've ever got into with this was at a huge workplace meeting a couple of years ago.  One of the managers stood up in front of a room with sixty people in it, and declared, as an opening gambit:  "What is my department about?  Well, that's a big question.  I would say my department is about... changing the world!

As she said this her right arm jerked up for added effect, and I spluttered on my water a bit and began laughing quite openly.  I presumed her next line was going to be an understated "...only joking... of course we're not... but.." and then she'd go on to add a list of what they really did.  However, it rapidly became apparent that nobody else found her funny, or was laughing along.  And she paused for longer than she should.  And looked awkwardly at me and blushed, stammered briefly, and then just carried on.  I mean, it wouldn't even have been that funny if it had been an ironic opening line, I was just laughing to help her along and be polite, for Christ's sake.  She always gave me funny looks around the office after that day, although I hope for her own bloody sake she never opened a presentation like that ever again.

In many senses, I also think I'm flattering people with this, giving them an opt out in my own naive way.  What I'm effectively saying is "You're far too bright to come out with something that hackneyed and stupid.  I don't believe that can't have been a joke.  Look, I'm laughing - now I'm giving you permission to say you were just being a bit silly.  Play along with it, and we can both get out of this awkward situation together".

I honestly don't mean anyone any ill by it.  But it doesn't half get me into trouble.  Anyone else?

rudi


23 Daves


Little Hoover

Yeah I think I kind of know what you mean, I can't think of any specfic examples in my own life, but it's not just you.

rudi


Still Not George

Clearly this is going to be the funniest thread ev- what? Someone's done that one. Oh. Well isn't that just awful!

Sony Walkman Prophecies

Yeah i do this alot too. I think it's about affording people more credit than they probably deserve, which as you say, should be seen as complemantary really.
I know for me it's religion and celebrity that are the usual culprits. Any profession of love for things like Jesus or Peter & Jordan ™ and rightly or wrongly im laughing in your face.

Not because i mocking them you understand. I just tend to assume that like me noone can actually stomach these things, they're just things which a cross section of society is 'reported' to like.
Which on an empirical level i can readily accept (dvd sales, king james bibles in hotel rooms) i just cant seem to accept that the people who like these things might exist as proper individuals and that these individuals would ever engage me in conversation.

I was watching Extras the other day.

EDIT - Darn, shoulda tagged

Looknorth

Quote from: 23 Daves on February 13, 2008, 09:34:06 PM
I'm diseased by this particular syndrome, I'm afraid.  In the Mary Whitehouse experience, they had a character called Ray who was afflicted with a sarcastic tone of voice.  I, on the other head, am afflicted with a condition whereby I either assume people are being sarcastic when they're not, or else I think they're attempting irony.

The worst trouble I've ever got into with this was at a huge workplace meeting a couple of years ago.  One of the managers stood up in front of a room with sixty people in it, and declared, as an opening gambit:  "What is my department about?  Well, that's a big question.  I would say my department is about... changing the world!

As she said this her right arm jerked up for added effect, and I spluttered on my water a bit and began laughing quite openly.  I presumed her next line was going to be an understated "...only joking... of course we're not... but.." and then she'd go on to add a list of what they really did.  However, it rapidly became apparent that nobody else found her funny, or was laughing along.  And she paused for longer than she should.  And looked awkwardly at me and blushed, stammered briefly, and then just carried on.  I mean, it wouldn't even have been that funny if it had been an ironic opening line, I was just laughing to help her along and be polite, for Christ's sake.  She always gave me funny looks around the office after that day, although I hope for her own bloody sake she never opened a presentation like that ever again.

In many senses, I also think I'm flattering people with this, giving them an opt out in my own naive way.  What I'm effectively saying is "You're far too bright to come out with something that hackneyed and stupid.  I don't believe that can't have been a joke.  Look, I'm laughing - now I'm giving you permission to say you were just being a bit silly.  Play along with it, and we can both get out of this awkward situation together".

I honestly don't mean anyone any ill by it.  But it doesn't half get me into trouble.  Anyone else?
that's just brilliant. I really wish I'd been there. Nothing like corporate hell for feeling like you're already in hell.

Little Hoover

Quote from: Sony Walkman Prophecies on February 14, 2008, 01:24:14 AM
Yeah i do this alot too. I think it's about affording people more credit than they probably deserve, which as you say, should be seen as complemantary really.
I know for me it's religion and celebrity that are the usual culprits. Any profession of love for things like Jesus or Peter & Jordan ™ and rightly or wrongly im laughing in your face.

Not because i mocking them you understand. I just tend to assume that like me noone can actually stomach these things, they're just things which a cross section of society is 'reported' to like.
Which on an empirical level i can readily accept (dvd sales, king james bibles in hotel rooms) i just cant seem to accept that the people who like these things might exist as proper individuals and that these individuals would ever engage me in conversation.

Yeah exactly, sometimes you can get so couped up in your own private world of things, you kind of forget other people, actual real, living, breathing humans have very different world views to yours, and you realise, wait people actually do think these things.

Twibbie

This rather amusing story popped up in timely fashion yesterday about the chief executive of Somerset County Council who said that people who still slag off that council "join the ranks" of holocaust deniers. It was in an internal newsletter, so I thought at first that it was probably meant as a joke to people who he knew would know he wasn't being serious. To his credit he had apologised for the remark by the end of the day after it had gone public, but rather than saying, "I was just using a totally ridiculous comparison as a joke, sorry if it has upset anyone, I obviously wasn't being serious" he instead tried to insist that although he "apologised unreservedly" if people took offence he actually had a point and denying how good the council was really is quite a lot like denying the holocaust.