Is it just me or does it seem that liberal political figures seem to have a propensity to say "it was just a joke" whenever a particularly idiotic idea of theirs meets with appropriate ridicule?
That at least, is what Sheryl Crow is now saying after her remarks about how everyone should only use one square of toilet paper were derided worldwide. I'm inclined to agree with Ace. He quotes from Crow's original blog post and then asks:
If someone can point out the tropes typically used to indicate ironical intent here, I'd appreciate it. Seems to me like a list of earnestly-proposed "solutions."
All daffy. But daffiness is the left's stock in trade. Whereas irony, self-awareness, and humor generally are not.
So please, someone inform me of how Crow was, as people do when they joke, indicating she was winking at the audience. [...]
The thing is, this sort of nonsense -- proposing idiotic solutions this supposed catastrophic problem, solutions that are, conveniently, either on a very low level of sacrifice (reusing paper bags) or something that can never be verified by the public (using one square) -- are the Hollywood ditzes' stock in trade.
They want to be perceived as doing their part for the cause -- sacrificing for it -- without having to engage in actual sacrifice.
So, I call bullshit on her. She said a stupid thing, and now she's claiming it was a joke. But she's said things nearly as stupid before, and will say things even stupider in the future. Someone who is consistently comcially stupid cannot trot out the "silly joke" defense with much credibility, because so little separates their alleged "jokes" and their serious beliefs.