UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations 1-1-2008 Irony as a mode of political engagement Daniel Ladislau Horvath University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/rtds Repository Citation Horvath, Daniel Ladislau, "Irony as a mode of political engagement" (2008). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 2351. http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/cxgm-pzsr This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. IRONY AS A MODE OF POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT by Daniel Ladislau Horvath Bachelor of Arts Babes Bolyai University, Cluj Napoca, Romania 1999 Master of Arts Babes Bolyai University, Cluj Napoca, Romania 2005 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in Communication Studies Department of Communication Studies Greenspun College of Urban Affairs Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas August 2008 UMI Number: 1460471 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI UMI Microform 1460471 Copyright 2008 by ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 E. Eisenhower Parkway PC Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Copyright by Daniel Ladislau Horvath 2008 All Rights Reserved Thesis Approval The Graduate College University of Nevada, Las Vegas Ju ly 7 _,2(Q8_ The Thesis prepared by Daniel L. Horvath Entitled Irony as a Mode of Political Engagement is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Communication Studies Examination Committee Chair Dean of the Graduate College Examination Committee Member Examination Committee Member _ Graduate College Faculty Representative 11 ABSTRACT Irony as a Mode of Political Engagement by Daniel Ladislau Horvath Dr. Donovan Conley, Examination Committee Chair Assistant Professor University of Nevada, Las Vegas In the context of an estranged public sphere, irony, as dissonance between the literal meaning of the utterance and the latent one, becomes a new standard for political sincerity. What Linda Hutcheon calls irony’s “edge,” involving “the attribution of an evaluative, even judgmental attitude,” cannot be divorced from (political) attitudes and emotion. Despite irony’s popular reputation of being a humorous disengaged trope, my analysis follows its deployment in increasingly politically engaged artifacts and performances. Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s South Park, Michael Moore’s documentaries, and Stephen Colbert’s performance at the 2006 WHCA dinner, provide ample evidence of irony as politically relevant. The current project charts irony’s progression from South Park’s generalized critique of collective behavior, and Moore’s 111 politically committed performance of the “impossible conversation,” to Colbert’s communicating directly to the president his dissent as “truthiness.” All these artifacts sketch the image of irony as versatile trope, rhetorically efficient as a mode of political engagement. IV TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .............................................................................................vi CHAPTER 1 IRONY AS A MODE OF POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT.................1 Irony ..................................................................................................................... 6 A udiences .........................................................................................................15 A mode of political engagement .................................................................16 Chapter division .............................................................................................. 17 CHAPTER 2 “TWO DAYS BEFORE THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW”! PUBLIC STUPIDITY AND THE IRONIC SUBJECT IN SOUTH PARK 23 Flaws in reality ................................................................................................ 27 “What’s in an audience?” - Irony and audiences ................................ 48 “1 broke the dam” ........................................................................................... 59 CHAPTER 3 MICHAEL MOORE’S “IMPOSSIBLE CONVERSATION” 67 The “Impossible Conversation” ..................................................................73 Enter irony .......................................................................................................79 Politically invested irony .............................................................................107 CHAPTER 4 “SPEAKING TRUTHINESS’TO POWER”: STEPHEN COLBERT AT THE 2006 WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS ASSOCIATION DINNER......................................................................................... 115 C o n tex t .............................................................................................................118 In the presence of the president ............................................................. 123 Media aftermath............................................................................................149 Speaking “truthiness” to power .............................................................. 156 Chapter 5 “GENERAL OBSERVATIONS AND CONCLUSION”..................169 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................... 176 VITA............................................................................................................................. 192 V ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In my wildest dreams 1 always imagined myself giving an Oscar acceptance speech: “1 want to thank God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the twelve apostles, Pope John Paul 11, Mother Theresa, the participants of the first and second Council of Nicaea, and all the patron saints in existence.” It took a grueling two days at the American embassy in Bucharest, a summer-long lobbying effort apart from my sister, a 20,000 km trip, and two years of intense Master level classes to realize that 1 was interested in irony all along. First 1 want to thank Dr. David Henry for not resisting my sister’s efforts to convince him that 1 am a viable candidate for the communication studies graduate program and for making clear the distinction between terrible and decent writing. 1 also want to thank all the members of the admission board for taking a chance on an international student from Transylvania, famous for its bloodlust rather then universities. 1 also want to thank Dr. Thomas Burkholder for making me realize that Aristotle and Plato are not simply dead Greeks but a vital component of a strong rhetorical foundation. 1 also want to thank Dr. Anne Stevens, who, together with Dr. Henry and Dr. Burkholder, formed my thesis committee and provided valuable feedback in advancing this project in the right direction. 1 want to thank all the vi faculty members as well, not only for the diverse classes offered but also for the high standards to which they held me and my classmates. This brings me to my friends, my “comrades in the trenches,” fighting the deadlines shoulder to shoulder. “Cooperate to graduate” was never truer then with this group of people: Desiree A. “D-ray” Cartmill, Jonathan K “J-oz” Osborne, Michele L. “Elle” Cannella, Brittney M. “Wifey” Wojtaszek, Sarah Anne “Bff’ Ewing, and Sarah Nicole “Soulmate” Nebel. Within this family, and Tm not using this term lightly, “purple hearts” go to: Brittney “Wifey,” with whom 1 became a family by spending weeks upon weeks at the library, from dawn till dusk working to exhaustion; Sarah “Bff,” who embraced my presence here with an intoxicating curiosity and overwhelming friendship - being her friend means being her family; and “Soulmate” who proved that souls do no speak different languages - her incredible love of life was indeed contagious. Somehow, thank you doesn’t seem enough. So, here it is: 1 love you. But all this couldn’t have happened without my family: my sister Edith Gelu, my brother-in-law Robert, and my niece Petra. From stalking Dr. Henry for an entire summer, to sharing their house and embracing me with the kind of peaceful atmosphere only family can, they have offered me a safe haven vital for the survival in a strange new universe. Here 1 also want to thank my best Romanian friends Andreea and Adi for VII being and for being adamant in their conviction that coming here will do me good.