Re:Americans vs. English (Score 1)

Actually, I think Americans aren't ironic because we don't need to be. It's easier for us to actually say what we mean than to pretend to be cleverer than anyone else by saying the exact opposite.

I am British and I don't agree that Americans have no sense of Irony; a strong vein of humour from Dorothy Parker to Woody Allen, Bill Hicks, George Carlin etc, (and even the better sitcom exports) reveal that irony is as much a part of the American makeup as 'dewy-eyed self-belief'.

Perhaps the fact that the mainstream culture can appear earnest and a little vacuous makes the ironic undercurrent all the stronger (and funnier).