Ironically, A Penchant for Ironic Detachment Doesn't Mean You're Immune to Political Manipulation

Red state/blue state isn't the only great division in America. There's a gaping chasm between two groups. The first consists of those who love their country unabashedly and un-ironically. The second is comprised of "ironists" who condemn that sort of patriotism because it's un-cool, because it ignores America's many flaws, and because they think such patriotism--jingoism, really--can be easily manipulated by unscrupulous politicians.

This Atlantic opiner falls into the second camp. And because he does he ignores the fact that folks who share his irony default setting are just as easy--if not easier--to flimflam and manipulate. That's because, unlike the un-ironic patriots, they worry about being and looking "cool" and au courant to the crowd: their entire sense of self may depend on it. If they weren't so easy to manipulate, and so obsessed with appearance, a "cool" community organizer (HOPE!) would never have become (CHANGE!) the president of the U.S. (TRANSFORMATION!). Furthermore, he would never ("SOCIAL JUSTICE!") have won a second term.

That's the thing about those who put their faith in ironic detachment: ironically, they may have few internal resources to fall back on when they are the subjects of brazen manipulation. Also, their detachment tends to blind them to the reality that their buttons are so often and so easily pushed.