123 School Work

Age of Irony

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  The Age of Irony is Not Dead
  
       Just after September 11, 2001, Roger Rosenblatt wrote an essay in Time Magazine entitled, "The Age of Irony Comes to an End No longer will we fail to take things seriously." Rosenblatt proclaimed, "One good thing could come from this horror: it could spell the end of the age of ironyThe ironists, seeing through everything, made it difficult for anyone to see anythingIn the age of irony, even the most serious things were not to be taken seriously."
       Certainly, no one can argue against the fact that President George W. Bush lost the popular vote in the election, was appointed president in a dubious Supreme Court decision, and had only minimal qualifications, particularly in the area of international politics and diplomacy. His lack of interest in the day to day activities required to run the United States was a well known fact. This quote from an article in the New York Times summed it up:
  [A] New York Times/CBS News Poll finds Pres[ident] Bush's job approval rating is 53 percent, down seven points from March; finds his standing as leader on both domestic and foreign fronts has diminished considerably, despite his first overseas trip as president and passage of his sweeping measure to cut taxes; more than half of Americans say they are
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  uneasy about his ability to tackle international crisis, and more people than not say he is not respected by other world leaders; by widening margins, people say they are less trusting that he will keep his word; majority of those polled seem disenchanted by what they view as his inattention to matters they care most about; there is substantial gap between his stand and theirs on many issues, including patients' bill of rights, education, energy, environment, raising minimum wage, prescription drugs and judicial appointments; poll is discouraging for Bush because on nearly every critical measure tested, he has shown no improvement in recent months, and often has lost ground.
       In the days immediately following September 11th, Bush's mediocre job performance and subsequent low ratings in the polls were all but forgotten as the nation pulled together to respond to Osama bin Laden and his gang of terrorists. No one would deny the tragedy of that day, or diminish the loss of life and the heroism of many. The most significant consequence however, and an ironic one, is that the event was seized upon by the Bush administration as a way to legitimize his presidency. Bush's presidency became defined by the war against terrorism...