[General] maximum earnestness slash unacknowledged irony factor

[ozden]

"So we were in Kansas, because- even though it was way out of the way, we wanted to hit the center of the country, preferably around the fourth of July for maximum earnestness slash unacknowledged irony factor."

I know the meanings of all words but I can't understand what exactly the sentence is trying to tell)

 

[Barb_D]

Me neither. The 4th of July is America's Independence Day, but I do not understand what being in the geographical center of the country (at least of the continental US) has to do with being ironic or earnest.

 

[Tdol]

What were they planning to do in Kansas?

 

[ozden]

They were making a bike trip from Seattle to Manhattan and planning to be at the center of the country on the fourth of July. I don't know why... I thought maybe someone could tell me what is ironic about being in Kansas on the independence day...

 

[probus]

It's a joke. No use trying to explain a joke.

 

[Raymott]

It's a joke. No use trying to explain a joke.

I disagree. I have some sympathy for the attitude that if you don't 'get' a joke, there's no point explaining it. But this only means that explaining the joke won't make it funny. Explaining a joke can at least give an intellectual understanding of the meaning.

 

[Tdol]

They were making a bike trip from Seattle to Manhattan and planning to be at the center of the country on the fourth of July. I don't know why... I thought maybe someone could tell me what is ironic about being in Kansas on the independence day...

To be a joke, there has to be more than that to me- I see nothing ironic about cycling around Kansas on Independence Day.

 

[probus]

Like any good joke, it's a bit near the bone. Therefore, explaining it is certain to offend some people, and I won't attempt it.

 

[Tdol]

OK- it's a cultural thing, then. It doesn't work in BrE. ;-)

 

[Barb_D]

This American is completely in the dark over the humor. Being in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was signed, would make sense for an "earnest" celebration but not the geographic center if the continental US.