irony poisoning

{{Short description|Process of normalising a belief with humour}}

Irony poisoning is the process or altered state wherein one has a diminished capacity for distinguishing between one's own genuine beliefs and ironic beliefs through an overuse of irony. This can manifest in either an inability to state one's beliefs in a genuine way or genuinely echoing provocative sentiments they once held only ironically.{{Cite web |last1=Fisher |first1=Max |last2=Amanda |first2=Taub |date=23 Aug 2018 |title=Should We All Be Taking 'Irony Poisoning' More Seriously? |url=https://static.nytimes.com/email-content/INT_4981.html |access-date=2022-12-19 |website=The Interpreter, New York Times}} Appearing in The New York Times in 2018, the term is often used to describe the normalization of extremist views through the use of humor, particularly in online spaces.{{Cite web |last=Somos |first=Christy |date=2019-12-04 |title='Deadly serious': Ex neo-Nazi and Iron March user speaks out on de-radicalization |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/deadly-serious-ex-neo-nazi-and-iron-march-user-speaks-out-on-de-radicalization-1.4713822 |access-date=2022-12-19 |website=CTVNews |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Fang |first=Lee |last2=Woodhouse |first2=Leighton Akio |date=August 25, 2017 |title=How White Nationalism Became Normal Online |work=The Intercept |url=https://theintercept.com/2017/08/25/video-how-white-nationalism-became-normal-online/ |access-date=November 13, 2023 |quote=But for some, the jokey memes became a bridge to a formal association with white nationalism. In other words, when users post so many genocide and rape jokes, they become so detached from reality that they become susceptible to the messages of bonafide hate groups, a transformation referred to in forums as “irony poisoning.”}}