Mescalito

Can anyone explain the difference between hypocrisy and irony?

If I tell an older friend not to smoke when he is obviously quite sick and then proceed to ask if he has any smokes for me which I obtain and then proceed to smoke.. what is this called? Just to clear up a little argument.

M

Mikey

Hypocrisy is intentional irony. So in that scenario ^ it'd be hypocrisy.

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The Rev

If you preach the evils of smoking, then smoke yourself, then this is hypocrisy

however,

If you tell your friend not to smoke because he is sick, and he does anyway, but it's YOU, the healthy one, that ends up dropping dead suddenly from some smoking-related issue, then that would be ironic.

however, however

If you were to go back in time and poison your own weed, thereby killing yourself and making it impossible to then travel back in time in the first place, that would be a paradox.

however, however, however

If you simply run out of weed, and have no apparent means to get more except to suck some dick, then that is a conundrum.



The Rev

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SmokeaJoint

I think I'm high enough to get that^

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AfroHorse

it would be hypocritical if you were ill yourself and still smoked, but you're not

the situation is ironic though i guess

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Cerpin Taxt

It'd be hypocritical if you were sick too... but it's not ironic either... unless he was already smoking at the time you told him not to smoke (and you were previously unaware).

Inconsiderate maybe? That is, if he REALLY wanted to smoke at that time.

My head slightly hurts.

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John F. Kerry

this is a good question! i think its debatable which it is.


it doesnt seem like hypocrisy, because your not saying you shouldnt smoke period- your saying you shouldnt smoke when your old and sick, so if you arent but he is, then it doesnt necessarily seem like hypocrisy.

but for the same reason, its not really that ironic either...because you both have different situations so i guess its somewhat ironic that you would smoke after talking about how unhealthy it is, but then again, since your point was that old frail people shouldnt smoke, if you arent old and frail then it seems kinda like its not ironic because you arent in the same situation as the person who u gave the advice to so it doesnt apply to u.


hypocrisy can be ironic, but not all irony is hypocritical. or something

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turmaline

Sing that Alanis Morrisette song in your head it might help explain things a bit.

just saying.

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Parallax

what about when you ask an older friend/coworker to buy you some smokes and they refuse saying that they've just quit and that if they buy me a pack they will have to buy one for themselves, and then at the end of the day you see the guy go and buy smokes for himself only.

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Waves

Hypocrisy is the state of pretending to have beliefs, opinions, virtues, feelings, qualities, or standards that one does not actually have. Hypocrisy involves the deception of others and is thus a kind of lie.

Hypocrisy is not simply failing to practice those virtues that one preaches. Samuel Johnson made this point when he wrote about the misuse of the charge of "hypocrisy" in Rambler No. 14:

Nothing is more unjust, however common, than to charge with hypocrisy him that expresses zeal for those virtues which he neglects to practice; since he may be sincerely convinced of the advantages of conquering his passions, without having yet obtained the victory, as a man may be confident of the advantages of a voyage, or a journey, without having courage or industry to undertake it, and may honestly recommend to others, those attempts which he neglects himself.[1]

Thus, an alcoholic's advocating temperance, for example, would not be considered an act of hypocrisy so long as the alcoholic made no pretense of constant sobriety.

Its basically carrying a false pretense.

Matt's situation is not hypocrisy because he carries no false pretense, he is not trying to uphold any kind of moral standard. he was just looking out for his sick buddy.

If Matt himself was sick, however, and proceeded to smoke a cigarette that WOULD be hypocrisy because he is pretending to value the idea of not smoking when you are sick.

Its not irony either for the same reason.

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The Rev

I totally relate to this. In fact, I AM this. In fact of fact, I don't think I'm capable of committing to ANY disciplined course of action, no matter how much I believe in it, without fucking it up repeatedly.



The Rev

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Mikey

so i tell someone not to smoke but then ask them for smokes and smoke them im not a hypocrite?

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The Rev

Not if you admit that the reasons you told the person not to are valid; like saying, "Yeah, I know it's bad for me, but I really want to, so fuck it" as opposed to, "Anyone who smokes is a loser" and then lighting up without acknowledging that you, too, are a loser.



The Rev

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Waves

thats a different situation, no one is sick

what makes matts situation not hypocritical is that he is not sick, thus he is not breaking his value of not smoking when you are sick.

as to your situation, that would depend on the reasons that you are telling them not to smoke and whether or not your behavior falls under accordance with those reasons as well.

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Mikey

well im glad we got that figured out

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Mescalito

Whoa! Thanks for the replies. This was the subject of a minor drunken argument with a friend last night.. He was adamant that it was ironic.. and I said he was retarded for not knowing the actual meaning of irony. I think it's something that a lot of people use in the wrong way.. not that I've probably never done it! heh

M

AfroHorse

i dunno

"irony: an outcome of events contrary to what was, or might have been, expected."

preaching not to smoke when sick and then smoking yourself even though you are not sick yourself is ironic, imo

Grieves

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Cerebro

I think the situation is ironic at a simple level, therefore it is ironic. Perhaps not literally, or to a large degree though.

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SageTree

I'm voting irony.

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