I find it
>unfortunate that a by-product of the Left having fallen apart in recent years
>is a complete loss of understanding of the usefulness of humor/irony/sarcasm
>in presenting a viewpoint.
It doesn't really go that far, to the end of the cold war
and all that jazz.
I would say it's a problem of trying to use irony in
Internet (particularly in mailing lists such as this one),
it's not a problem of the fall of the Left, etc..
It is very problematic to use irony in this kind
of environment and anyone who wants to use it to make
a point should at least be aware of its potential
problems, such as the almost inevitable misunderstandings
which are sure to follow. If s/he doesn't know it yet, s/he
will find out about it pretty soon--in fact, as soon
as the first "ironic" message/article is sent/posted.
Sorry to spoil your sociopolitical analysis. (-:
Saludos,
Nelly