Irony's subtle differences

I guess I should've mentioned that the party was full of media and showbiz types, and let me tell you, showbiz people aren't exactly the most politically correct bunch. Believe me, they have heard and seen it all! ;-) The gentleman in question (the brother of a very well known English actress...but I digress) never said anything that could be construed as sexist or even sexually offensive (at least, not that I was aware of), however he did make a comment about showbiz people being "airheads" and Americans being "ass-kissers" (which probally was the loaded gun that sealed his fate ;-)). But hey, it's a PARTY!!! Why take things so seriously? But like I said, the men were able to roll with the punches, while the women eyed him with contempt. Anyway, the guy provided a few chuckles...if you were one of the fortunate few who understood his humor.

"Keeping a straight face is part of the whole thing, guys.....it's called deadpan humour. You are testing the comprehension and mental agility of your audience."

Damian, Right on!

Damian,

Do you still have Blackhader (Rowan Atkinson known as Mr Bean) in Gb? Blackhader is one of the best british TV humor.

Of course it depends on how well you know the people, whether at a party or pub, but wouldn't you notice your own "button pushing" if it created an unpleasant atmosphere? Imagine replacing those "easy" women at the party with a bunch of burly blokes and this man hurled his muck-raking at them. I wonder if his irony or sarcasm wouldn't suddenly change to sweet pleasantries when he'd notice his new audience. Now that would represent a higher form of intelligence ;)

Nic:

The Blackadder series was on TV here a long time ago and you can still see it on digital/cable..not sure which channel...think maybe UKTV Gold. Rowan Atkinson as Mr Bean.....just his face made you crack up. Tony Robinson who played crazy wee Baldrick in Blackadder is the presenter of a serious program dealing with archaelogical digs all over the UK....you know the sort of thing...discovering the site of a Roman villa way out in the English countryside and unearthing all those objects and treasures which have been buried for nearly 2,000 years. I'm not sure what the program is called but on the odd occasion when I did see it, it was the half-wit Baldrick I saw in charge of the the whole shebang, and it's not meant to be a comedy program! I'm like that really...I see the funny side all the time..I'm not sure I can go through life like this.

Timeteam....the name of the program
http://www.kgv.ac.uk/html/enrich.htm