My wife, Miranda Kopfschmertzen, and her colleagues should be able to help me with this, as they are teachers of English language and literature.
The masses have become confused as to the definition of “irony.” The blame for this falls squarely on the shoulders of Alanis Morissette. What she sang about was not ironic, but since 3 billiion people bought Jagged Little Pill, people now believe rain on your wedding day is ironic. Seriously, that’s not even a coincidence. Bad luck maybe (good luck in certain cultures); Murphy’s Law sure, but not at all ironic.
Taube asserts that there is a gray area between coincidence and irony. He says, some things aren’t necessarily ironic, but it is more than just a coincidence. He calls these “coironies.”
So, here is my example and tell me if this indeed ironic. Is it ironic that President Bush, who was not rightfully elected by the voters of the United States of America and arguably has no solid claim to be president at all, has now bowled through Afghanistan and Iraq and insist that they have free elections? Furthermore, is it ironic that the Bush administration, which is considered by most experts to be the most secretive administration in American history, has as one of their primary platforms “Freedom for all?”