Week 2--Barker, Chapter 4 (Rorty)

I was interested to read about Rorty. Often our conditioning convinces us of the absoluteness of what we believe and its universal foundations, until we are tested and “real life” smashes us with the irony that the opposite of our expectations and hopes are often there to shake us up. I think this increasing realization of the fragile foundations of Western culture (and all its canonized values) explains the current trends of strong irony in pop culture specifically. Especially comedy is increasingly ironic and dark; the most comedic elements are the most twisted and unfortunate. We laugh because we resonate with the recognition of this truth in our deepest being. Beneath all the serious and lofty ideas about our ordered and purposeful existence, there is an increasingly profound distrust (on an individual and institutional level) in our cherished and fuzzy notions about existence.