The title is a continuation of the George Carlin tribute. As is today's photograph. I can think of nothing more that he would like than a picture of two rubbish bins (that's correct, the old brain is struggling today).
So what I will do is post one last George Carlin quote for the day. This one is about 'irony'. Like George, I am continually frustrated by the misuse of the word itself. Not a day goes by when somebody fails to say to me "how ironic" and I think about directing them to Carlin's rant from Brain Droppings:
Irony deals with opposites; it has nothing to do with coincidence. If two baseball players from the same hometown, on different teams, receive the same uniform number, it is not ironic. It is a coincidence. If Barry Bonds attains lifetime statistics identical to his father's, it will not be ironic. It will be a coincidence. Irony is "a state of affairs that is the reverse of what was to be expected; a result opposite to and in mockery of the appropriate result." For instance: a diabetic, on his way to buy insulin, is killed by a runaway truck. He is the victim of an accident. If the truck was delivering sugar, he is the victim of an oddly poetic coincidence. But if the truck was delivering insulin, ah! Then he is the victim of an irony. If a Kurd, after surviving bloody battle with Saddam Hussein's army and a long, difficult escape through the mountains, is crushed and killed by a parachute drop of humanitarian aid, that, my friend, is irony writ large. Darryl Stingley, the pro football player, was paralyzed after a brutal hit by Jack Tatum. Now Darryl Stingley's son plays football, and if the son should become paralyzed while playing, it will not be ironic. It will be coincidental. If Darryl Stingley's son paralyzes someone else, that will be closer to ironic. If he paralyzes Jack Tatum's son, that will be precisely ironic.
Comments
"Ironic", used incorrectly drives me crazy.
But it is a bit of a tricky concept to get your head around, if you are of the thicker variety.
Personally, I would love to be clever enough to use irony, unfortunately I wasn't blessed with enough brain cells.
I do however recognize when it is used incorrectly.
Don't get me started on the use of "literally".
Also, on Big Brother last night (SHUT UP!) - Cherry (that's a bloke - ?) nominated a housemate in a "statistical" move - an interesting combination of strategic and tactical.
In fact in India people modify English words and liberally incorporate them into Hindi language. One such word that drives me nuts is "proudy"
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Priyanka, I like the sound of "proudy". In what context do people use it? I am thinking maybe, "Look at that fellow over there, all proudy and conceited".