Posted by Michelle Steiner on 11/16/80 11:36

In article <422najF1gqq4hU1@individual.net>,
Giles <usenet.giles@gmail.com> wrote:

> >> Clearly we need a plain text marker for irony. How about reversed
> >> parentheses, )like so(?
> >>
> >> Giles
> >
> > How about using HTML-like markers, like this:
> >
> > <irony> An ironic statement goes here. </irony>
> >
> > We can extend that to stuff like this:
> >
> > <sarcasm> A sarcastic comment goes here. </sarcasm>
> >
> > <AOL> I agree!!!! </AOL>
>
> <irony free>
> Sorry Michelle. I was feeling a little snappy at the moment of
> posting, for reasons unconnected with your post. And I do use such
> tags, in an all too frequent manner.

I didn't take it as being snappy; I took it as humor. You have nothing
to apologize for.

> But wouldn't signalled irony cease to be irony? It strikes me it
> would then be more like sarcasm. Which was why I thought my line on
> irony markers was, erm, an irony. Apologies.
> </irony free>

I understood it to mean that you were suggesting that we needed such
markers for the irony impaired. And we do, if we want to ensure that
they recognize it as irony--just as I suggested for sarcasm and the
sarcasm impaired. <g>

--
Stop Mad Cowboy Disease: Impeach the son of a Bush.

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