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The Irony of America


© Lloyd Dangle

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12 Comments

  1. Morrius wrote:

    “We protest our taxes, but we keep demanding more social services.”

    Sunday, May 16, 2010 at 5:20 am | Permalink
  2. Ryan wrote:

    Isn’t this hypocrisy more than irony?

    Sunday, May 16, 2010 at 6:14 am | Permalink
  3. Iron Knee wrote:

    Well, some of them are very hypocritical, but taken together as a statement about America, they are ironic. How’s that?

    Sunday, May 16, 2010 at 9:35 am | Permalink
  4. Sam wrote:

    I resent this, because it’s a shockingly elementary view of how the world works. The author clearly expects a perfect system, where everyone agrees and follows everyone else’s opinions perfectly with no mistakes.

    Let me break this down for you:
    1st set: Just because one anti-gay politician happens to be gay doesn’t mean they all are. It just means there was one anti-gay politician who happened to be gay. This does not make American hypocritical, it makes the world normal, because weird things happen sometimes. Get over it.

    2nd set: The vast majority of Americans are against a tyrannical government (who isn’t?), and the vast majority of Americans are against Arizona’s immigration policy, seems like that’s not irony or hypocrisy to me.

    3rd set: So the fact that a few people in the United States like Glenn Beck means that we are all slavishly devoted to him? Are you sensing why this comic is so laughably incorrect (maybe that was the point of the comic? how Americans like to hate their own country and policy, without really understanding how or why it works, and without doing anything to change it other than arguing about the wrong things?

    4th set: I’m pretty sure very few people are actually for terrorists being allowed to have guns. That actually makes very little sense. Though you are right, we do value our Miranda rights and gun rights quite a lot, we also value our safety, and if it is known that someone is part of an anti-American militant group, it is possible that we would waive these rights for them, because they do not believe in them or support them, and it is necessary to protect our own freedoms and happiness and that of our families and friends.

    5th set: This is the only part that makes even a little sense, because I actually have seen this one occur a decent amount, but even so, it is still the vast minority of people that feel okay with using immigrant labor while being against their ability to come here illegally, though they usually have excuses (or “justification”), which makes it less ironic and more greedy (they don’t want them here, but since they are here, they will exploit the cheap labor, this does not mean they would be upset that they are gone, they are just using a bad situation to their benefit). I don’t support that view, just trying to explain it to you.

    I hope you’ve learned something from my post and don’t just delete/rage over it, and spread the knowledge, there’s too much ignorance about these issues these days, I hate to see it spread while knowledge gets crushed and ignored.

    Tuesday, May 18, 2010 at 12:26 pm | Permalink
  5. Mike wrote:

    This is dumb…

    Civil/economic freedom, open your mind…blind fool

    Tuesday, May 18, 2010 at 1:33 pm | Permalink
  6. Iron Knee wrote:

    Sam, thanks for joining in the discussion.

    I just have a few questions. I agree with you that “just because one anti-gay politician happens to be gay doesn’t mean they all are.” The problem is that it isn’t just one. And it isn’t just about gay-bashing. Just today another family values Congressman was caught having an affair with a staffer (the really hypocritical part is that he had the balls to make a pro-abstinince video with his mistress). So how many anti-gay marriage, family values, moralizing zealots have to be exposed before we can conclude that we are sometimes hypocritical?

    Second, I was not aware that “the vast majority of Americans are against Arizona’s immigration policy”. See http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/05/12/poll-finds-broad-support-for-arizona-immigration-law/

    Third, Glenn Beck, despite the fact that his viewership is now half of what it was at his peak, still has the most popular show on TV news. The fact that he is either insane or a good liar, and yet is so popular, is worrisome to many people.

    Your comments on the 4th set worry me the most. On what legal basis would we “waive these rights [Miranda and gun ownership] for them”? After all, most of the listed terrorist groups in this country are right-wing hate groups. Does that mean we should take away their guns or other rights without a trial? And contrary to what you say, the NRA and Senator Lindsay Graham *are* defending the right of suspected terrorists to own guns and even explosives. See http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,270142,00.html

    Anyway, welcome aboard, and I look forward to your response if you choose to make one.

    Tuesday, May 18, 2010 at 3:15 pm | Permalink
  7. Sam wrote:

    Thanks for the reply,

    1: I don’t think there’s anyone that would disagree that we are sometimes hypocritical. You’d be hard pressed to find a single person who has never been hypocritical at any time in their life. This does not mean America should be specifically categorized as “hypocritical”.

    2: The poll was, intentionally or not, structured in a misleading fashion. It leads the subject to a set conclusion based on a series of simpler things a person is more likely to agree with, they are then led to a conclusion they feel they must align with, for fear that they will appear hypocritical.

    An alternative poll might be:

    Opinion of:
    1. Requiring citizens to carry identification documents on their person at all times when in public.

    2. Requiring all police officers to force any person they deem suspicious of being in the country illegally to produce identification on the spot or be arrested. (sb1070 requires that police officers question any person they feel is in the United States illegally, and forces them to uphold immigration law to the highest degree they can, this poll is misleading by claiming they are simply “allowed” to question people they consider suspicious.)

    3. Considering everything, opinion of new Arizona law.

    I can almost guarantee this poll would have significantly different results, just because it is worded in a more accurate manner.

    3: The United States is a melting pot of all different types of people, with wild and varying opinions, that doesn’t make us hypocritical; It makes us diverse and free and normal.

    4: You make a valid point, but you must also realize that these are different groups of people arguing over different issues. We can’t simply group all Americans together because some support issues one way, while other groups support certain issues a different way. You could make the argument that the NRA is soft on suspected terrorists, and that some members of the military are hard on suspected terrorists, but you have to realize that these are not the same people. Sure, some of them may align both with the NRA and the military on these issues, but that’s not the norm, and can’t be used as a representation of America as a whole.

    Tuesday, May 18, 2010 at 5:40 pm | Permalink
  8. Steve wrote:

    What trash. Gimme a break.

    Tuesday, May 18, 2010 at 10:14 pm | Permalink
  9. Iron Knee wrote:

    Why Steve, what a helpful comment! Did your LOL key stop working on your new phone?

    Wednesday, May 19, 2010 at 3:12 am | Permalink
  10. anti-hypocracy wrote:

    This is funny, end of story. It has points that are true, thats what makes it a comic strip. Since when was political comedy 100% true? this is true for the most part, and its a funny way of breaking the truth to everyone who reads it.

    Wednesday, May 19, 2010 at 7:12 pm | Permalink
  11. Iron Knee wrote:

    John Cook has compiled a fascinating list of conservative culture warriors who were caught with their hypocritical pants down. See http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100519/pl_ynews/ynews_pl2140

    Thursday, May 20, 2010 at 6:51 am | Permalink
  12. Armeyofdicks wrote:

    Comic was funny until I looked over & saw the freedom works teabagger march ad & then I was thoroughly confused.

    Wednesday, August 18, 2010 at 11:09 pm | Permalink