Irony Watch
This entry was posted on 10/16/2006 4:15 PM and is filed under Irony Watch,Election 2006,All Posts.
I admit to harboring a pet peeve for misuse of the word "ironic". I'm no English professor or grammar expert, but I really do go after people on this. I think it's because it's such a common fallback, so often substituted for the words "weird", "unfortunate", "coincidental", and, strangely enough, "predictable", and "obvious".
True irony, according to Webster, exists as "an incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result; an event or result marked by such incongruity".
I reserve my special angst for public figures, especially politicians, that misuse words like irony. Most of these people, after all, have had the best education money can buy.
Take Republican Congressman Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania, speaking today to The Associated Press:
The FBI raided the homes of Rep. Curt Weldon's daughter and a close friend Monday as it investigates whether the congressman improperly helped the pair win lobbying and consulting contracts.
Earlier Monday, Weldon called the investigation politically motivated and called the timing suspect. The Republican, who is locked in a tight re-election bid and has clashed with the Bush administration, denied wrongdoing and said he gave his daughter no special help.
"What I find ironic, if there is an investigation, is that no one would tell me until three weeks before the election," Weldon said at an appearance in Media. "This incident was 2 1/2 years ago."
Come now, Rep. Weldon. What would be ironic about that? If your opponents gave you 2 1/2 years to recover politically from such an embarrasing scandal, now that would be quite ironic. Quite the opposite of what you would expect, right?! But if they hold this ammo until three weeks before the voters make their judgment, unload it, and now all the local media will discuss between now and Election Day is how Curt Weldon got special contracts for his daughter—well now, there's nothing ironic about that. That's classic.
I'm going to be posting other fun instances of public figures misusing the concept of irony. If any of my readers come across any themselves, please send them to todayslies@gmail.com, and I will post them, and give credit to the sender. Honorable mention awards will go to instances of "could care less" and "irregardless".
