Irony has outstayed its welcome.
It’s a tricky word, though, and I am only referring to one specific definition or use of irony: the ironic appreciation of things.
You’ve seen it, perhaps from every hipster you know. They grow a mustache, but only to show that mustaches are stupid. They have Billy Ray Cyrus on their iPod, but only to laugh at him.
It’s a negative trend in entertainment, and in appreciation of entertainment. A trend that can only serve to drag the culture down. Rather than champion a product or creative endeavor that we love, we’re instead holding up something that we hate and mocking it.
Consider, say, most of VH-1’s celebrity reality programming. They have found this niche of entertainment in which the only reason to watch it is to feel superior to the people on the show.
There is no genuine concern for Flavor Flav or Scott Baio; they’re only there to be ridiculed, in order to make you think “I’m not as bad as those train wrecks.”
Isn’t it about time to discard ironic appreciation? Isn’t “so-bad-it’s-good” just bad now? Surely by now that barely masked contempt of everyone and everything must be wearing thin. It is to me. I’d rather just say “so-good-it’s-good” and mean it.
In irony’s place, I’m advocating a new concept – a new form of appreciation. It’s called the New Sincerity, and it was created by Jesse Thorn, the host of the independent radio pod-cast ‘The Sound of Young America’ at maximumfun.org.
According to Thorn, “New Sincerity is about being open to fun – whether or not it feels a little too big or a little uncomfortable – not missing out on experiences by hiding behind the shield of ‘cool’. There is room for coolness in New Sincerity but it’s not the coolness that protects you from experience, it embraces experience.”
What it is, then, is a new way to approach appreciation. If admiring something ironically is mocking it, taking it for the opposite of its intended meaning, and sincerity is just plain liking something, the New Sincerity is a way to value those things that seem too ridiculous to actually enjoy.
Thorn provided an example of Evel Knievel. He explains, “if you look at the recent Andy Samberg ‘Hot Rod’ movie – there’s all this ironic appreciation of Evel that is kind of contemptuous and ugly” but on the other hand, [Evel] is determined to do something amazing – and the things he did were amazing. I think ultimately Evel is pretty wonderful.”
There are other examples. Consider professional wrestling, the band KISS or Prince. All of these aforementioned creative products are too ridiculous, too otherworldly to be taken literally – but at the same time, there is genuine value inside. You don’t listen to KISS and think “what a bunch of idiots.” Instead, you smirk and think “this is awesome” and you mean it.
Thorn admits that the concept of New Sincerity was hatched by sitting around with a group of friends when he was in college and goofing off. At some point, Thorn was asked if he was joking, which he said they were – but not in the sense that there was, as Thorn puts it, “a butt of the joke.” It was at this point that Thorn and his friends realized they had discovered the New Sincerity.
Thorn goes on to say, “I think at its heart, part of what [the New Sincerity] is about is discarding the idea of ‘cool’ in the favor of the idea for ‘fun.’ The idea is to create something wonderful as opposed to something reserved.”
Ultimately, that’s what entertainment is for. This is why we have things: To provide enjoyment, not to impress others with how discriminating you are.