I first noticed this problem among
older members of my family, particularly my
grandparents. A
witty and
sarcastic comment by myself or my sister would draw only
blank stares. Television
commercials in which
grinning Americans tried to sell us things like
The Clapper motivated not even the slightest attempt at
disgust or
humour.
Bill Gates getting a pie in the face was seen as
reprehensible rather than
heroic.
I am worried about the effects that this disorder has on the political landscape.
Of course, one could argue that irony is simply the armour that our generation uses to cope with an increasingly fucked up world, and that we are the ones with the disorder. But then I would have nothing to take refuge in.