The Stoic
Isn’t it Ironic
Without giving examples, define for me what irony is. After that, tell me why you think this song is dumb and how it isn’t ironic. It is important to acknowledge how an epistemology of memetic pop culture opinions has influenced your opinion of this song. Consider this article a Socratic-bitchslap.
There are in fact multiple definitions of irony that go back to its use in Ancient Greek drama, of those being:
Classical- Greek use, juxtaposition of expectations and reality
Romantic- self aware and conscious fiction
Cosmic- the gods in work against characters/Absolute and relative
Verbal- between statement and meaning
Situational- what you are thinking of when it comes to irony
Dramatic- a character’s ignorance, but an audience’s awareness to events within a play
Meta- about itself, in reference to itself
Life has a Funny Way
Consider life as your three act play in which it seems like you’re in control of the narrative. After all, you are the narrator, actor, and the audience. Look across though, you are not on this stage alone. That hanging aura isn’t just another one of the props. That is God or the gods, or just the random probability of effects pinball-ing its way through everyone’s lives, affecting at random.
Fate is a wild card. We assume that He has some mysterious masterplan in place. Sometimes we wish that She would shine down and work in our favor. They don’t really, or maybe we are ignorant again with our tendency to place ourselves at top billing, center-stage of the universe.
The real irony of the song is also a profound insight into a philosophy of life. There is almost enough here to start an Alanis Morissette church.
At the church of our Lady Alanis, the entrance hymn is “Thank You”; Announcements will be made to a rendition to “You Outta Know”; “Hand in my Pocket” will lead into the offering.
Did I take this joke too far? Oh well, I’ll do better next time. I guess “You Learn”.
Cosmic Irony
Prior to delving into cosmic irony, let’s dig into the Socratic Method, or Socratic Irony. I like to call it “Debating Like a Two-Year Old”. Ask why. That’s it. Following an answer, as again, “but why”.
It is leading question after leading question. This is used to point out to people how little they truly know about subjects that claim to profess an expert level in. It is a means to humble someone. More importantly, it is a humbling reminder. Remain curious.
Back to Alanis. She admits the lack of situational irony in the song. She also admits to not caring. Even if the lack of supposed irony has become an ironic point in its own right, that’s not good enough for our purposes.
For us, we will consider the universe as the ironic hand (Fate as we called her before) that acts against us; deliberately or indirectly is the question that needs no answer, it’s irrelevant.
Portions of the song and the video support a deductive analysis.
The bridge sets the Life/Fate/Universe as a character in the narrative in the song:
The video has three more Alanises (Alanisi? Alanisies?) in the car with her singing along. Seeing as she was God in the movie Dogma, (and maybe in real life too) it is reasonable to assume that one her in the car must be her God persona. I like to think it is the lady in the red sweater trying to climb out of the window. She clearly doesn’t care about her own safety perhaps due to her immortality. God-Alanis could have siphoned the tank while the human version was inside the convenient store getting Funyuns.
For the other two Morissettes, we will pass them off as whatever; they don’t matter to this theory. We can call them the little devils and angels on your shoulder, or the ego and subconscious, even the private self and public self.
The real, tangent, human Alanis is in the front seat just trying to make it through life, to swallow it down like a Jagged Little Pill.
Every situation in the song is comedic timing of the red sweater Alanis. Only one person recognizes the dichotomy of control: Mr.Play-It-Safe.
And as the plane crashed down
He thought, "Well, isn't this nice?"
He may have been risk-adverse, but also, perhaps he was the most Stoic, disinterested and unaffected by those things he can’t control. Flying was about overcoming irrational fears. He did that. Most planes don’t crash, his did. Such is life.
Last Note
Socrates would be embarrassed and appalled at the use of Wikipedia over just knowing everything. My wife isn’t happy about my Wikipedia references either. Socrates never wrote any of his lessons down. Sticking to what you actually have some knowledge on while also avoiding the urge to prattle will benefit you in the long run.
Also, don’t take everything so serious. Everything we know of Socrates comes from Plato, and Plato doesn’t know the difference between a man and a chicken. Just ask Diogenes.
Be more like Diogenes.
The Poetic
Critique, not Criticism
It is apropos to blame social media and the internet for making us judgmental and cynical. Sadly, it is a human characteristic that has lasted just as long as any virtuous pursuit. It is the counterbalance that is often prevalent in the world. It is the need for virtue, the human tendency towards cruelty.
It is more rebellious to be sincere and say what you mean. It takes no effort to be constructive and say something nice, or aid someone towards becoming better. Wouldn’t you have wanted someone to help you along the way?