carl sagan once said “to make an apple pie from scratch, first you must create the universe.”  so… i’m not zooming out that far, but it is nice to start off with the basics.  not to mention classics:

it’s like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife.  let’s discuss.

one of the things i think helps this whole blogging endeavor is the lack of a cohesive definition of IRONY.  i mean, the wikipedia entry is filled with hazy summations and outright falsehoods, like claiming that the general misuse of the word irony is in itself ironic.  really?  but how can i stay mad at wikipedia; there’s a lot that it gets right.  it goes over the basic types of irony (including my favorite: dramatic) and what they have in common- INCONGRUITY. and here, with the song “ironic”, we have all sorts of incongruity.  but alas, alanis, there’s a little bit more to it.  

let’s stick to the spoons.  irony hinges upon an incongruity between reality and intention(and/or meaning).  what the song presents us with is an incongruity between what is real and what is desired.  so what if you need a knife, if there’s no meaning to the spoon?  there’s a lot missing in this scenario- like what exactly does she need the knife for?  how’d she come upon these spoons?  we need answers damn it.  instead we are overwhelmed by the SCALE of incongruity: 10^4 spoons!  and not even 10^0 serrated edge.   it’s amazing how shallow she is; continually eschewing meaning, for the sake of her aching desire.  

well this sucks.  i think i might never listen to this song the same way again.  and that’s too bad- it’s a classic.

so to wrap it up:  is ten thousand spoons ironic?  NO, and besides alanis, i’m like 90% sure you’re a vegetarian anyway.  what the hell do you need a knife for?

• BROWSE / IN TIMELINE
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• BROWSE / IN desire the alanis discussion verdict: NO
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